Back in 2012, when podcasting was more of an amateur hobby rather than a full-fledged career path, I hosted a tiny show about whisky that interviewed notable personalities from distilleries all over the spirits world. One of my first guests was Rachel Barrie, at that time the master blender for Ardbeg. Almost all the press surrounding Ardbeg back then involved the brilliant Dr. Bill Lumsden and his penchant for whisky creation, but I was interested in learning more about Rachel’s blending.
Given that Ardbeg’s flagship whisky—the Uigeadail—is a complex marriage of whiskies of various ages, maturations, and proofs, I thought the woman who had brought harmony to that force must be quite the wizard.
Indeed she is.
After working a few Ardbeg-related whisky events with Rachel in San Francisco, I wouldn’t see her again until driving out to Glen Garioch to work on a new single barrel program. Rachel had been hired as the master blender for Morrison-Bowmore and was working out of the Highland location. I remember it well because she said the cask I chose reminded her of “mealy,” sort of like stuffing made with oatmeal and grains instead of breadcrumbs. We ended up grabbing lunch right after that a local cafe that served mealy because I was utterly transfixed with understanding her tasting note.
That was the last time I had contact with Rachel until just recently, when I connected with her for this interview. Like myself, she’d been head-hunted yet again, taking the reigns as the master blender for Brown-Forman’s Scottish distillery trio of Benriach, Glendronach, and Glenglassaugh. Right out of the gate, she’s making an immediate impact, having locked up the #3 whisky of the year from the Whisky Advocate for the new Benriach Smoky 12 year old.
As I’m perpetually interested in her world, I sat down with her recently for a quick catch-up:
David: I was racking my brain as to the last time I saw you; I think it's been over eight years since I came to visit you in Oldmeldrum at Glen Garioch. We're both with new companies now, so how has the change from Morrison-Bowmore to Brown-Forman been going?
Rachel: It’s been wonderful going back to my roots to the three distilleries in the north east of Scotland, connecting past experiences, ideas and memories over the decades with a vision for the future.
David: What's been the most exciting part of working with the whiskies from Benriach, Glendronach, and Glenglassaugh?
Rachel: The most exciting part has been getting to know every inch of the distilleries and maturing stocks intimately, developing an understanding of their character, before guiding them on the path to success.
David: What's something you've learned about the whiskies since coming on board that most drinkers may not know?
Rachel: There is not enough space on your page! Drinkers might not know that Benriach distills three styles of whisky: luscious orchard fruit-filled spirit distilled all year round, triple-distilled in the summer, and smoky, peated Benriach distilled in smoke season for around one month of the year. These styles are matured in an eclectic range of casks, woven together to create the new range of fruit-filled and smoky whiskies.
David: Benriach in particular has always been a unique distillery.
Rachel: Yes, and Benriach has its own floor maltings, one of only two distilleries to do so in Speyside. Smoke season and malting season will be releases to look out for in the future!
David: Then you’ve got the Sherry-matured whiskies from Glendronach.
Rachel: Yes, Sherry cask mastery is king at Glendronach, with maturation in Spanish oak Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry casks from southern Spain, the perfect duality to mature our robust Highland spirit into a full-bodied, richly fruity and elegant single malt.
David: And Glenglassaugh? I’ve never been, so what’s that like?
Rachel: Glenglassaugh is nestled in Sandend Bay, a magnet for sea surfers, and just along the coast from Portsoy boat harbor. It distills a highly distinctive tropical fruit-laden spirit with the taste of salted caramel, straight off the still! Luscious and deeply coastal qualities mature in Bourbon, Sherry and wine casks warehoused in the bay, creating a single malt interchangeably reminiscent of the sweetest beach summers, and salt-laden depths of North Sea.
David: In terms of blending, are there differences from what you were doing with Glen Garioch and Ardbeg previously?
Rachel: Like every person, every distillery is its own malt, influenced by synchronicities that make each unique. My approach is to first listen to the whisky and then let it do the talking! Then, wood, maturation and blending strategies can be defined enabling each distillery to flourish in its own way. For example, Glendronach is focused on the understanding and mastery of Sherry cask maturation. Benriach is the creator, so fusing distilling and maturation styles, in an eclectic range of casks is the goal, creating an accessible malt to surprise and delight.
David: Glenglassaugh was sort of a late addition to the group, so how has the development come along there compared to the others?
Rachel: With Glenglassaugh, nature has the biggest influence in creating this highly distinctive malt. All I have to do is follow the ebb and flow of nature, marrying Bourbon, Sherry and wine casks in just the right proportions, to enrich luscious and ripe tropical fruits in balance with sweetness, ocean spice and sea-salt. This is the distillery I would describe most as working in harmony with nature.
David: Whisky drinkers love GlenDronach because of its decadent Sherry flavors, but I've always felt that Benriach was the more dynamic of the two, with so many different offerings—peated and unpeated. How would you describe the differences between those two distilleries for people just learning about the whiskies?
Rachel: I would describe Glendronach as “the Grand One,” with its dark fruit and robust Highland style, and maturation in Sherry casks. Deep, commanding and substantive, it has an exceedingly rich and satisfying character, never missing a crescendo into the grand finale.
Benriach, on the other hand, is a delicate genius with its attractive and dynamic spectrum of flavor that makes it highly versatile and agile. It dances on the tongue like the rhythm of life, never standing still, with plenty of surprises and lots of twists and turns. The new range expresses this dynamism, fusing distilling and maturation styles to play tunes with fruit, malt and oak, taking unexpectedly sweet turns with its added layers of smoke.
David: What has been the most exciting release from any of the distilleries since you've come on board?
Rachel: It has to be the Benriach rebrand, launched in September, now taking flight all around the world. Since the launch, the source of my excitement has been from the incredible reaction to the new whiskies!
David: Tell me more about that.
Rachel: In the past nearly four years, I had the creative freedom to develop the smooth and multi-layered Original Ten: matured in Bourbon, Sherry and American Virgin oak; and the Smoky Ten: matured in Bourbon, Jamaican rum and charred American oak barrels for sublime smoky fruit and oak. The Twelve is Sherry-rich, and I added a twist and turn of Bourbon and Port casks, capturing the flavors of Speyside in Autumn at Benriach. The Smoky Twelve has perhaps taken people most by surprise, matured in Bourbon, Sherry and Marsala casks, and with its creamy smoothness and sweet, aromatic smoke, it’s like an orange cake, baked over an open fire, smothered in dark chocolate.
David: How has COVID-19 impacted your job over the last year?
Rachel: The impact of COVID means we’ve had to be agile and find new ways of doing things. For one, over the past months, I’ve never had as many cask samples in my home to evaluate and blend with. Saying this, I’ve been very fortunate to be able to go into the blending lab, socially-distanced, taking it in turn with others to work in the lab, whilst using virtual chats and hangouts to connect between distilleries, and with teams all over the world. The level of communication and collaboration has really accelerated, with time on a plane or traveling replaced with more time making connections.
David: I’m sure more and more of your work is virtual.
Rachel: Related to this, a big step forwards has been connecting with hundreds, if not thousands, of people through virtual tastings and whisky shows. Global reach has never been greater. In the space of just a few hours, I introduced Benriach across the US, from east to central to west, north and south. Morning meets with Australia and Asia, to midnight meets with California and Seattle are the new norm, all woven into the rich tapestry of whisky-making.
David: Are you working on anything for the future that you're exciting about and that you can talk about?
Rachel: I’m always imagining the exciting whiskies of the future! This week I’m selecting casks for our annual cask bottlings, and working on some new Glenglassaugh expressions, which I’m really excited about. I’m also fine-tuning recipes for whiskies from Benriach’s malting and smoke seasons, for bottling and launch in 2021!
Check out selection of whiskies from Benriach, Glendronach, and Glenglassaugh on the Mission store website for more information.
-David Driscoll
