Quick. Name a Master Blender who also happens to be a woman.
Not so easy, is it? Sadly, it’s still very much a man’s world when it comes to blending whisky.
So, when you get to meet a woman such as Rachel Barrie, the master blender at GlenDronach, you sit up and pay attention.
Rachel’s career is a storied one. She has over 26 years of experience in the whisky world, having spent time at Glenmorangie and Morrison Bowmore, where she had a hand in blending Bowmore, Auchentoshan, Laphroaig and Ardmore.
Impressive credentials, no matter who you are.
Most recently, Barrie returned to Aberdeenshire, taking charge of
BenRiach, Glenglassaugh and GlenDronach’s whisky stocks. It was in service of the last that we met her; she came down to talk about the revival of the 15 year old Revival.
In person, she has a magnetic, infectious energy. We have met Master Blenders before, but few were so animated. That passion was backed up by an aura of competence and confidence; a reflection of her years of experience, we think.
Of course, we had some questions for her.
The Questions
You mentioned that you have a certain affinity for Glendronach, haveign been born and living quite close by, and being exposed to it early in life. How does it feel now to be the master blender for them?
It feels like home, the most excellent journey integrating the past, present and future. With family roots that go back hundreds of years in the area, everything feels very connected and whole.
Do you feel that the distillery has a personality? How would you describe its character?
Yes, absolutely. Glendronach is elegant and humble, understated yet confident, deep and complex, robust yet empathic, with impeccable manners, a wry wit, charisma and flair. Much like a person born and brought up in the North-East of Scotland.
How about your own personality? Do you feel that it influences the spirit that you make?
I feel tremendous affinity with the personality traits of Glendronach. I ‘listen’ to its character, and work with it to understand it’s complexities and nurture it’s best nature. Every day, Glendronach tells me something about the past, informing the future, and I learn more about nature, whisky and the world. Glendronach has such a robust and complex character, it shows me the way.
How would you describe the different expressions of Glendronach? How do you decide how different expressions should taste?
Glendronach’s character is robust, fruity, elegant and full-bodied, with each expression bringing out a distinctive facet of each. My decisions are based on enriching character, body and finish, to bring out the ‘pinnacle’ of character expressed at each age.
Glendronach Original 12 years old is perfectly balanced sherry cask maturation. Matured in both PX and Oloroso sherry casks, at 12 years old it is fruity and robust with orange, brambles, ginger and sandalwood, reminiscent of the sweet warmth of a winter market with mulled wine and gingerbread.
Glendronach Revival 15 years old has refined elegance and a full body, a duality reminiscent of fine-dining and espresso coffee. With the taste of maraschino cherry, manuka honey, dark chocolate and espresso, Glendronach 15 years old Revival glides over the palate like a swathe of silk-velvet, leaving a richly elegant long finish.
Glendronach Allardice 18 years old is the most robust and full-bodied, the heavy-weight of the range. Matured fully in Oloroso sherry casks, the drier, oily character prevails, reminiscent of old leather, brown sugar, blackcurrant, maple and cigar box.
Glendronach Parliament 21 years old balances rich fruitiness and sweetness with robust spice and body. With the taste of spiced stewed plum pudding, cherry, ginger and espresso, this is composed predominantly of PX with a proportion of Oloroso cask maturation.
And of course, there are many individual cask bottlings, and Grandeur Batch bottlings, each with their own highly distinctive personality, flair and taste.
You spoke about terroir in whisky. Could you explain more about your views? Is it the wood, the water, the barley, the maturation, or some combination of the above?
Everything makes a difference – every drop is shaped by a combination of landscape, microflora, ingredients, materials, temperature, humidity, process and people. The synchronicity of events in creating flavour at each moment is virtually impossible to fully dissect. Character is the sum of every interaction as Glendronach ferments, distils and breathes in the distillery, in harmony with the cask, the warehouse, and the nature of the valley of Forgue.
Winemakers debate about the influence of the winemaker has on the finished wine, compared to the influence of terroir. What are your thoughts with respect to whisky?
The role of the whisky maker is to deeply understand the nature and character of the spirit born off the still and shape it as it matures. The whisky maker influences ‘fine-tuning’ of the stills, wood policy, range of oak casks filled for maturation, and how long they are left to mature. As Glendronach can mature for 10, 12, 21 or even 50 years, understanding spirit character at each age is key. Glendronach shows you the path to follow, what it wants to be; it has a robust character.
Deciding on Spanish oak sherry casks brings out the true character of Glendronach – robust yet elegant, fruity yet full-bodied. Our Highland spirit marries perfectly with Spanish oak. The whisky maker decides on cask fillings – proportions of PX or Oloroso, Port or Wine casks, and what will work best at each age. Unlike wine, every spirit and cask is subtly different, depending on distillation date, individual cask variation and warehouse location, and that’s where the patience, time and understanding of the Whisky Maker comes in, to decide the best use and composition of each whisky.
When speaking to cognac cellar masters, they often describe their job as thinking ahead and leaving a legacy for the generations to come. Would you describe your role in the same terms?
Yes, absolutely. The decisions of today shape the whisky of tomorrow and decades to come. I have to think ahead to imagine what the whisky will be like next year, the years after and in decades to come, what subtle changes could be made to cask fillings or selections for bottlings, to follow the best path for richest character development and taste.
You spoke about whiskymaking being more art than science to you nowadays. Could you go into more detail? How do you go about building this sense? How do you blend creativity with scientific logic?
The art is the science is the idea.
I find art and science inseparable – separating into subject matters is a human construct. Whisky making requires a holistic view, taking a step back to see different perspectives of the art and nature of its creation, whilst also diving deep into the analytics (and science) to inform key strategic decisions. Becoming conscious of every perspective and influence helps paint a richer picture. The blend is greater than the sum and happens very naturally once you look deeply into both nature and analytics.
What is the legacy you would like to build in Glendronach?
I’d like to nurture the authentic and traditional taste of Glendronach – rich, robust and complex, with roots deep in the valley of Forgue, built on a time-honoured slow and steady process, unchanged through the centuries.
As one of the few woman master blenders, is there any advice you’d like to give women or girls who aspire to join the whisky industry?
Trust in your craft enough to admire it, study it, perfect it and breathe it. Never stop getting better. Study the craft, focus and listen to the spirit and those who have learned from it. Be mindful that every experience and opportunity leads to a deeper understanding of the whisky, the world and ourselves. Carpe diem!
To find out more about the Revival and its siblings, check out our review here. Glendronach is distributed by Malt and Wine Asia. You can get the malts listed at The Grande Whisky Collection.
