Kelsey McKechnie

APPRENTICE MALT MASTER

Kelsey McKechnie was appointed to the position of Apprentice Malt Master just over two years ago, becoming one of the youngest apprentice malt masters in the world. McKechnie embodies the future of whisky and along with gaining a coverted position, she’s done it in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Her talent was spotted early by whisky in blending and barrel finishing, along with the most respected of mentors guiding the way, put the future of The Balvenie whiskies in safe hands.

Ash Pini caught up with McKechnie to see if some of the magic dust can rub off on us, and learn more about the changing the perception of who the average whisky drinker is.

Ash Pini: How have you found the first two years working as the apprentice to the great David Stewart? What has changed in that time for you?

Kelsey McKechnie: The past few years have definitely been exciting and we have produced a lot of innovation. It’s only when I take a second to look back on how many new products we have created for The Balvenie I realise how much has changed. For example we have launched Balvenie Stories, a limited edition 25 Year Old Double Wood and new 50 Year Olds, just to name a few during this time.

AP: Can you describe the local whisky distilling and blending community in Speyside? Is it a tight knit community and how accepting are they of a young, talented apprentice?

KM: Speyside is not only renowned for producing great whisky, it is also renowned for the friendly people who live in the area. There is also a true sense of pride in The Balvenie especially within our local whisky community. I actually lived on site at The Balvenie and Glenfiddich distillery for six months where I met really interesting and knowledgeable people, but now I travel to the distillery a couple of times per month - it is one the highlights to my role.

AP: What part of your role do you enjoy the most?

KM: One of the most exciting parts of my role is reviewing the quality of the liquids before, during and after finishing. We sample a lot of stock from all of our distilleries, from new make spirit (straight from the stills) to maturing inventory. Monitoring the progress of our finishes before bottling and giving them their final sign off with David Stewart MBE and Brian Kinsman is always a great feeling.

AP: What project tops your to-do list for 2021?

KM: Although 2021 has not been the year any of us had planned, we are still doing a lot of sampling to make sure we monitor the quality of the spirit. However, nothing beats spending time in Speyside and I can’t wait to spend time at The Balvenie distillery and our warehouses. We also have lots of projects and new releases launching. KM: Whisky has evolved quite a lot over the past few years, however I am at such an early stage in my career. I hope to continue to build my knowledge in whisky and take learnings from other industries whilst bringing my skills back to scotch to create new styles and flavours. Having David Stewart MBE as a mentor means the bar has been set quite high!

AP: How is the whisky drinker changing?

KM: I think the perception towards whisky has changed a lot. From people feeling they needed to be a whisky connoisseur to drink it to now enjoying whisky purely for its taste. That’s how I think it should be, with no preconceived ideas apart from purely enjoying a wee dram.

AP: What role do you play in the evolution of the whiskies you create? And how do you make sure you keep the traditions built over so many years, while innovating to recruit new drinkers?

AP: What should we be looking out for in 2021?

KM: The Balvenie has a lot of exciting new projects for 2021, however I can’t share anything just yet!

AP: How are you seeing whisky evolving? And what role do you play in innovating for the changing whisky drinker?

KM: I am very fortunate to be David’s apprentice, becoming a malt master does not happen overnight. The main focus is learning how to ensure consistency in all of The Balvenie spirits. We pride ourselves on our craft and making sure our traditions go unchanged. One of our oldest traditions has been our innovative spirit and we always try new experiments. The fact that we are family owned ensures we have flexibility in our stock to be able to try something new and learn from it. I hope we can recruit new whisky drinkers to take on this journey with us because evolving ideas and working on new flavours is part of our DNA.

Explore WHISKY: Balavnie is well known for cask finishing, what’s your view on how this is evolving?

KM: It has evolved quite a lot in recent years. Ultimately the definition of casks, which can be used in Scotch Whisky, has changed to allow whisky to be finished in casks from other traditional alcoholic beverages whilst maintaining the traditional nose, taste and appearance of Scotch. I think it is really exciting because it means we can push the boundaries and try cask finishes that have never been used before.

AP: What’s your view/opinion of NAS (No Age Statement) whiskies?

KM: I think when NAS’s are done well they are great. As a blender they give a lot more freedom in terms of selecting stock based solely on its nose and taste, without being restricted by an age statement.

AP: And your thoughts on the role of whisky in cocktail culture?

KM: Cocktails are a great way of introducing more people to whisky and I think people should enjoy whisky whichever way they prefer. This year in particular many people have started experimenting and creating cocktails at home, creating the perfect Old Fashioned is a skill in itself.

AP: Having followed your “Fist Full of Bourbon” project with interest, are there any plans for a dhórn of Scotch maybe?

KM: Fistful of Bourbon has been a lot of fun to work on and although we do not know everything about bourbon, we know how to blend it. I am very lucky to have the chance to work on other variants in the William Grant and Son’s portfolio such as Monkey Shoulder and Grants Triple Oak, which keep my blending fix at bay.