Rachel Barrie
“I believe the industry can only benefit from having women involved, in the same way as the wine industry has over the past decade.” – Rachel Barrie
Rachel Barrie is the Master Blender at Morrison Bowmore, a position she has held since late 2011. She was previously in the same role at Glenmorangie and has over 21 years of experience in the industry. In this interview she talks about her longtime love of whisky, what makes her proud and what memory of whisky drinking burns strongly in her mind.
What got you into the world of whisky?
My grandma, my father, studying science at university and a good dose of serendipity. My first taste was my grandma’s hot toddy at age 7, in small sips for medicinal purposes. My father enjoys a good malt whisky and always had a selection at home for me to try. At university I enjoyed single malt as my ‘special treat’ whilst studying, and a few months after graduating, serendipity played its part with a ‘rare find’ of a job as a research scientist at The Scotch Whisky Research Institute. There my passion for and knowledge of whisky flourished preparing me for the world of whisky making.
What dram changed you into a whisky drinker?
In my adult life, I’ve always been a whisky drinker, so I didn’t need to be converted ! Every dram changes me a little bit.
What do you enjoy most about the industry?
The variety, the people and the whisky of course!
On the variety side, on a single day I could be nosing casks for Bowmore 12 year old, conducting a tasting, interpreting HPLC analysis on malt peating levels, creating a new Auchentoshan whisky, writing tasting notes, speaking to [...]
