Natalie Jayne Clark is a writer, editor, producer and the author behind The Malt Whisky Murders, a whisky fiction book. She also knows about whisky, having gained a whisky ambassador accredited course. Natalie was kind enough to agree to my invite and to spare some time to talk with Inside the Cask. Note that the image above is credited to BEINN Books.
Inside the Cask: Hi Natalie, you are a writer, editor, producer and the author of ‘The Malt Whisky Murders’ book released in 2025. However how did it all start for you? Where did the interest in drinks, and more specifically on whisky come from?
There’s a scene in the book that is very much drawn from my own experience. I was 19, waiting for a bus up to uni that was late, and I noticed a brand new pub had opened up. Its window proclaimed that inside there were hundreds of different whiskies, and I thought, well, I’d much rather spend the fiver in my pocket on one of those than on a bus ticket to go and write an essay. I’d never had more than a Bell’s or Famous Grouse before, and I learned a lot about the history and complexities in that afternoon, with that very first dram. The rest, as they say, is history.
Inside the Cask: As I understand, you are a certified Whisky Ambassador. Who did you gain this qualification with and what was the reason for pursuing it? How have you applied the knowledge gained on whisky to work and life in general?
I gained this with The Whisky Ambassador in 2020, then the only accredited whisky course. There’s a plethora for wine, but rather few for whisky. I did it for fun, and because I love attending whisky tastings, and I could use the qualification to help me become better at leading them. Running a whisky tasting ticks a lot of the boxes for my favourite ways to spend my time – chatting and meeting new folk, learning and teaching, and sampling whisky.
The main takeaway I had was to savour and appreciate everything – not just whisky, although whisky is particularly easy to appreciate with its ability to hit all of the senses in a memorable way. It definitely helped with writing the book, especially as the course gave me a newfound knowledge of all of the production and business side, which I didn’t know much at all about before.
Inside the Cask: What is it like writing a book such as ‘The Malt Whisky Murders’? How much research was required and was the decision to make Scotch whisky such an integral part of the story set from the beginning of your creative process?
The initial image I had came to me several years ago during a distillery tour: a body stuffed into a barrel of whisky and kept hidden amongst its brethren in a dark dunnage warehouse, to be discovered several years later.
Then in 2023, I used the idea to apply to Bloody Scotland (Stirling’s Crime Writing Festival) and their Pitch Perfect competition, now with a clear protagonist and setting. I received a pre-emptive book deal and signed with an agent within a week of my highly commended pitch, and the rest of the story developed from that initial idea. I already had a lot of notes and knowledge about whisky, but I also spent a lot of time scouring YouTube, visiting distilleries, and reading books to add more details.
Inside the Cask: It was pleasing to see the portrayal of distillery life and whisky culture authentically within the book. Do you think there is such a term as ‘whisky fiction’? What other book titles would you recommend relating to this sub-category of fiction?
Yes! There’s ‘Double Proof’ by Martin J. Stewart, ‘Smokeheads’ by Doug Johnstone, and ‘The Mash House’ by Alan Gillespie.
Inside the Cask: Are we likely to see the book’s characters, Eilidh and Morag, back in a future title as part of a wider Whisky Murder series? What has been the reaction to the book from those in the whisky industry as well as in general?
Yes – they are returning! That’s as much as I can reveal at the moment, but I am very excited.
The whisky industry seem to have got very much behind the book! Islay Book Festival was superb, and we had a really special event with Master Blender Adam Hannett at Bruichladdich where we got to chat about the book, the history of the distillery, and drink whiskies specially selected and blended by him based on the fictional distillery in my book!
I’ve been having an absolutely delightful time being invited to lots of whisky distilleries and doing all kinds of events and podcasts and whatnot, and having the joy of meeting all the folk that make the beautiful amber stuff happen. If you are reading this and work in some capacity in the whisky industry, do send me an invite!
Inside the Cask: The Kintyre peninsula is where the book is set, but have you got any sort of affiliation to the area? What was the appeal of selecting this rural part of Scotland within the context of the story?
I have family friends there and have visited a few times. I think the beaches of Carradale are some of the most spectacular in the world.
Campbeltown as an area fascinates me, both as a whisky region and geographically, being that long, long peninsular.
The former, because it was once the Whisky Capital of the World, yet for a while only two or three distilleries remained – happily there are several new ones being developed in the area right now!
Also, I feel like the peninsular, as gorgeous as it can be with the right sort of weather, can feel as isolating as an island, and giving your characters that trapped feeling can be very useful when writing, especially in the crime genre.
Inside the Cask: What is your favourite Scotch whisky? Any special drams that come to mind?
I could never have a favourite! I love a Talisker Storm – it’s something that hits all my favourite flavour notes (bit of brine, bit of spiced fruit, bit of smoke) but was still affordable to me when I was a broke student.
A special dram to me will always be the one I had when I was on stage with Sir Ian Rankin, James Yorkstone, and Colin MacIntyre at Bloody Scotland 2025, exactly two years after my pitch there landed me a book deal, and a few short weeks after The Malt Whisky Murders was released.
It really was a pinch-me moment, to be sharing a dram with them to a packed sold-out audience.
It’s a single malt, bottled by the Fife Independent Bottlers, a Speyside Mannochmore, with lots of the sherry casks coming through.
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