The Keeper Magazine meets five of the 2025 intake of Keepers of the Quaich as they arrive for the Autumn Banquet.
Marc Watson
Master Whisky Maker, Edrington
Marc Watson was training to be an English teacher when his friend Nick Ravenhall asked him to do some work for his beer company. Marc became interested in the drinks industry and so changed tack completely, enrolling on the Master’s course in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University.
After graduating, Marc moved to Finland to work for an import/export business creating a Scotch Whisky portfolio. Keen to work in production, Marc returned to Scotland and worked with Stuart Nickerson, at Shetland Reel Gin.
“I’ve been lucky to work with some incredible mentors in my career and I really had my apprenticeship with Stuart.”
Marc then moved to Eden Mill to work with Paul Miller and created the company’s first whisky offering.
From there, Marc took the Head Distiller job at Halewood – helping build Chain Pier Distillery with another drinks veteran, David Brown. The development of the Bonnington distillery followed.
“Then I got the opportunity to work with Nick Ravenhall at Holyrood Distillery – my friend and mentor who made me move into the drinks industry in the first place. It was a full circle moment.
“Up until then, I had always worked at places where gin and whisky sat side by side. It was amazing when I got the job at Edrington as Master Blender for Famous Grouse. Then Gordon Motion announced his retirement, so I am now the Master Whisky Maker for Highland Park.
“My role is two-fold. On the one hand I have to maintain consistency of the core products in the brand, but on the other I have to be innovative with NPD.
“I have to pinch myself sometimes as I think I am still at the beginning of my whisky journey, but as my wife reminded me – I’ve been doing it for 11 years.”
Vikki Bruce
MD, MacLean and Bruce
Vikki Bruce cut her whisky teeth at Adelphi, the independent bottling firm, where she worked in production and immersed herself in the whisky world, meeting everyone from distillery owners to brand ambassadors.
In 2013, she helped create a whisky tour of Scotland for HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. “I’m good at logistics,” she laughs. “Being a mum means you’re ready for anything, so I partnered with whisky legend Charlie MacLean to give the Prince and his family an unforgettable experience.”
Charlie suggested turning it into a business, and MacLean & Bruce was born. With Vikki’s connections and Charlie’s expertise, the company quickly thrived.
Initially focused on China, Covid halted travel in 2020, prompting Vikki to pivot into cask sales. Immersed in the secondary market, she saw widespread fraud and launched CaskNet, a platform to verify ownership and empower owners to correctly manage their casks.
Alvaro Cardenas
President, Latin America and Caribbean
Alvaro Cardenas started working in the soft drinks industry before joining Diageo in 2006 as Financial Director for Colombia.
Alvaro then worked as a Director in the European and Asian markets and for the past five years, has been based in Miami where he serves as the President for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
This involves a lot of travel. “I joke that my wife lives in Miami, while I travel around the 34 countries in the region,” he says.
“I enjoy being out in the field speaking to customers. I speak to the bar owners, the bartenders. This is where you get real insight into what is happening.
“Although we still drink Scotch either neat or on the rocks, in some markets, it’s mixed with coconut water or fruit juice. In all markets Johnnie Walker is a popular choice, but in some areas, Old Parr and Buchanan’s outsell it.
“Scotch Whisky is very present in how our consumers socialise. It is the backbone of our business across this region and we need to know how we can sustain this.
“In Colombia for instance, Scotch has always been part of who we are. It’s ingrained in how we celebrate life. The first drink I had with my dad was a Johnnie Walker Black Label.
“So for me, I want to know that in 100 years’ time, someone, somewhere will still be drinking Johnnie Walker Black Label.
“Innovation is the key to growing the market and bringing in new consumers, including women and younger people. By listening to what is happening, Diageo LAC has brought two new offerings into the Johnnie Walker stable.
“We launched Johnnie Walker Blonde five years ago,” Alvaro reveals. “Then, two years ago, we launched Johnnie Walker Black Ruby. Our innovation strategy is based on trends in our region, so we developed Ruby to pay homage to the character of Johnnie Walker, with the versatility to be mixed.”
Lillian MacArthur
Administrator, Bunnahabhain Distillery
In 1975, 16-year-old Lillian MacArthur had left school and was about to leave Islay for Glasgow to train in administration, when she spotted an office job going at Bunnahabhain Distillery.
“I thought I should apply for it, and I got it,” she says. Fifty years later I am still here!”
From day one at the distillery, Lillian was put in charge of all the paperwork for the warehousing. This meant recording casks that left the distillery, samples and customs forms. Everything was done by hand, so Lillian had to be able to write legibly.
“We used carbon paper, so that we would be able to duplicate the paperwork. I had a typewriter,” she remembers. “That was upgraded to an electric typewriter, then a word processor and of course, the computer. Everything is a bit more automated than it used to be.”
“I’ve seen some changes at the distillery,” Lillian reveals. “In 1982, the distillery (like many others at the time) closed for two years, due to an excess of whisky. We still needed to transport casks though, so I was kept on along with three other staff.”
Lillian’s can-do attitude is probably the secret to her staying so long at Bunnahabhain. She has served in the shop, helped look after the holiday cottages on site and even used to drive the local villagers to the shops in the company minibus. But most of all, due to her incredible organisational skills, the distillery runs smoothly.
The company honoured Lillian on her fiftieth anniversary by naming a still after her. It is called Lillian’s Still. She laughs: “There are two stills here. One runs smoothly and gives no trouble. The other is a bit cantankerous and problematic. Of course, that was the one they named after me!” In addition, a limited-edition bottling was produced – Lillian’s Legacy – just 150 bottles of a blend made from five casks spanning five decades. The tasting notes read: “Warm, nutty, sweet and just a little bit cheeky… sound familiar?”
“I love working here,” she says. The staff gave me the name General MacArthur, because if I need anything I just slide up my window and holler into the courtyard.”
Zdeny Kortiš
After studying hotel management in his home country of the Czech Republic, Zdeny travelled to Scotland to work in the hospitality industry there. It was here that he discovered Scotch Whisky and he resolved to return to Olomouc, a city in the eastern province of the Czech Republic, to spread the word.
Zdeny’s parents had run a successful bar in the city for decades and were looking to retire, so he decided to take it over, rename it The Black Stuff (after Guinness) and focus on selling good Scotch.
“This was in 2003, long before smartphones and social media,” Zdeny says. “Scotch Whisky was not a popular drink in the Czech Republic, so I set up a blog and wrote so I started to write articles about the distilleries of Scotland, telling the historic stories behind the whiskies.”
Before long, Zdeny was approached and asked to be an Ambassador for Ardbeg, a post he held for three years. Then, in 2014, he became an Ambassador for Pernod Ricard with the remit to promote its Scotch portfolio.
“Since the rise of social media, there’s now a huge interest in Scotch Whisky here. It’s so much easier to find out about the different brands and where to buy and drink them.
“Our bartenders are trained at the Pernod Ricard offices in Prague, so they know what they are talking about and can suggest the best whisky for our customers. We educate and trainbar tenders in the Pernod Ricard Bar Academy programme, where I am a lecturer responsible for Scotch Whisky education. The aim is to ensure bartenders know what they are talking about and can recommend the best whisky for their customers.
“I was even involved in creating the new Royal Salute specifically for the Czech market, which was launched at Whisky Life! Prague. I helped choose the samples to make up the blend and it will be limited to 336 bottles with an ABV of 50.9%.
“I also help to create whisky experiences, taking clients to Scotland for distillery tours and historical sightseeing. For me, whisky is all about sharing. I never drink alone, I want to share the experience with others.
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