About Knock Tales Whisky Podcast with Gordon Bruce
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!’
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 bee...
25 Jan 2023
Hans Martin Hansgaard, Stauning Distillery, Denmark
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, th...
7 Dec 2022
Desiree Reid, Cardrona Distillery, New Zealand
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 m...
2 Sept 2022
Karan Nagpal, Overtone Brewing, Glasgow
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 a...
1 Jun 2022
Calum Haggerty, COCO Chocolatier
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 ‘dresse...
21 Dec 2021
The Festive Edit 2021
In this bumper festive edition, Gordon takes a look back at some of his favourite bits from Knock Tales 2021: the life lessons and laughs, the stories of creativity, community and daily passion that our craft obsessed guests from around the world put into their products, whether they’re in South America, Sweden, Tasmania or Texas. We have American craft distiller Jared Himstedt sharing secrets from behind the scenes of building Balcones Distillery from scratch; Sweden’s Henric Molin on...
1 Dec 2021
Steven Anderson, East Coast Cured, Edinburgh
From illicit home brewing in his teenage bedroom to converting the eaves of his family home into a makeshift curing chamber, Gordon meets an unstoppable maker in this month’s podcast: Steven Anderson of East Coast Cured. Having fallen in love with charcuterie in the South of France, this former brewer and distiller wondered why no one in Scotland was curing the nation’s world class meats to compete with continental makers. Alongside his wife Susie, he took the leap and founded his Leith...
6 Oct 2021
Erik McRitchie, @frombarreltobottle, Canada
In this episode, Gordon leaves the comfort of the whisky making world behind to talk light, technique, and yes, even Tik Tok, with Canadian photography and single malt fanatic Erik McRitchie. As a founder of the globally successful @frombarreltobottle Instagram account, Erik has spent the past few years combining his passions for whisky, photography and adventure into one extraordinary visual feast for drinkers. He reassures the legendary low-tech Gordon that the perfect whisky photo has noth...
8 Sept 2021
Emma Rice, Hattingley Valley Wines, England
In this episode Gordon jumps feet first into a vat of grapes, hard graft and global success as he gets the lowdown on English wine – courtesy of Emma Rice, Head Wine Maker at the multi award-winning Hattingley Valley Winery in Hampshire. Don’t expect polite chit chat over a glass of fizz…the pair get straight into the joys of working in the countryside, getting your hands dirty, grape varieties and whether or not you have to be born with a good ‘nose’ for the job. As you’d expect from s...
4 Aug 2021
Kiera Shiels and Matt Oberg, Last Hope Distillery, Patagonia
What led two young Australian engineers to pack in their jobs and build a distillery from scratch in one of the most remote corners of the world? In this episode, tune in to hear Kiera Shiels and Matt Oberg of Last Hope Distillery in Patagonia give Gordon the lowdown on their great leap of faith, and a new life crafting small batch gin and whisky in Puerto Natales. Knockdhu is out of the way, but Last Hope Distillery takes remote to the next level. Trips to the city happen twice a year, the w...
7 Jul 2021
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, discoveri...
Quirky production, prohibition and never selling your soul to the (mechanised) devil: Gordon meets his whisky making match in Heather Tillott, Head Distiller of cult Tasmanian whisky brand Sullivans Cove in this edition of Knock Tales. Starting out in Australia’s famed wine business, Heather fell in love with whisky after touring a few of Tasmania’s distilleries, and soon after took up a post at Sullivans Cove on the island’s beautiful south coast. In a fascinating half hour, Heather charts t...
5 May 2021
Henric Molin, Spirit of Hven Distillery, Sweden
If the whisky world has a ‘Willy Wonka’ then it’s Henric Molin: chemist, flavourist, creator and experimenter in chief at Sweden’s Spirit of Hven Distillery. In this episode of Knock Tales, Henric dials in to Knockdhu from the remote, tiny island of Hven in the Oresund Straight between Sweden and Denmark - population 371 – where he crafts some of the world’s best organic, sustainable whiskies, vodkas and gins. Agreeing that distilleries are like big toy boxes which are there to be playe...
7 Apr 2021
Rory Stone, Cheesemaker, Highland Fine Cheeses
Does making things for a living make you happy? Is perfection possible? Is the 21st Century really all it’s cracked up to be? These questions and many more are answered in the second episode of Knock Tales, as Knockdhu Distillery Manager Gordon Bruce breaks loose from his beloved whisky world to meet one of the big characters of Scotland’s food scene: Rory Stone. A second-generation cheesemaker at Highland Fine Cheeses in Tain, with award winning bries, cheddars, Mingers and the legend...
3 Mar 2021
Jared Himstedt, Balcones Distillery
What does it take to build a whisky distillery from scratch? Why is second hand equipment better than new? What’s the ultimate finishing cask for single malt? In this first episode, Knockdhu Distillery manager Gordon Bruce ‘chews the fat’ with Jared Himstedt from award winning Balcones Distillery in Texas - a man who Gordon proclaims is something of a whisky ‘rock star’! Telling tales of making anCnoc whisky in Aberdeenshire, his obsession with craft and making things well, Gordon chats to Ja...
23 Feb 2021
Knock Tales Whisky Podcast with Gordon Bruce
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