Join me for My Cask Chat with Gary Ring in Boann Distillery. I visited Gary a while back, firstly joining him for a cuppa and bickie in Boann's "Distiller's Cottage", in Kestral Manor!!! I kid you not, very bougie... Gary is a distiller in Boann distillery and one of the most enthusiatic proponents of whiskey production in Irish whiskey industry...…

Join me for My Titanic Distillery Chat with Damien Rafferty. We recently visited Titanic Distillery at the Belfast city docks, while we were attending Belfast Whiskey Week 2025. We met up with Head Distiller Damien and we went for a stroll and a chat around the distillery building, finding out more about the Titanic Distillery project. It is an ama…

Join me for My Copeland Distillery Chat with Gareth Irvine. We recently visited Copeland Distillery on The Ards peninsula in Co. Down while we we attending Belfast Whiskey Week 2025. I chatted to owner and founder Gareth Irvine about his amazing distillery that he started as part of a college module!.. It is a fantastic little distillery, in a pict…

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Sarah Dowling, Cooley Distillery's Head Blender. I have wanted to see beyond the gates of the iconic Cooley Distillery for years. I finally got the opportunity and Head Blender and ex Distillery Manager Sarah Dowling showed me around. To say it was amazing is an understatement. It turns out that Cooley is a littl…

Join me for My Wee Pub Chat with Anthony & Katie Sheehy. Anthony & Katie founded Irish Whiskey Auctions, the monthly whiskey auction in Ireland and sponsor of Whiskey Chats. They then co-founded Irish Whiskey Experiences with Barry Chandler, where they have had huge successes with their Whiskey Bus tours and upcoming Whiskey Cruise in Nov 2025. But…

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Tracey Clarke in Kilbeggan. Tracey has worked as a Tour Guide in Kilbeggan Distillery for over 23yrs. She is part of the local community and would have grown up knowing it as the Old Locke's Distillery, after the family that previously owned it and ran it. It is an amazingly well preserved example of Victorian, I…

Join me for My Chat with Enguerrand Vandenbossche. Enguerrand is a French trained cooper, who was the Head Cooper in Tullamore Dew Distillery until 2022, owned by Beam Suntory, after working in France and for a time in Scotland at some of their industrial cooperages. For the past 2yrs, he has been working at the Good Spirits Co. in Dundalk. They ar…

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Gearóid Cahill in Slane Distillery. Gearóid is one of the only Master Brewers AND Master Distillers working in the alcohol industry. He spent nearly 20yrs as one of Diageo's top brewers, before going to work as Head Distiller for the fledgling Slane Distillery in Co. Meath, in the shadow of the famous concert ven…

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Connor Howlett at Stillgarden Distillery, in the heart of Dublin city. Connor has worked as a brand ambassador and chief gardener at Stillgarden for a couple of years now, after he finished his English and Film degree in 2021. He is very passionate about creating spirits of real integrity and it was a pleasure to…

Join me for My Historic Bottle Chat with Leo Phelan. Leo is a lifelong whiskey enthusiast. He has been knee deep in the Irish whiskey world for over 20yrs. He is a founding member and former president of the Irish Whiskey Society. He has become one of the authorities on historic Irish whiskey bottles in Ireland and is regularly consulted on authent…

Join me for My Peated Garden Chat with JP, Kevin & Aidan. JP O'Riordan, Kevin Murphy & Aidan McGovern called up to my back garden and we had a fantastic afternoon chatting about peated/ turfed/ smoky whiskeys, beer and a cocktail. I love recording the Garden Chats, they're the most fun. Always good to share great drops with buddies. This is part 1,…

Join me for My Chat with John O'Connell in West Cork Distillers in Skibbereen. My wife Sonya and I visited John on a very, very rainy Saturday afternoon and we were welcomed with open arms. What an amazing distillery John O'Connell, Ger McCarthy and Denis McCarthy have built. Supporting well over 200 local jobs in their locality, buying only Irish …

Join me for My Chat with Stephen D'alton, co-author of Wise's Irish Whiskey book. Stephen recently collaborated with the legendary Midleton Master Distiller Emeritus Barry Crockett on a book detailing the story behind the distilling Wise family dynasty in Cork. The Wise's once ran the highest output Irish Whiskey distillery in the 1800's, at North …

Join me for My Chat with Bill Lark, the Godfather of Australian Whiskey. Bill & his wife Lyn were responsible for reigniting the Australian whiskey industry in the early 90's. His brand Lark Distillery is still going and he is still involved in Lark Distillery in an ambassadorial role. His is a truly fascinating tale of what you can achieve when yo…

Join me for My Tasmanian Whiskey Garden Chat with Dan, Paul Costello & JP. This Garden Chat was recorded a couple of months back. I was gifted a box of Tasmanian Whiskey samples from Transportation Whiskey founder John Halton up at Belfast Whiskey Week 2023, who is one of the biggest advocates for Irish Whiskey in Australia and Tassie Whiskey in Ir…

This week's guest is sexual anthropologist and author of the new memoir 177 Lovers and Counting: My Life as a Sex Researcher, Dr. Leanna Wolfe. Purchase the book: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538174678/177-Lovers-and-Counting-My-Life-as-a-Sex-Researcher _____________________________________________________________________ Social Media: https://linkt…

This week's guest is Leslie Draffin, psychedelic guide, somatic womb healer, transformational coach & speaker as we discuss sexuality, trauma, and healing through the power of psychedelics. Follow Leslie: https://www.lesliedraffin.com/ _____________________________________________________________________ Social Media: https://linktr.ee/demitriwylde…

This week's guest is Bari Beckett, the creative and the author behind the new erotica book, Big Love, which proves you are never too old for love and sex. Follow Bari: https://www.instagram.com/bbarilynn/ Buy Big Love: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Love-Bari-Beckett/dp/B0CH2CQQYX _____________________________________________________________________ So…

Join me for My Garden Chat with Dan Pennington, Paul Costello & JP O'Riordan. My 3 buddies called up to my back garden a couple of weeks ago and we cracked open many bottles and samples of liquids we had never heard of. Join us as we discover some amazing new liquds and spirits and have a laugh aswell along the way. This episode of the podcast is s…

Join me for My Chat with Alex Thomas, Master Blender with Bushmill's Distillery. Alex has spent most of her career in Bushmill's. A couple of year's ago she was afforded the honour of developing her own brand within the distillery and so The Sextant was born. From there she progressed from Master Blender of The Sextant to Master Blender of Bushmill…

This week’s guest is author, business coach and shamanic practitioner, Dale Allen-Rowse. We discuss his experience being diagnosed with Dystonia, dating with disabilities, flying to another state for a hookup, and so much more! Follow Dale: Instagram.com/daleallenrowse DaleAllenRowse.com _____________________________________________________________…

This week’s guest is Natalie Katona, host of the To All The Men I’ve Tolerated Before podcast. We discuss dating while podcasting, feeling secure in relationships, rejection sensitivity, and so much more! Follow Natalie: Instagram.com/nataliek124 To All The Men I’ve Tolerated Before podcast: https://linktr.ee/nataliekat124 _________________________…

This week's guest deviant is Legal Madame and Courtesan, s*x work advocate and educator, Olivia LaRue! We discuss her background as "The Wild West MILF, " the legality of s*x work, and she shares a riotously funny Mrs. Robinson-esque tale! Find Olivia: www.livlarue.com _____________________________________________________________________ Social Med…

Join me for My Chat with Ronan Collins from Redacted Independent Bottlers. I met up with Ronan before Xmas in The Palace bar on Fleet St in Dublin. We had a great chat about Ronan and Michael Cowman's new Indy Bottler company, Redacted. Redacted have 2 releases to date - Killowen Single Cask and their new 200ml 'Naggin' series, the first being a 20…

Join me for My Chat with Gavin Clifford from Garden County Distillery. Their new distillery is not producing just yet, but it's not for the lack of equipment. It's all there and they are on the cusp of turning on the stills in the very near future, so it was great to get the opportunity to see Garden County Distillery in this fledging stage. This e…

Happy Valentine’s Day, deviants! In this special episode Demi talks to celebrity gay matchmakers, Daniel Cooley and Anthony Canapi about what a matchmaker does, what makes a good dating profile, turning matchmaking into a business, the future of dating, and of course Daniel and Anthony share some dating horror stories! Follow Daniel + Anthony: inst…

In this episode Demi talks to kinky wellness coach, Dana Shergill. We discuss her love of “playing rough,” how BDSM is “playing rough,” common misconceptions of BDSM, basics of BDSM, owning your consent, what “aftercare” is in BDSM, we answer a Reddit question about how kink can go wrong, and Dana shares the story of the time she held a man and let…

Join me for My Walking Chat with Ger Garland from Keepers Heart Whiskey. Ger and I walked around Dublin city centre before Xmas, to shoot the breeze and catch up on his new role as Global Brand Advocacy Manager for Keepers Heart, having spent most of his career as one of the faces of Irish Distillers / Midleton. The eagle eyed amongst you will have…

In this episode Demi talks to author of the book Twisted Love, Robert Bigaouette. Twisted Love is a story about a bizarre love triangle revolving around obsession. We discuss how he got started in writing, being a victim of obsession himself, having to file an Order of Protection, taking his personal experiences to write Twisted Love, psychology of…

In this weeks episode Demi talks to entrepreneur and intimacy expert Susan Bratton. We discuss communication skills in bed, male and female sexual responses, expanded orgasm meditation, the OneTaste sex cult, sexual biohacking, sex toy show & tell, and she tells a horror story about the time she got bedbugs at an orgy!Follow Susan: @susanbrattonWeb…

Join me for My Chat with Dave Mulligan in Bar 1661. Dave opened Bar 1661 a number of years ago, to showcase poitín and cocktails. In those few short years, he has built one of the most respected cocktail bars in Europe, won multiple awards including Best Bar at the Irish Bar of the Year Awards in 2022 and has attracted some of the best bar staff in…

In this episode Demi talks to author, licensed mental health counselor, and love and relationship coach, Riana Milne. We discuss how childhood traumas affect our relationships, common childhood traumas, common dating patters that emerge from traumas, cultural differences in choosing partners, plus she shares her own trauma story that catapulted her…

Join me for My Chat with Dr Jack O'Shea in Clontarf Castle. Jack started his distilling career in 1979 with Cooley Distillery. He has worked around the world, helped and advised many of our current distilleries to get started, educated many of the distillers currently working in the whiskey industry through his teaching with the Institute of Brewin…

Welcome to season 5, deviants! This season kicks off with p*rn addiction recovery specialist and CEO of Elevated Recovery, J.K. Emezi. We discuss why he prefers "reboot" to "recovery," challenges with 12 step programs, the cognitive science behind p*rn addiction, p*rn as intimacy replacement, and he shares a terrifying story of a hookup that may ha…

Join me for My Chat with Barry Crockett at the silent North Mall Distillery in the heart of Cork City. This is a cracking episode. What an amazing chance I got, to record with one of the most significant distillers of the modern era. Barry took over as Master Distiller from his father Max Crockett, at the old Midleton Distillery; at the time when t…

Join me for My 2nd Chat with Fionnán O'Connor. This episode with Fionnán was recorded just after he submitted his doctural thesis on Historic Irish Mashbills and then embarked on a trip to Italy and France, visiting distilleries, libraries, universities and places of significance in the history of distilling in Europe. He had a very interesting jou…

Another bonus episode, deviants! This episode I talk to author Heather Claus. We discuss being a pioneer of the internet, being "heteroflexible," joining the carnival as a teenager, alternative and k!nky lifestyles, surviving emotional abuse, setting proper boundaries, and so much more! She also shares the story of a date that narrowly ended in a h…

Join me for My Cooperage Chat with Ian Leonard from Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Cooperage. Ian served his cooper's apprenticeship under the legenary Scottish Cooper John Neilly. He has carried forward his traditional skills from his master to Kentucky Bourbon Barrel, which is the Irish subsidiary of a huge American stave company, who are currently mana…

In a special bonus episode of Hookup Horror Stories, I am joined by dating coach Krista Melanson! We discuss previously working at a p*rn shop, the conection between food and s*x, the evolution of the adult industry, watching the original Pam & Tommy video, dating with yoour kids' approval, the benefits of having a dating coach, and she tells the s…

Join me for My Chat with Mike & Peter Clancy from Lough Ree Distillery. Mike and Peter were in Cork for the launch of Cork Whiskey Society's inaugural Exclusive Bottling, Lough Ree Sheares St. While they were knocking about my way, I said it would be a travesty if I didn't catch them for a chat, so i did. We met up in the back bar of the Imperial H…

It's spooky season, deviants, so this week I am joined by true crime author and novelist, Ryan Winter. We discuss being "New Orleans Mother Goose," his books "Ravish" and "Wake the Devil," living and dating in New Orleans, the queer history of the French Quarter, writing horror and true crime, "The Axe Man" of New Orleans, plus so much more! Plus h…

Join me for My Chat with John Cashman in Powerscourt Distillery. I visited John a couple of weeks ago and learned all about the Powerscourt Distillery project from one of the Irish Whiskey Industry's long time advocates. John is one those guys who pounded pavements throughout the world, singing the praises and raising the profile of Irish Whiskey, …

Join me for My Walking Chat with Eddie O'Halloran at Watercourse Distillery. Eddie worked at the now silent Watercourse Distillery in Blackpool, on the northside of Cork City, before going on to work in Midleton Distillery until 2016. He worked in Watercourse Distillery in the late 60's / early 70's just before it closed, as part of the amalgamatio…

Join me for My Chat with Ian Garratt aka John McDougal. Ian has many FaceBook groups under his belt - Friends of Waterford, Friends of Bruichladdich, Friends of Midleton and now Friends of Irish Whiskey. He has an impecable talent for releasing fantastic spirits within these groups and he kindly agreed, eventually, to sit for a chat with me. We met…

In the season 4 finale, this week I have a double interview with co-authors of the book "Street Smart Safety for Women" Joy Farrow and Laura Frombach. We discuss the helping role Joy played in the 2017 mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale airport, Laura's history as a survivor of domestic violence and her "aha" moment and how it changed her life, and d…

Join me for My with Robert Johnson from Irish Whiskey Auctions. Rob has been part of the IWA team since near the start. He doesn't have an exact job title, but he kinda does a bit of everything. I jumped onboard his WA wagon in August 2023, to keep him company on his monthly bottle collection rounds. We travelled from Cork To Cahir and back again a…

This week I sat down with men's dating coach Melanie Curtin! She and I discussed sex abuse in the Jewish community, survivor resilience, why representation matters, "Nice Guys" versus "Bad Guys," plus so much more. Plus she shares the story of a time a time for her when a hookup didn't go quite as well as planned, and why women feel that men are "o…

This week I'm joined by the host of The Ghost Podcast: Rosemary! We discuss how dating apps date your brain, swipe culture, how app culture changed dating relationships, avoidant attachment, and so much more. Plus she shares a personal ghosting story. Find Rosemary/The Ghost Podcast: https://theghostpodcast.com/ For video version of the podcast, ea…

Join me for My 2nd Walking Chat with Michael Carr. Michael and I dida podcast a while back, strolling through the historic Liberties area of Dublin city, taking in all the lost whiske heritage of the area. I enjoyed it so much, I asked him to go again, in a different part of Dublin city. And wow, what an enjoyable education he gave me on the subtle…

This week I'm joined by my friend actor and model Davi Stefond! We discuss his model/actor trajectory, dating in LA, hookup culture and dating mentality, and we play an XXX rated game! Plus he shares a story of a hookup that had 2 more guests than was mentioned. Find Davi: https://www.instagram.com/davi_stefo/ For video version of the podcast, earl…