Knock Tales Whisky Podcast with Gordon Bruce

Peat. One of whisky’s most divisive flavours, sparking lots of love, a little bit of hate, but always a lively conversation amongst drinkers. That’s exactly what we’ve captured in our latest episode, as anCnoc introduces two new peated single malts to the world: Sherry Cask Finish, Peated Edition and the long awaited limited edition, Peatheart Batch 3. To fuel the discussion Gordon welcomes anCnoc Brand Ambassador Stuart Baxter back to the Knockdhu mic for a chat and a tasting. Stuart has been doing his homework and delivers a phenolic masterclass, taking us back 2000 years to explain what exactly went on in Scotland to create those fields of flavour-packed peat in the first place – before bringing us right up to date with his definitive classification for peated whiskies today: are they ACDC or Taylor Swift? Gordon explains the peated whisky making process and waxes lyrical about his beloved Aberdeenshire peat: the stuff that brings all the ashy, woody, heathery charm to the peated single malts he makes at Knockdhu – and the reason anCnoc’s peated drams are loved by peat lovers and haters alike.

Nordic whisky is having a moment. And in this month’s episode Gordon chats to one of its pioneers: Hans Martin Hansgaard, co-founder of Stauning Distillery. This former teacher clubbed together with a group of friends (a butcher, helicopter pilot, doctor, several engineers and a chef) to found Denmark’s first ever single malt whisky distillery. And why not? They’d heard a radio programme about exactly how Scotch whisky is made and realised that, when it comes to the essentials - the water, the grains, the peat and the sometimes dreich climate – Denmark has it all! Here Hans shares his fascinating story with Gordon: from devouring books on making whisky the old fashioned way to designing Stauning’s stunning ‘Nordic Noir’ distillery on Denmark’s west coast and winning awards with his first bottlings.  And while anCnoc and Stauning may be over a century apart in the timeline, there’s no difference in the ethos of these two whisky makers when it comes to their craft. It’s all about the beauty of ‘small’ and a making whiskies for the modern age that never lose touch with tradition.

What difference does an extreme distillery location make to a finished bottle of whisky?  That’s the topic that Gordon gets into with his special guest in this episode: the inspiring Desiree Reid, founder of Cardrona Distillery which she built from scratch in New Zealand’s remote Southern Alps.  A former farmer, Desiree chats to Gordon about following her long held dream to make whisky in the spectacular Cardrona Valley, and the behind the scenes story of how she got there. From a memorable tour of Scotland’s distilleries on her 21st birthday to the many building blocks needed to turn her distillery dream into reality:  from touring the world to find mentors to rebuilding a lost industry in New Zealand; and paying tribute to her supportive parents by laying the first casks on her mother’s birthday.  In Desiree’s view, location is indeed everything. Being over 600 metres above sea level has an impact on the production process, from the boiling point of alcohol to the speed of each cask’s maturation. But just like the quiet village of Knock in Gordon’s Aberdeenshire home, Desiree’s beautiful and unique mountain location also brings the magic – along with the glacial water, local ingredients and skilled team to create a very distinctive, modern whisky. Amidst plenty of laughs and revelations, Gordon and Desiree round off the episode with a wee dram of their respective whiskies, toasting to the craft of making great whisky wherever you are in the world.

What’s the deal with craft? That’s the question that Gordon and guests dive into in this episode of Knock Tales, featuring craft beer supremo Karan Nagpal from Glasgow’s Overtone Brewing and Gordon’s anointed ‘stunt double’, anCnoc Global Brand Ambassador Stewart Baxter.  After the first anCnoc Craft Cast event at Karan’s brewery a few weeks ago, this gang of craft obsessives pick apart the whole idea of craft production, how the word is used and abused in the industry, and what you’re actually getting when it’s on the label. Talk turns to transparency, respect for ingredients, imperfection, playfulness, ingenuity and keeping it real. The human touch, and products made with the skill of a seasoned, passionate distiller or brewer. And the little steps that make a big difference – as Gordon says, the ‘tweaks, twists and teases’ that only a human being can bring to the process (computer operators don’t count).  Tune in for Karan’s fascinating story of his ‘path to craft’ from Bangalore to Scotland’s brewing scene, and how Overtone keep it fresh, fun (and insanely fruity) in their endlessly innovative run of craft beers. And to hear a shocking admission from Gordon about whisky labels!

Chocolate and a whisky: a match made in heaven. And the perfect combination for the start of Knock Tale’s second series. In this episode Gordon chats to chocolate maestro Calum Haggerty, the brains behind Scotland’s deliciously crafted COCO chocolate.  This former fire service worker tells Gordon why he followed his passion for food, art and design to create a range of chocolate that’s beautiful both inside and out, made with the wellbeing of cacao growers at its heart and always ‘dressed to impress’ with artist-designed wrappers. Tune in as they enjoy drams of anCnoc and a nibble of COCO’s best selling bars, as Calum reveals all about his mission to shake up the global chocolate industry with his most ethical bar to date.