Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

About Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

Wine lover? Craft beer fan? Drink whisky, bourbon, cognac or rum? Or maybe it's gin or vodka or mezcal you're into? Based in Australia, but globally minded, Drinks Adventures covers all these drinks and more: Japanese sake, cider, tequila, champagne, cocktails... we could go on! Listen in as award-winning drinks writer James Atkinson interviews the world's biggest names in craft brewing, winemaking, distilling and mixology, along with sommeliers, mixologists, sake samurais, masters of wine and certified cicerones. Tags: wine, beer, brewing, gin, whisky, whiskey. bourbon, cognac, rum, tequila, mezcal, champagne, cocktails, cider, Japanese sake

Publisher

Wine, Beer & Whisky Network Australia

Category

arts · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Aug 2018

Latest episode

10 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

272 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Dec 2025

   Diageo's spirits outlook with Australia boss Dan Hamilton

   We’re joined this episode by Dan Hamilton, managing director of Diageo Australia. When Dan took on the role in October 2023 it was a homecoming to Australia after 20 years working abroad, 12 of which were in senior commercial positions at Diageo. And he was joining the Australian business at a particularly challenging time, with consumers facing significant cost of living pressures, high inflation propelling spirits tax beyond $100 a litre of alcohol, and some of Diageo’s products having lost a bit of relevance with consumers. So in this special episode of Drinks Adventures - produced in partnership with Diageo Australia - we’ll talk about some of the wins the business has had over the last couple of years, and why Australia has become a bit of a testing ground for new products like Johnnie Walker Black Ruby. We get Dan’s insights on how different cultures interact with spirits, and what makes the Australian market unique. That of course starts with premix, a category that has only recently been embraced in markets overseas, but was actually pioneered by Diageo’s Bundaberg Rum in the 1940s, somewhat incredibly. We talk about the craft spirits boom of recent decades, and what Dan thinks the Australian industry can learn from other markets such as Japan. And we get a significant update on Diageo’s investment in Starward Whisky following the global company’s decision earlier this year to stop funding the Distil Ventures accelerator. That’s just some of the territory we cover in this wide-ranging conversation with Dan Hamilton.

2. 

   19 Nov 2025

   How the Romans inspired Merrick Watts' Posca Hydrate

   We’re joined this episode by Merrick Watts and Ed Stening, co-founders of Posca Hydrate, a recent start-up that takes inspiration from one of the oldest drinks in recorded history. Posca shares its name with an ancient concoction of red wine vinegar, water, salt and flavourings that was consumed by the Roman army for its hydrating properties, at a time when clean water was often hard to come by. It was Merrick, the comedian, broadcaster and wine expert, who conceived the idea of resurrecting this beverage for modern consumers. The result is Posca Hydrate, a sparkling, sugar-free prebiotic drink that combines electrolytes and antioxidant-rich red wine vinegar to support hydration and gut health. Merrick teamed up with Ed Stening, a marketing executive formerly of companies including Lion and Suntory, to refine the product and bring it to market. And it's early days, but Posca looks destined for big things. They’ve assembled a crack team of advisors to join the company’s board, and achieved some impressive milestones including qualification with the ATO as an Early Stage Innovation Company, and a distribution partnership with SPC Global. That’s all coming up in this brilliant conversation with Merrick and Ed.

3. 

   23 Oct 2025

   Protecting Australian rum, with Matt Hobson of Nil Desperandum

   In this episode, we welcome Matt Hobson of Nil Desperandum Rum back to the show. Matt was last with us on the eve of Queensland Rum Day 2024 to discuss the debut release of The Rum Consortium, a history-making blend of rums from four Queensland distilleries including icons Bundaberg and Beenleigh. Queensland Rum Day 2025 is coming up this Friday October 2025, so there’s events and another special Rum Consortium release for you to suss out after listening to this interview with Matt. This time, we’re talking about the labelling laws for Australian rum, which Matt argues must be properly enforced in order to protect the reputation of Australian rum on the world stage.

Who has been a guest on Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Guy Southern
• Steve Jeffares
• Luke McCarthy
• John Slattery
• Charlie Echlin

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

8,126

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

32 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 67 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

71

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

92

Contact Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.