382: The Prison That Became a Distillery: Belfast's Most Unlikely Comeback Story with McConnell's Irish Whisky

Why do Irish distillers believe triple distillation creates a smoother, more refined whiskey? What makes a whiskey feel warm and smooth on the palate instead of fiery or harsh? Why does the Belfast origin of ginger ale make it such a natural pairing with McConnell's Irish Whisky? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with John Kelly, CEO of the Belfast Distillery Company, responsible for reviving one of Belfast's most famous brands, McConnell's Irish Whisky. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Highlights Why does Irish whiskey traditionally favour triple distillation while Scotch producers rely on double distillation? How do first-fill American bourbon barrels shape the citrus, vanilla, and floral character of McConnell's five-year-old whiskey? Why does the balance between grain and malted barley affect whether a whiskey feels warm and smooth or fiery on the palate? How does a higher malt content contribute to a longer, more persistent finish in blended Irish whiskey? What are the three classic styles of Irish whiskey? Why does McConnell's focus on blending grain and malt whiskey rather than pot still whiskey? Why did the distillery choose Oloroso sherry casks for finishing, and how does sherry influence both color and flavor? What role does a higher bottling strength play in enhancing flavor and cocktail versatility? How did Belfast play an unexpected role in the invention of ginger ale? How do cognac casks create a more refined whiskey profile with notes like dried pineapple, caster sugar, and ginger spice?   About John Kelly   John Kelly is a highly respected drinks industry veteran, with over 30 years' experience in the sector, including 22 years with Diageo, where he held senior roles in sales, marketing and general management within Ireland, Europe and the Middle East. John also worked with Walsh Whiskey in Carlow, Ireland. In 2021, John joined Belfast Distillery Company as CEO and is building the team, bringing distilling back to Belfast in the repurposed Crumlin Road Gaol. In his spare time, John enjoys playing golf, coaching, and ferrying his children around to their various sports events, and best of all, watching from the sidelines.       To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/382.

What's the hidden meaning behind the opaque ribbed glass at the bottom of a McConnell's Irish Whisky bottle? What made the opportunity to revive McConnell's Irish Whisky important enough to leave a long and secure career behind? How does a master distiller notice that something is off long before anyone else can spot it? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with John Kelly, CEO of the Belfast Distillery Company, responsible for reviving one of Belfast's most famous brands, McConnell's Irish Whisky, which actually dates back 250 years this year to 1776. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Highlights What made John take on the challenge of bringing McConnell's back to Belfast? How did Belfast go from exporting more than 75% of Irish whiskey to losing the McConnell's brand for nearly 80 years? What do the symbols on the McConnell's bottle reveal? How does the opaque glass at the base of the bottle pay tribute to the hidden snug rooms where women once had to drink out of sight? How did John navigate Covid, government negotiations, and US investors to keep going on the McConnell's revival journey? How did relationship building and a strong sense of place help McConnell's earn a spot with the LCBO in Canada? What did it take to transform Belfast's old Crumlin Road prison into a working distillery? Why does John describe McConnell's as the first legal whiskey distillery ever built inside a prison? What's the connection between the brand and female empowerment today? Why does McConnell's deliberately spell whisky without the "e," unlike almost every other Irish whiskey? Why is five years the magic number for McConnell's, and what does that extra time in cask add to the whiskey? How does master distiller Graeme Millar use his palate to catch problems in production? Why do patience and discipline make all the difference for award-winning whiskey?   About John Kelly John Kelly is a highly respected drinks industry veteran, with over 30 years' experience in the sector, including 22 years with Diageo, where he held senior roles in sales, marketing and general management within Ireland, Europe and the Middle East. John also worked with Walsh Whiskey in Carlow, Ireland. In 2021, John joined Belfast Distillery Company as CEO and is building the team, bringing distilling back to Belfast in the repurposed Crumlin Road Gaol. In his spare time, John enjoys playing golf, coaching, and ferrying his children around to their various sports events, and best of all, watching from the sidelines.         To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/381.

If your wearable device knows your cortisol level, your heart rate, and the ambient light in your dining room, should it also choose the perfect wine for you? The Romans raved about Falernian. The Georgians were fermenting in clay vessels eight thousand years ago. Could AI finally let us taste what they were drinking? Conversely, can AI write an accurate tasting note for wine still in the bottle before a single human lifts the glass? When every appellation is covered, every vintage scored, and every back label written by an algorithm, what is a wine writer actually for? You're going to discover the stories and tips that answer those questions in this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast. I'm going solo rather than interviewing a guest, as I'd like to share these thoughts that have been on my mind. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Highlights What first drew Sarah toward Champagne, and why did the region capture her imagination so strongly early in her wine journey? How does Champagne's chalk soil influence vine behavior and the overall character of the wines produced there? Why does the concept of terroir in Champagne depend as much on blending decisions as on vineyard origin? How do reserve wines shape the consistency and identity of non-vintage Champagne? What role does dosage play in balancing acidity and texture in finished Champagne? Why do some producers choose to eliminate dosage entirely, and what stylistic risks does that decision create? How does extended lees aging transform both aroma and texture in traditional method sparkling wines? Why has grower Champagne gained so much attention over the past two decades? How do small grower producers approach vineyard expression differently from the large Champagne houses? What tasting clues help distinguish Champagne made primarily from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Meunier? Why do many Champagne producers still rely on blending across villages rather than highlighting single vineyards? How does the Champagne region continue adapting to climate change while preserving its traditional style? Why does Champagne remain one of the few wine regions where blending is considered the highest expression of craftsmanship?       To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/380.

Why do some cultures embrace wine as a cultural expression while others see it simply as a beverage? Why do some cultures embrace wine as a cultural expression while others see it simply as a beverage? Can fine wine actually be defined, or is it something subjective to be debated? Why is it so important to identify both the aroma and structure of wines when tasting? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Sarah Heller, Master of Wine. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Highlights What was it about tasting Barolo for the first time that completely changed Sarah's understanding of wine complexity? How does Nebbiolo grown on clay soils in Piemonte create a sense of density and structure that feels different from Tuscan Sangiovese? How has Attilio Scienza's perspective on synesthesia shaped Sarah's approach to wine education? Why does Sarah believe wine should be understood as a cultural artifact rather than just a beverage? How does the ancient figure of Bacchus in Ovid's Metamorphoses reveal wine's power for both chaos and redemption? Why does Sarah feel that studying wine deeply increases enjoyment? How do different cultures respond differently to studying wine before enjoying it? What is Sarah's pragmatic definition of a fine wine? How did Sarah train for the Master of Wine tasting exam? Why did Sarah design the Elements glass collection around fire, water, air, earth, and balance instead of grape-specific shapes? Why does Sarah see wine education and global exchange as a two-way dialogue?   About Sarah Heller Sarah Heller MW is an internationally acclaimed wine expert and visual artist whose work explores the cultural history and multi-sensory experience of wine. She is the Italian wine reviewer for Club Oenologique, Faculty of the Vinitaly International Academy and Wine Editor for Asia Tatler. Sarah has co-hosted the series Wine Masters and Wine Masters Class and has collaborated with Lucaris Crystal on a line of hand-blown glasses.       To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/379.

Why is spitting essential if you want to taste wine seriously? What made Hong Kong's wine boom in 2010 feel both extravagant and generous? Does formal wine tasting language strip the emotion out of wine writing? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Sarah Heller. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Highlights How did Sarah's wine career almost end before it began? Why did her accident in southern France strengthen her commitment to the wine industry? What was it like to represent a restaurant alone at age 20 at the world's largest wine trade fair? How did an early lesson about spitting wine become a memorable introduction to professional wine culture? What's the difference between wine marketing and wine education? What made Hong Kong's wine scene during the 2010s feel both extravagant and unusually generous? How did Burgundy tastings in Hong Kong highlight the intersection of rarity, money, and shared passion? How did Sarah's fine art training at Yale shape the way she thinks about wine? What inspired her to move beyond traditional tasting notes to creating visual tasting notes? Why does Sarah believe conventional wine descriptors can feel sterile? How do shape, color, mood, and texture form the foundation of her visual tasting method? How does the shape of a wine differ between a plush Australian Shiraz and a structured Barolo?   Key Takeaways Why is spitting essential if you want to taste wine seriously? Sarah: You're really meant to spit when you try wines. There was a little bit of a macho culture around it, like, oh no, real, real, real people don't spit. And I was like, I don't know, that doesn't seem very smart. But, there I was. And so by the end of the day, the people who had been assigned to take me under their wing were decanting me into a taxi. I made it safely home, thank goodness. What made Hong Kong's wine boom in 2010 feel both extravagant and generous? Sarah: Something about Hong Kong that I think distinguishes it, certainly from the UK collector scene, which was sort of my reference point to a certain degree, is that people open their bottles. I mean, some people have generational collections, but most people this was the collection they started. They can remember starting it and they want to share it with people. Obviously showing off is part of it, there's no denying that. But there's also an incredible spirit of generosity in wanting to share these incredible treasures that you have in your cellar with everybody around you, with the people that you care about. Does formal wine tasting language strip the emotion out of wine writing? Sarah: After having finished the Master of Wine, which is very, very much a bounded problem. You have to accept that this is the way that things are done. It's very directed and clear, which I think is useful if you're trying to create a standardized certification. But having got out on the other side of that and broken my writing style down so that it was as objective as possible and as simple and direct as possible, I was just a bit done with it. I don't want to talk about red versus black fruit. It had become sort of sterile at that point for me. It's not that I don't think people should study that, but it was just the phase that I was in, and I wanted to figure out what my voice was going to be.   About Sarah Heller Sarah Heller MW is an internationally acclaimed wine expert and visual artist whose work explores the cultural history and multi-sensory experience of wine. She is the Italian wine reviewer for Club Oenologique, Faculty of the Vinitaly International Academy and Wine Editor for Asia Tatler. Sarah has co-hosted the series Wine Masters and Wine Masters Class and has collaborated with Lucaris Crystal on a line of hand-blown glasses.       To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/378.

Should wine competitions give judges the option to say that none of the wines in a category deserve a medal? Why have some classic regions become inaccessible while others remain within reach for wine drinkers? What does it mean for a wine to gain wisdom as it ages? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Neal Hulkower, a PhD rocket scientist, who has just published his first book, Grape Explications. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Neal Hulkower's terrific new book, Grape Explications. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!   Highlights What was one biostatistician's objection to the way wine competitions were scored? Why does Neal fundamentally disagree with the view that some judges' opinions should carry more weight? What are the Power of None and the Stars and Bars method and how do they change the way judges assess competitors? Why did Neal apply these ranking methods to historic tastings like the Judgment of Paris, and what did the results reveal? What did revisiting his tasting notebooks from the 1960s and 1970s reveal about wine prices, aging, and accessibility? How did Neal set a personal ceiling on wine price, and how does that shape what he considers drinkable? Why have some classic wines remained attainable while others are now priced out of affordability? How did opening a carefully chosen older bottle reinforce Neal's belief that wine can gain wisdom as it ages?   About Neal Hulkower Neal D. Hulkower is an applied mathematician and freelance writer living in McMinnville, Oregon. His first contributions to a wine publication appeared in the early 1970s. Since 2009, he has been writing regularly about wine-related topics for academic, trade, and popular publications including the Journal of Wine Research, the Journal of Wine Economics, American Wine Society Wine Journal, Oregon Wine Press, Practical Winery & Vineyard, Wine Press Northwest, the Slow Wine Guide USA, and The World of Fine Wine and on wine-searcher.com, trinkmag.com, and guildsomm.com. Neal is a member of the American Wine Society, the American Association of Wine Economists, and the Circle of Wine Writers. His first book, Grape Explications, was released in 2025. He can occasionally be found pouring some of Oregon's finest in a tasting room at the top of the Dundee Hills.           To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/377.

How can a single bottle of wine completely change your understanding of what wine can be? What makes a wine so remarkable that you can almost taste it again in your memory decades later? Why are people drawn to tasting notes even when words can never fully capture the experience of tasting and smelling wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Neal Hulkower, a PhD rocket scientist, who has just published his first book, Grape Explications. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Neal Hulkower's terrific new book, Grape Explications. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!   Highlights What surprised Neal most when he reread five decades of his own wine writing while compiling Grape Explications? How has his palate, perspective, and choice of writing topics evolved throughout his life? Why did self-publishing matter so much to Neal? How did Neal's first experience with wine shape his early expectations of wine? How did tasting classified growth Bordeaux as a college student completely reset his understanding of what wine could be? How did the Duncan Hines Memorial Bon Vivant Fellowship turn academic milestones into structured wine rituals? Why did Neal choose a 1959 Steinberger Trockenbeerenauslese to mark his PhD, and what made that bottle unforgettable? How did keeping meticulous notes help Neal develop his palate and his writing voice? What pushed him to leave academia for industry? Which emerging wine regions was Neal exposed to through moving across the US? What changed when Neal left a high-level technology career to become a freelance wine writer? How has Neal merged his two passions, wine and mathematics?   About Neal Hulkower Neal D. Hulkower is an applied mathematician and freelance writer living in McMinnville, Oregon. His first contributions to a wine publication appeared in the early 1970s. Since 2009, he has been writing regularly about wine-related topics for academic, trade, and popular publications including the Journal of Wine Research, the Journal of Wine Economics, American Wine Society Wine Journal, Oregon Wine Press, Practical Winery & Vineyard, Wine Press Northwest, the Slow Wine Guide USA, and The World of Fine Wine and on wine-searcher.com, trinkmag.com, and guildsomm.com. Neal is a member of the American Wine Society, the American Association of Wine Economists, and the Circle of Wine Writers. His first book, Grape Explications, was released in 2025. He can occasionally be found pouring some of Oregon's finest in a tasting room at the top of the Dundee Hills.           To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/376.

Why did this author start the book with tasting, rather than history, regions or grapes? Was that because you wanted to get right into the sensory experience, rather than maybe some of the drier knowledge? Why is your experience of what tastes good as personal as a fingerprint? When it comes to wine, what do you mean by structure? Why are these important, these structural components? Do you think they matter more than identifying that, that wine's from Burgundy, that wine's from Bordeaux? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Jordan Salcito, author of Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, & Everyone We Know. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Jordan Salcito's terrific new book, Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, and Everyone We Know. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!   Highlights Why does our first impression of a wine's aroma matter more than we realize Why did Jordan ultimately walk away from the Master Sommelier service exam? How did the title Smart Mouth come together and capture the spirit Jordan wanted for the book? Why did Jordan choose to begin Smart Mouth with tasting instead of regions, grapes, or wine history? Why does Jordan see point scores and rigid wine hierarchies as a form of ego rather than a useful guide for drinkers? How do different people visualize or conceptualize wine while tasting? How does Jordan's concept of wine personas differ from traditional tasting language? What does the TALL framework explain about wine structure? How can simple sensory exercises help drinkers identify tannin, alcohol, acidity, and earth-driven flavors with confidence?   About Jordan Salcito   Jordan Salcito is an award-winning sommelier, author, and entrepreneur. A wine industry veteran, she has over a decade of experience as a sommelier at restaurants including Momofuku, Restaurant Daniel, and Eleven Madison Park (where she was part of the team to win the award for Outstanding Wine Service from the James Beard Foundation). Her wine programs at Momofuku were regularly recognized in The New York Times, Eater, and Food & Wine, and were named "Most Creative Wine List in the World" by the World of Fine Wine magazine. A pioneer of the ready-to-drink beverage category with her organic Italian spritz company, Drink RAMONA, Salcito will also published her first book, Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, & Everyone We Know, with Penguin Random House's Ten Speed Press.         To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/375.

What makes a wine feel soulful, transporting you beyond taste into a deeper emotional connection? What does experiencing harvest firsthand reveal about winemaking that never show up in books? What makes Northern Rhône Syrah come across as black peppery, smoky, and reminiscent of pastrami? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Jordan Salcito who has published Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, & Everyone We Know, which was just selected as one of the best wine books of the year by the New York Times. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Jordan Salcito's terrific new book, Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, and Everyone We Know. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!   Highlights How did Jordan's father shape her earliest understanding of wine as family and connection? How did working at Restaurant Daniel shift how Jordan understands wine, fine dining, and food and wine pairing? What does Jordan mean when she describes certain wines as soulful? What's the difference between the old world approach focused on place and the new world approach focused on control and construction? Why did working harvests in Burgundy teach Jordan that could never be learned from books? How did molecular gastronomy pioneer Wylie Dufresne help her see restaurants as a legitimate intellectual and creative path? How did an early rejection from The New York Times become a signal to redirect her goals? Why did failing the advanced sommelier tasting exam become the foundation for eventually passing the Master Sommelier tasting on her first attempt?   About Jordan Salcito Jordan Salcito is an award-winning sommelier, author, and entrepreneur. A wine industry veteran, she has over a decade of experience as a sommelier at restaurants including Momofuku, Restaurant Daniel, and Eleven Madison Park (where she was part of the team to win the award for Outstanding Wine Service from the James Beard Foundation). Her wine programs at Momofuku were regularly recognized in The New York Times, Eater, and Food & Wine, and were named "Most Creative Wine List in the World" by the World of Fine Wine magazine. Long a student of wine, Salcito passed the tasting portion of the Master Sommelier exam on her first attempt and feels fortunate to have learned so much though working harvests at world-renowned wineries in Burgundy, Tuscany, California and Patagonia. A pioneer of the ready-to-drink beverage category with her organic Italian spritz company, Drink RAMONA, Salcito will also publish her first book, Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, & Everyone We Know, with Penguin Random House's Ten Speed Press this October. Jordan lives in Paris with her family.         To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/374.

What goes into creating a successful international wine brand that tells a story before the bottle is even opened? What does it look like to build a young wine brand vintage by vintage? What makes Bordeaux such a hard place to break into as an outsider? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Namratha Stanley, author of the new memoir Vineyard Melody. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Namratha Stanely's terrific new book, Vineyard Melody: How One Woman Rebuilt Her Life, One Grape At A Time. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!   Highlights What was it like arriving alone in rural Margaux for an internship? What made Namratha push through fear, exhaustion, and the pressure of a visa dependent on work? Why is the French concept of terroir so powerful in understanding the connection between place, identity, and wine? Why did Namratha make the decision to build her own wine brand instead of becoming an agent for existing wineries? How did the name and branding for Solicantus come together, and what influenced these choices? How did a single LinkedIn message lead to Solicantus wines being listed with the LCBO in Canada? What did the first international sale feel like after years of uncertainty and effort? Why is Namratha passionate about building philanthropy into her wine and book business? How did reuniting with her daughter in France mark a turning point for Namratha?   About Namratha Stanley Namratha Stanley is the debut author of Vineyard Melody, a memoir chronicling her personal and professional transformation. Once confined to a patriarchal household in India, where she was barred from working, she broke free from marital violence and moved to France in 2017 to pursue a Wine MBA. She went on to found Wine Equation, a Bordeaux-based wine merchant company, and created Solicantus, her signature wine brand now distributed in five countries. Today, she serves as Program Director at INSEEC (Omnes), mentors women and students, and donates part of her wine sales to support children's education in India. Her journey—from traditional housewife to entrepreneur—has been featured in Forbes, Decanter and many other magazines. Namratha lives in France with her daughter and two cats, continuing to write and grow her wine business.       To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/373.