MARK THOMSON
Ambassador to Scotland
Glenfiddich Single Malt
William Grant & Sons
Mark’s passion and commitment to the Glenfiddich brand is unquestionable, and he’s always evangelical about passing it on. William Grant & Sons sponsor the Bar Apprentice category at the Scottish Bar & Pub Awards and each year Mark puts all the participants through their paces, while also guiding and mentoring.
He knows just about every bartender on the planet and seems to be on a one man mission to get them all fit – his cycling and running feats are legendary.
Who is your biggest influence?
My grandfather probably, who is sadly no longer with us. He was a whisky drinker and a real gent. Outside of that, I take many pointers from the likes of Dave Broom, Tristan Stephenson, Charlie McLean and Ronnie Cox – all of whom I am fortunate to call friends. Every time I’m in their company I learn something new- but all have a very different angle so there’s no one true influencer.
What motivates you to do what you do?
I have a genuine passion for whisky and have always enjoyed helping other to get interested in the spirit- but I was totally fed up with the usual boring, ancient and often irrelevant way people spoke about whisky today. I like to think I approach it in a more playful way whilst still dropping a few knowledge bombs . So seeing new people get into a dram for drams sake and dispensing with the “rules” is always
enough motivation for me.
Have you noticed any trends in hospitality/the Scottish licensed trade?
People, thankfully, moving away from listing whiskies by region. Whisky May have at one point been simple to classify, but it’s all becoming too complex with variants popping up from this distillery or that (which I applause)- but we really do need to stop pigeon holing a distillery style just because of its geographical location. No customers walk into a bar and ask for a whisky that only uses waters from granite hillsides in the production….
How do you stay ahead of the curve?
Not sure if this is aimed at me personally or the brand 😉 You keep listening to what’s out there. Never stop learning from it, stay passionate but don’t be a geek. You’ll get by I think.