Whisky Focus - The Chivas Brothers Blending Team

Chivas Brothers unveil enhanced blending team as well as new roles for Master Blenders Colin Scott and Sandy Hyslop.

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, today announced new roles for revered Master Blenders Colin Scott and Sandy Hyslop. The move coincides with the unveiling of an enhanced Chivas Brothers Blending Team, reinforcing the company’s expertise in crafting world-leading, blended Scotch whisky.

With a career spanning 43 years, Colin Scott brings unparalleled gravitas to the Blending Team and will take on the role of Chivas Regal Custodian Master Blender. A renowned industry leader and innovator, having created Chivas 18 in 1997, Colin will act as a mentor to the Chivas Regal blenders, passing on his knowledge and ensuring traditions, techniques and the signature Chivas Regal style continue to be nurtured through the generations.

Leading the Blending Team will be Sandy Hyslop. With more than 30 years’ experience in blending Scotch whisky, Sandy will take on the newly-created and prestigious role of Director of Blending across the whole Chivas Brothers portfolio. Sandy holds the rare position of being one of just five Master Blenders in the 188-year history of Ballantine’s – a role he has held since 2005 – and will now oversee the creation and blending of all Chivas Brothers blended Scotch whisky.

Enhanced blending team at Chivas Brothers

The team, comprising both familiar and new faces, will continue to drive excellence and craft the celebrated whiskies for the Chivas Brothers iconic ranges.

The team features:

• Kevin Balmforth and Dr Calum Fraser, who will take on the roles of Chivas Regal Blenders. As of next year, while their primary commitment will be maintaining quality across the range, they will also spend time travelling the world with Colin, educating consumers on Chivas Regal and its blending traditions.
   
• Ashley Smith, Apprentice Blender, who joined the blending team last year and is in the process of learning all aspects of blending, with a focus on Chivas Regal.
   
• Willie Henderson, who has 37 years’ experience in the whisky industry with nearly twenty of them focusing on blending. Willie will work across Chivas Brothers’ entire Scotch whisky portfolio supported by Adam Ritchie, who has been with the team for nearly a year.
   
• Alan Galloway, who with 16 years’ experience in the industry will work across the portfolio while supporting Sandy exclusively on the Ballantine’s range.

Laurent Lacassagne, Chivas Brothers CEO and Chairman, comments: “The Chivas Brothers Blending Team brings together an enviable wealth of talent that is set to reinforce the craftsmanship and quality of our whisky-making and continue to drive our business forward.

“Excellence is at the heart of Chivas Brothers, and nowhere is this more evident than with industry leaders Colin Scott and Sandy Hyslop, whose new roles will ensure the safeguarding of Chivas Brothers’ iconic and historic brands for the next generation.”

The newly-bolstered team represents the most significant development for the blending department in recent years and is a clear signal of the company’s long-term commitment to excellence in blended Scotch. The setup creates the perfect atmosphere to nurture talent, inspire innovation and pass on the craftsmanship Chivas Brothers is renowned for.

The entire blending department is complemented by Chivas Brothers’ network of Global Brand Ambassadors and Graduate Brand Ambassadors – a team of Scotch whisky and Chivas Brothers experts who travel the globe year round to educate consumers on the company’s brands, safeguarding the prestige and legacy of the portfolio internationally.
 

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