Mark Gillespie, founder and host of WhiskyCast

What do you say to the ‘Podfather’ of the whisky world when he’s a guest on your own podcast? In this episode of Knock Tales, Gordon settles his nerves and finds out, when he hosts Mark Gillespie, podcasting legend and founder of WhiskyCast who has close to 900 episodes to his name…and counting. Having been a WhiskyCast guest, Gordon enjoys turning the tables on Mark to hear his story: the night he first fell in love with single malt and how it led to a lifetime spent tasting, discovering and sharing whisky stories from around the world.  He also lifts the lid on WhiskyCast’s enduring success and how he came up with the idea of starting one of whisky’s first shows (at a time when ‘what’s a podcast’ was a frequently asked question). The chat turns to craft, why traditional methods and the human touch won’t be going out of fashion any time soon, and why it’s so important to inspire and mentor new generations of whisky makers. Gordon also reveals the two bits of technology he actually admires (note: neither of these has anything to do with whisky making).In their different ways, whisky for Mark and Gordon is work. But, they also agree it’s one of life’s great pleasures, sipping and savouring the pride that distillery teams have put into making it, and remembering that life is good.There’s also a surprise for Gordon at the end when Mark reveals the one, very special bottle of whisky in his collection that he covets the most - but will never open (which turns out to have been crafted at Knockdhu). 

Om Podcasten

Gordon Bruce is curious about craft. And in Knock Tales, the Knockdhu Distillery Manager and anCnoc single malt whisky maker meets people who know exactly what it takes to make the world’s most beautifully crafted and celebrated products. He’ll be sharing a dram with these fellow craft obsessives to get to the bottom of his favourite topic: ‘making things well’. There’s always meticulous process, traditional skills, impeccably sourced raw materials and a stubborn refusal to compromise. But it’s the personal pride and passion you hear in each story that is the making of a truly great craft product. As Gordon says: ‘Nothing compares to a product that has been made by someone, not just with their head but with hand, heart and soul. This is craft, and I’ll be sharing some great stories and a few secrets from people who, like me, spend their days making things to put out into the world for people enjoy. I do hope you’ll join us!’