Seeking to achieve the world of alcohol can originate a newbie in fact feel esteem they’re walking into no man’s land with out a blueprint in hand. But it doesn’t must be so intimidating. Terminology in spirits shall be complicated, namely if we’re talking whisky. For instance, originate you know whisky is continually spelled with an “e” unless it’s Scotch whisky? There are about a vital vital parts every alcohol lover ought to peaceable know, esteem the adaptation between whisky, scotch, and single malt; if mixing whisky with an aerated drink is sacrilege; how you’d like to originate your drink, and drink your drink, and heaps extra.
To abet us resolve out these baffling questions, we obtained in contact with Kelsey McKechnie, Apprentice Malt Master at Balvenie Distillery at William Grant & Sons. In 2014, Kelsey started working as a Technical Graduate at the Girvan Distillery laboratory. Four years later, she used to be appointed Apprentice Malt Master – changing into one amongst the youngest females on this planet to enjoy this rarest of jobs.
How and when did you realise you had an ardour in whiskies?
I started working at William Grant & Sons laboratory in Girvan. From there I in actual fact began creating my ardour in whisky manufacturing and flavour introduction. It used to be, and peaceable is one amongst the most sensible parts of whisky blending, studying how we can create assorted flavours for the interval of manufacturing.
What’s your technique to blending?
My technique to blending is extraordinarily same to David Stewart MBE, and therefore Brian Kinsman’s model, Brian is David’s first apprentice and Glenfiddich’s Malt Master. It is miles needed to originate certain no longer to bustle the formulation. In whisky nothing happens overnight; so now we must originate certain now we have faith the spirit within the simply wood required smartly in arrive of bottling, continuously that is doubtless years beforehand.
How vital is the use of the simply glassware and ice for cocktails?
In the pattern room, we’re very particular about the glasses we use for nosing. It is miles needed that after now we have faith reduced the alcoholic power of the spirit we’re nosing with water, we leave the spirit to fetch within the headspace of the glass to enable for simple evaluate. On the total, we use tulip nosing glasses as the form is ideal for smelling the whisky.
What are some of the crucial things that you just bear in mind when creating blends for India? Rep you focus for your blends are extra suited to the Indian and Asian palate?
After we make blends, we don’t basically make merchandise for particular regions. Clearly, there are some markets whereby particular flavour profiles are extra standard. In the pattern room, we center of attention on creating quality and consistency in every batch.
For the newbie, might maybe presumably well you uncover us the adaptation between single malt, Scotch, and whisky?
Single Malt refers to Scotch Whisky that has been constituted of 100 p.c malted barley on pot stills.
Scotch can consult with grain, mix, or single malt, whic