The Three Drinkers Talk Whisky

By Kurt Maitland

Amazon’s Three Drinkers are the spirits world’s version of the old Top Gear TV show. Less sports cars, less controversy, younger crew but strangely an almost equivalent amount of (better) booze. Their series hit Amazon last year, and they are finalizing Season Two as we speak. The Drinkers took time from their hectic schedule to chat with us about what goes into making the show click and we can expect in the new season.

KM: First off – can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves and what you do in the spirits world?

HN: I’ve been in the world of drinks for nearly 17 years now (hic!) doing just about everything; selling, buying, writing, presenting. I also have an acting background, so was determined one day to mix the world of wine and spirits with performance. Nowadays, I spend my time writing articles on drinks and have just finished shooting the seventh episode of our Amazon Prime Series: The Three Drinkers Do Scotch Whisky with these two!

CHW: Started my writing with The Scotsman when I was a photographer there. I soon moved to work with The Times and The Financial Times. In 2006 I went freelance and soon afterwards started writing about fine wine and whisky with Condé Nast and LUX magazine. I edited Whisky Quarterly from its inception in 2014 to 2018 when I began working with Helena and Aidy on The Three Drinkers. I judge on the IWSC and The World Whisky Awards, chair the Circle of Wine Writers, and am a Keeper of the Quaich.

AS: My career in this world began in 2013 when I took a job running a media company in the USA surrounding the drinks world. From there I became the Global Brand Ambassador for Vivino (the world’s largest wine app and community) and then started writing for The Independent doing their wine and spirits pieces. Throughout I’ve always taken Instagram pretty seriously and have managed to develop one of the strongest followings in the drinks world within Europe. To be honest, I just love a good drink and sharing them with others!

KM: Before you became one of the “Three Drinkers”, what was your spirit of choice and has it changed as you’ve filmed the series?

HN: Before the shoot, I would say that Cognac was my go-to spirit of choice. That or the new generation of dark rums. I’ve tasted some absolutely stonking whiskies since working on the Scotch series however and so it’s certainly what I reach for right now.

CHW: My spirit of choice has always been whisky, and this has only been reinforced by filming The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky!

AS: Probably gin before it came such a big market, I used to enjoy the nuances of different botanicals and making some really wacky cocktails! My signature strawberry sour really does please the palate.

KM: Did you have a favorite episode of the Three Drinkers first season and if so what made it special?

HN: For me it was episode three in Islay. The sun came out, there was no one around and I was totally star struck by Ardbeg and Lagavulin. Cutting peat with Iain McArthur from Lagavulin too was an absolute blast. He was hilarious.

CHW:  From a content perspective, I love all the episodes for different reasons, however the weather was exceptionally kind to us on Islay and Jura and we were able to film these two special islands in the best light.

AS: Probably Episode 6 or 7, without giving too much away they are just packed with such great content and really shine the spotlight on our relationship and friendship with one another as we go about our explorations.

KM: Name one thing your fellow Three Drinkers bring to the team?

HN: Colin brings encyclopedic whisky knowledge and a lot of very well-connected friends! Aidy brings the entrepreneurial spirit, but the best thing we have developed over the years is absolute trust and support.

CHW:  Laughs, companionship and understanding. There is nothing quite like experiencing one’s favorite things with people who love the same things as much as you do. My on-screen colleagues are my off screen best friends, I’m lucky to work with such good friends.

AS: If you have a question, Colin will spend about 30 minutes trawling Wikipedia and the internet until he’s answered it way beyond the information you even needed. He’s a walking, talking encyclopedia. Helena comes out with some great one-liners just as you need them. You’re working incredibly long days and get exhausted, she’ll just say something that cracks you up and gets you back on form instantly.

KM: What place/spirit are you are looking forward to exploring during the run of the series?

HN: Oh, my goodness, the whole world?! The Bourbon Trail one day, all the world rums, Australia for wine and whisky… Japan for Sake, wine, beer and whisky. Argentina for wine. Chile? The list goes on and on.

CHW:  The Caribbean for rum, Mexico for tequila, South Africa for brandy and wine, California and Australia for wine, the list goes on. There are so many beautiful places in the world creating incredible drinks it’s very hard to choose a favorite. However, I’ve always wanted to visit Iceland and William Grant and Sons make vodka there!

AS: I’d love to go to Russia, I think there’s some hilarious personalities and spirits there which would make for a great show, they even have wine now! That and California, which is where I found my love for all things wine and spirits with my Aunt and Uncle.

KM: You’ve now traveled to Scotland twice for the series. What was your favorite place that you visited during filming and why?

HN: They were all so different but landing in Jura with all that space and fresh air was such a tonic after the craziness of London.

CHW: Each place is unique, but I have always had a particular fondness for Lagavulin where we filmed a short segment about the history of whisky on Islay with Georgie Crawford who is an old friend.

AS: In Part 2 we did a series on smoked salmon and visited Dunkeld Smoked Salmon where I put together a little treat for the team – it was eye opening to experiencing how whisky and salmon come together, especially as this is by far one of my favorite foods!

KM: What are your favorite and least favorite things about working on the series?

HN: As with all filming, the waiting around on set for sound checks can make it difficult to keep the energy up. The feeling of camaraderie working so close with a small team though is unbeatable!

CHW: My favorite thing about working on The Three Drinkers are my colleagues. The long hours can sometimes seem hard going at the time, but the results make it very worth it.

AS: We get to experience some truly incredible places and the people we meet along the journey. It’s like one big family coming together and there’s so much love. That would definitely be the best part. The hardest part is the long hours, we’re sometimes working up to 16 hours a day on very little sleep because there’s so much to do!

KM: Do you have a favorite cocktail and if so what is it?

HN: For me, it changes all the time. I’m really into sours at the moment. On a cold day when I need warming up however, I love a Mac-Hattan, which is equal parts vermouth, Cointreau and a cracking, Christmas cake-scented whisky like The Macallan.

CHW: A simple old fashioned with a good Speyside single malt.

AS: Right now, I’m all about a spicy margarita. No salt, but a pinch of picante to end the day on a high note.

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Editor’s Note: If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can watch episodes of The Three Drinkers by clicking that link. If not, here is some stuff on YouTube.