Isabel Graham-Yooll is a leading expert in the world of fine spirits and the secondary market. She was the director of Whisky.Auction and before that, she worked as a spirits buyer at Bordeaux Index and Milroy’s of Soho. In 2024, she launched Wisgy, an independent consultancy specialising in old and rare spirits, helping collectors, investors, and enthusiasts make sense of the ever-evolving market.

Expect to learn how the secondary whisky market works, who’s buying, who’s selling, and why prices have skyrocketed in recent years. Isabel breaks down the different types of whisky buyers—drinkers, traders, and collectors—and explains how miniatures have become a key part of the market. We also discuss the difference between price points and actual value, how trends shape whisky investment, and how reporting can sometimes distort perceptions of the market.

For those looking to buy or sell, Isabel offers expert advice on where to go to ensure you’re getting the best deal and avoiding potential pitfalls. She explains the challenges of valuing rare bottles, especially when there’s little market history to go on, and how informed guessing plays a role in setting prices.

We also hear some incredible stories of “barn finds”—forgotten caches of whisky discovered in attics and cellars—highlighting the importance of provenance and how a bottle’s backstory can affect its value. Isabel then walks us through the complex process of authenticating rare spirits, from referencing distillery archives to forensic testing and even carbon dating.

Counterfeit spirits are a growing problem, and we dig into the strategies used by forgers, from manipulating glass and closures to preying on psychological biases. We also discuss some of the most infamous fakes, including Macallan replicas, and how collectors can protect themselves. Finally, we shift our focus to vintage liqueurs and cocktails, exploring how factors like heat, light exposure, and the mysterious “old bottle effect” impact the flavour of aged spirits.

wisgy.co.uk

Salvatore Calabrese has remained one of the leading figures in global cocktail culture for at least forty years. He has served kings, queens, presidents, and a string of Hollywood actors over a career that has seen him tend the bar at legendary Mayfair hotels such as The Dukes, The Lanesborough, Fifty St James, The Playboy Club, and most recently Browns Hotel.

We sat down for a conversation about his life and career at the Donovan Bar in January 2025. During the conversation you can expect to hear about Salvatore's early years behind the bar at age 11, his mentor and teacher in Italy, how a flaming drink gone wrong landed him his first proper bar job in London, what it felt like when a guest dropped a priceless bottle of cognac in front of him at The Playboy Club, the circumstances that lead to the creation of the now legendary Direct Martini at The Dukes Hotel... and much more.

Antonio Amorim is the CEO of Amorim Cork, who over a 155 year history have become the world’s biggest producer of cork and cork products. Amorim produce 6 billion cork stoppers annually accounting for over 50% of the global market.

Expect to learn the varied way in which infiltrates our lives, cork is harvested, processed and graded, how cork stoppers are produced and their applications, how the threat of TCA - aka cork wine taint - is viewed by Amorim in 2025, the remarkable sustainability credentials that cork can offer, and much more...

https://www.amorimcork.com