The room filled — as many PRs as whisky writers, and mixologists, plus a few old friends who knew the Motion beyond his title. The whisky did most of the talking. But then came Marc Watson. Watson, sharp-eyed beyond his heavy-rimmed glasses, slightly flushed, has been apprenticing with Gordon for six months. He’d done the courses, won the awards, and ticked the boxes at the interviews: Heriot-Watt Brewing & Distilling, Master Blender for The Famous Grouse, Icons of Whisky Distillery Manager of the Year. But none of that came up. What mattered more was that he came from the same village. His gran lived two doors down from Gordon’s dad. When he got the job, which he called “the job beyond the dream job,” Motion’s father rang Watson’s father to tell him.
Raise a dram for Gordon Motion, the man who gave 55 years to whisky
