Whisky, Words and Wine

Our best of (almost) everything seen, read, heard in 2025

Following their resoundingly successful "Top 3 Xmas Songs" list, Jack and Graham are emboldened to name this year's top 3 podcasts heard, films and TV seen, books read, live performances seen, and places visited.
Graham hasn't quite recovered from forgetting "Adolescence" and leaving it off his "Top 3" altogether, and the only thing they agreed on was "All Her Fault" (Starring Sarah Snook) at #3 on their lists of Streaming/TV shows. Except for that, it is clear they have absolutely nothing in common...... 
Jack's Whisky of the year was Glenkinchie Single Malt, Lowland Scotch, while Graham's best wine was the 2004 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz from Barossa Valley, Sth Australia
Let us know what you agreed or disagreed with by emailing us at whiskywordswine@gmail.com

Bananas, Venn Diagrams and the end of the world (perhaps)

Graham goes bananas with the Venn diagrams of life, Jack relives the past with an old friend, gives feint praise to the streaming series Hostage, and wonders if the characters in Down Cemetery Road were just "too too much".  Graham and Jack pull back from the brink of getting too serious when discussing House of Dynamite and moral dilemmas. New podcasts listened to - "What Went Wrong" - a pod about movie disasters (not all were disaster movies), and Desert Island Discs (a venerable radio program now in the world of Pods - only 2000 episodes to binge........). Finally we are doing our best not to be "interesting", but instead to be "intriguing", "fascinating", "absorbing, and "engrossing".
And if you are in Albury, NSW, make sure you have a meal at "Sen" in Olive Street - the best VietNamese food I have had outside of Vietnam.
email us at: whiskywordswine@gmail.com
 

This week's oxymoron: "the best Xmas songs"

It turns out Graham is a bit of a Xmas Grinch, not helped by the fact that Jack sings Xmas songs and sends the audio to friends, so the anticipation is terrible. Top 3 Xmas songs from Jack (actually 4, you'd never guess he was once an accountant...) - (approved by Carol) included Xmas Song - Nat King Cole, Driving Home for Xmas - Chris Rea, Come Home for Xmas - The Eagles, and Its Xmas Time - Status Quo......  while Graham struggled to find 3 but ultimately came through with #3 White Xmas (Irving Berlin/ Bing Crosby), #2 White Wine in the Sun (Tim Minchin) and #1 How to Make Gravy (Paul Kelly).
Jack finished the  Ann Cleves novel "The Killing Stones", while Graham finished The Bookshop" by Penelope Fitzgerald (who only started writing novels when she was in her 60's but ended up writing 23!). Films watched include "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" (the third in that franchise of Robin Hood Illusionists), and "Jay Kelly" (Cooney and Sandler in an unlikely but likeable pairing). Jack got his music rocks off on the "Rockenteurs" podcast, while Graham got some interesting but ultimately useless information about Mick Herron from "The Rest is Entertainment" podcast. Our listeners are liking an earlier recommendation for the "Strangers on a Bench" podcast. Useless fact of the week: People who come from the Orkney Isles (off the coast of Scotland) are called "Orkadians" - very Tolkeinesque.  
Comments, advice and requests can be sent to whiskywordswine@gmail.com
 

Nuremberg, a new drinking game, and the Electric Avenue Sessions

Jack and Graham discuss Jack's band recording the eponymous "Electric Avenue Sessions". Films include Nuremberg (in cinemas now starring Rusty Crowe and Rami Malik), House of Dynamite (Netflix - starring Rebecca Ferguson and Idris Elba) and Wicked (Disney: which includes an actor who Graham doesn't rate as great although does indeed grate). Podcasts include Graham's new favourite "Illadvised" by Bill Nighy; and "The History of Rock Music in 500 Songs" by Andrew Hickey, and "Stranger on a Bench"  (not to be confused with "Stranger Things" which Jack also mentions, which is .......strange). Graham is reading "The Bookshop" by Penelope Fitzgerald.  Drinking: Suntory Hibiki Whisky (Japan), and Leogate Estate 2022 Creek Bed Semillon (Hunter Valley, NSW) - both excellent.
We receive some feedback (always welcome) - some which has resulted in this extended notes section, and one which caused us to invent a new drinking game!
Email us at: whiskywordswine@gmail.com

It’s never about the golf

More than just golf, Traitors deliver, and The Church go to the Pub.
Recommendations:
Books: Jane Harper  Last One Out
Streaming/TV: Celebrity Traitors UK  (Channel 10, Australia,  BBC UK)
All her fault - starring Sarah Snook (Foxtel Australia);
Karen Pirie (Scottish crime drama)

Melb Cup Slow Horses

We have both been to see Bruce Springsteen the Movie and ponder on the state of both recorded music and movie theatres, have watched Slow Horses, and remember fast horses when we first met (is there a more flimsy excuse for a public holiday....?). And of course we review our current whisky and wine indulgences.

All for a good cause

Graham and Jack cover a wide range of topics in this week’s podcast from Scottish pubs with no whisky to celebrity traitors !

Graham Commits Podultery

More observations from Graham and Jack over wine and whisky. Graham admits to cheating on Jack but gives him some tax advice, and this week they also cover spies, murder mystery and tipping points !

Whisky, Words, and Wine (Pilot)

The Venn diagrams of life, Graham is so-so about Anora, Jack is effusive about Shetland (the TV show and the actual place),  both revisit last week's recommendations and have some great new podcast recommendations.