Interview With Master Blender Kirsteen Campbell

[William]

Following the recent The Famous Grouse ‘Masters of the Famous Blend’ event which I attended in Glasgow I got the opportunity to sit down with The Famous Grouse Master Blender Kirsteen Campbell and put a few questions to her about what her job involves with Scotland's favourite and the UK's best selling Scotch blended whisky.



Read more here:
http://www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/kirsteencampbellgrouseinterview.htm

You can also read my piece on The Famous Grouse Masters of the Famous Blend event where Kirsteen told me that it is Ruadh Maor single malt whisky produced at the Glenturret distillery which gives the Smoky Black blend its smoky flavour, see here:

http://www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/famousgrousemasteroftheblend.htm
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There's no bad whisky. Just good whisky and better whisky.

[Big Mac]

The Famous Grouse was my first whisky, I would say it is a richer blend today than when I first tasted it many years ago in Scotland, but that's a good thing, I always have a bottle or two in the cabinet for dramming as well as mixing for visitors.

William in your interview it is interesting that Kirsteen doesn't quote Macallan as being a component of the Famous Grouse these days as in the past they liked to throw the Macallan name in when talking about Grouse.

IMO it is by far the best entry level Scotch blend available.

William your reporting from Glasgow makes me homesick, but happily I will be there this coming summer, just recently booked the flights.

[McKay]

Mac she does mention the Macallan

[TheWM]

I enjoyed reading this although did she appear as cagey as its comes across? I'm hoping my daughter fancies a similar role as she does have a good nose for flavours and she's only 5....!

[sorren]

Great piece William.. Kirsteen is certainly a great master blender and comes across very good.. Had the pleasure to communicate with her also, very informative..

[William]

No I wouldn't say Kirsteen was cagey at all, as she pointed out, no master blender would reveal exact details of their recipes for the whiskies they create. It was great to have the chance to sit down and chat with her to get a bit of an insight into what is involved in her job as master blender for one of the best selling Scotch blended whiskies in the world, as she pointed out the volumes involved are massive, there must be a lot of work and planning involved to keep this consistent.

I was hoping to get a bit of a reveal of a new product to come but it wasn't to be, I know she was behind some excellent blends in the Cutty Sark range such as the outstanding Cutty Sark Tam o' Shanter 25 year old, hopefully we will see something special in the Famous Grouse range in the future.
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There's no bad whisky. Just good whisky and better whisky.

[James T]

Great article William. I was weaned on the Famous Grouse and a few other blends many years ago so it is great to see the people behind it given recognition and credit for the pleasure they bring

I wonder what the test involves to see if you have a nose to be a master blender and how many of us would actually pass that test.

I have always wondered if women's sense of smell is more fine tuned and sensitive than men's and perhaps (in my experience) why women are more likely to dislike the more intense peaty whiskies.

[Keith]

James you may be right about women having a more sensitive sense of smell, my wife can detect without fail from the other side of the room when I am drinking even a mildly peated whisky and always comments on it.

[Graeme H]

[Big Mac]

[Keith]