As we continue to celebrate Women’s History Month here at Mission, we absolutely have to mention the accomplishments of Dr. Rachel Barrie, once the master blender at Ardbeg who put the Uigeadail on the map; now the master blender for Benriach and Glendronach, two of the most popular single malts in the world in 2021.
Not only did Rachel’s latest Benriach release—the Smoky—take home the #2 whisky in the world from the Whisky Advocate recently, the talk of her new Glendronach Port Wood edition is already heating up. With a second maturation in fresh Port pipes from the Douro Valley in Portugal, the decadence of Glendronach is on full display—albeit with sweet, red-fruited Port notes, rather than the standard Sherry we’ve come to expect.
I sat down with Rachel this past December to play catch up, so rather than reinvent the wheel here, I’ll send you back to that post instead.
Watch for the new Glendronach Port Wood to drop next week, and in the meantime pour yourself a glass to one of the great whisky blenders in our industry.
-David Driscoll