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Master
Blender Rachel Barrie has been
recognised for her contribution to the
Scotch whisky industry and has been
inducted as a Keeper of the Quaich at a
ceremony at Blair Castle this week.
One of the world’s top whisky Master
Blenders, also known as the ‘First Lady
of Scotch’, has been recognised with one
of the Scotch whisky industry’s most
prestigious accolades by being inducted
as a ‘Keeper of the Quaich’ at a private
ceremony held at Blair Castle last night
(Monday 7 October). The Keepers of the
Quaich is a very exclusive and
international society that recognises
those that have shown outstanding
commitment to the Scotch Whisky
industry.
I was surprised that Rachel hadn't been
inducted as a ‘Keeper of the Quaich’
until now with a whisky career spanning over 27 years to date. Today Dr. Rachel
Barrie is the Master Blender for
Brown-Forman’s Scotch Whisky portfolio
of The GlenDronach, BenRiach and
Glenglassaugh where she is responsible
for developing, testing and expertly
fine-tuning each distillery’s unique
signature character and range of
expressions.
Originally from Inverurie in
Aberdeenshire, an area rich in Scotch
history, Rachel was long destined for a
career in Single Malt whisky creation.
After studying chemistry at the
University of Edinburgh, she began as a
research scientist at the Scotch Whisky
Research Institute. She then moved into
production at The Glenmorangie Company,
becoming Master Blender in 2003. During
this time Rachel also managed the stocks
for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
before moving to Morrison Bowmore
Distillers with Bowmore, Auchentoshan
and Glen Garioch, working latterly with
Laphroaig and Ardmore.
Rachel was appointed as Master Blender
for Brown Forman’s Single Malt portfolio
in 2017, but throughout her career
Rachel has tasted in excess of 150,000
casks of Single Malt Scotch Whisky,
which continues to boom in exports with
overseas category sales growing 7.8% by
value to £4.7bn last year.
The ceremony at Blair Castle was also a
bit of a star studded evening as Rachel
got to enjoy the celebrations with Sam
Heughan, the Scottish actor (and Scotch
whisky lover), who plays Jamie Fraser in
the show Outlander and who himself is
set to launch his own whisky brand,
which I believe will be a blended whisky
but details or a launch date has not
been set yet but perhaps he was able to
get some last minute tips from Rachel.
Commenting on the appointment to the
international society, Dr. Rachel Barrie
said:
"Being inducted as a Keeper of the
Quaich is a very proud moment in my
career. The society brings together
those leading the way in Scotch whisky
from all corners of the world, and to be
part of this highly revered body is an
honour, as we continue to push
boundaries in perfecting our magnificent
spirit.
"My ambition has always been to unlock
the secrets of Scotch whisky making and
provenance, to develop and nurture
richness of character and celebrate it
with the world; it’s an honour to be
recognised for this and to be in such
esteemed company."
Annabel Meikle, Director at Keepers of
the Quaich added:
"The ceremony and banquet at Blair
Castle for new Keepers of the Quaich is
a true celebration of Scotch whisky, and
we are proud to welcome new Keepers into
the Society in recognition of their
incredible service to the industry and
wealth of knowledge. I often think of
the Society as the most inclusive yet
exclusive whisky club in the world, and
it’s always a great moment to see new
inducted Keepers becoming recognised for
their prestigious work in the Scotch
whisky industry."
This latest accolade follows on from
last year when Rachel was the first
female Scotch whisky Master Blender to
receive an Honorary Doctorate and be
inducted into Whisky Magazine’s
illustrious ‘Hall of Fame’.
If you fancy trying some of Rachel's
recent work from her time at The
GlenDronach, BenRiach and Glenglassaugh
you will find their current core ranges
available from specialist
online whisky retailers such such as
Master of Malt and
The Whisky Exchange
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