In this instalment of our Q&A series, Highland Park's master whisky maker Gordon Motion reflects on his many years in the industry, the growth of single malt, and looks ahead to the innovation of the future.

Gordon sits down with Whisky Magazine following the release of Highland Park's oldest and rarest single malt Scotch whisky, Highland Park 56 years old, created from a never-before-tasted cask. The single malt whisky has been finished in a sherry-seasoned oak cask, drawn from one of 10 casks selected by Gordon in 2008. 

BW: How long have you been working in the whisky industry?

GM: It'll be 27 years at the start of June. All that time has been with Edrington. So, I started as the assistant to the...whisky quality manager who, at that time, looked after all of our brands. I worked with him for 10 years until he retired, and then I took over as the company's master blender. And more recently, with the growth in single malt, [since] 2018... I pretty much look after Highland Park exclusively. If Glenrothes or Famous Grouse come across the bench will still blend those, but in terms of facing the customer, [it's] Highland Park.

BW: Do you have a favourite memory from along the way?

GM: [There is] certainly [one that] sticks in mind from when I joined in 1998. I was sent out in the early days to go around all the distilleries, and it was probably about month two of being with the company, I was sent up here to Highland Park to get a bit of experience and meet the team up here. I was taken out by the then visitor centre manager. We were going out for a meal... I was taken to the Merkister Hotel overlooking Loch Harray and Orkney, one of the best fishing lochs in Scotland, eating Highland Park steak and thinking — I'm getting paid for this.

BW: What is the most exciting change you’ve witnessed in the whisky industry over the course of your career?

GM: It's been the growth in single malts. When I started, Highland Park had 12 [years old] 18 [years old], and we had just launched a 25 years old. If you look at the range of releases we've done ever since, and the portfolio we've got at the moment, we've got 12-, 15-, 18-, 21-, 25-, 30-, and 40-year olds. We've got cask strength [and] global travel retail. It's been a massive growth in single malts over that time. [It’s] made my job a bit more difficult, because I have to come up with so many new products. I don't know if the blended category has significantly declined. It has certainly gone down, but it's just been the growth of single malts that has been the standout for me.

Is there a whisky distillery or brand that you have been admiring from afar and impressed with what they are currently doing?

GM: There's lots of innovative brands out there. Holyrood distillery has done a whole lot of innovation recently. One I visited just the other day on the way up was 8 Doors Distillery. Now they haven't got any of their own whisky. They’re in John O’Groats, but I did get a chance to taste their new-make spirit, and it is really, really fragrant. It's going to be a lovely dram when it matures. So really pleased to see that, because sometimes you can taste a new-make spirit, and it's got quite a feinty note to it, but this was really, really pleasant. And, you know, probably not surprising, given the size and shape of their stills.

BW: Is there a go-to whisky you are particularly enjoying at the moment?

GM: Probably my go-to one would be [Highland Park] 12 years old. I've been a judge...and I have tasted thousands of whiskies over that time. There have been some real crackers. One I got recently — it's not a single malt — but one that I found really pleasant was Black Mountain. It's a French whisky, slightly peated. And again, it's just at that right level. I've just actually finished a bottle of that.

BW: Would you rather read a book or watch a film? For whichever option you choose (book or film), tell us one of your favourites.

GM: I would probably say more recently neither. I'm listening to a lot more podcasts. There is a reasonable amount of travelling, so I listen to quite a lot of podcasts, and most of what I listen to are woodworking ones. That's my hobby, doing a bit of furniture making and woodworking. I listen to a lot of that in my spare time.

BW: Describe your dream holiday – where would you go and what would you do there?

GM: It would have to be a place with countryside and scenery. I like walks, whether it's forest walks or gentle countryside. [I’m] not one for hill walking. Little city breaks would be a weekend thing. I couldn't stay in a city for a week. I need my fix of the countryside and fresh air and scenery. So yeah, somewhere quiet in the country.