|
Master
Blender, Rachel Barrie's contribution to
the Scotch whisky industry has been
recognised by the University of
Edinburgh with an honorary doctorate.
Rachel Barrie, who is known these
days for creating single malt whiskies
for the BenRiach, Glenglassaugh and The
GlenDronach distilleries has been
recognised by the University of
Edinburgh for her expertise and service
to the whisky industry.
At a ceremony in Edinburgh yesterday,
9th July, the University of Edinburgh
presented Rachel with an honorary
doctorate. Rachel, raised in
Aberdeenshire, is one of only a
handful of women in the ‘top job’ in the
whisky industry is the first female
Master Blender to be given an honorary
doctorate by the University of
Edinburgh.
During her whisky career Rachel has had
a hand in some of the top Scotch single
malt whiskies Scotland has to offer,
having a hand in the whisky creation at
Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, Bowmore,
Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch. Today,
Rachel looks after the whisky creation
at Brown-Forman’s three Scottish
distilleries, BenRiach, Glenglassaugh
and The GlenDronach. Her job involves
nosing and tasting thousands of casks to
select which whiskies will be released
onto the market, as well as planning the
stocks for the coming year.
 Ms Barrie’s love of whisky began in her
childhood, growing up alongside an area
of Scotland which has the highest
concentration of distilleries in the
world. She studied chemistry at the
University of Edinburgh before beginning
her career as a research scientist at
the Scotch Whisky Research Institute.
She has received numerous industry
accolades for her work developing
award-winning whiskies, in addition to
judging international spirits
competitions and serving on numerous
industry committees.
Commenting on her honorary doctorate, Ms
Barrie said: "This is one of the
proudest moments of my life. My quest
has been to unlock a deeper
understanding of the distillation,
maturation and provenance of Scotch, to
develop and nurture richness of
character and taste and celebrate it
with the world; it’s a great privilege
to be recognised in this endeavour.
"Master Blenders and Distillers are
guardians of quality: honouring the
legacy and tradition of the past,
protecting spirit quality in the
present, whilst innovating and
continuously improving for the future.
The decisions made today provide the
foundations for growth that will be
built on by the master blenders and
distillers that follow. I’m very
thankful to have had a part to play in
creating some of the finest whiskies in
the world."
Awarding the honorary degree, Dr Andrew
J. Alexander from the University of
Edinburgh School of Chemistry, said:
"Rachel Barrie’s creativity, sensory
perception and mastery of analytical
chemistry have undoubtedly widened and
deepened the appreciation of Scotch
whisky around the globe. The University
of Edinburgh is tremendously proud to
honour Rachel for her achievements."
If you want to sample Rachel's work you
will find the BenRiach, Glenglassaugh
and The GlenDronach whisky ranges
available from specialist online whisky
retailers such as The Whisky Exchange
and
Master of Malt
|
