Ahead of Burns Night on 25 January, join us as we take a deep dive into the world of Blended Scotch Whisky.
Event details
Webinar
Ahead of Burns Night on 25 January, join us as we take a deep dive into the world of Blended Scotch Whisky. We will discuss how it is made, the history of blended Scotch and how it has developed as a category. We will also look at the art of achieving consistency and complexity in the blend.
The new series of 60-minute webinars are ideal for spirits enthusiasts and professionals to increase their knowledge.
Speaker
Charlie McCarthy, Business Development Manager - Spirits (EMEA), WSET
Charlie McCarthy joined WSET in October 2019, having worked for many years as a consultant to spirit brands and high-end venues. With a wealth of experience training bartenders and delivering WSET spirits qualifications and masterclasses covering all categories of spirits, Charlie is delighted to champion WSET spirits qualifications across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.
Duncan McRae, Co-Founder, Woven
Duncan is co-founder of Woven, a contemporary blending house in Leith producing award winning small batch blends. Having started his career at DIAGEO, Duncan was part of the formation of the RESERVE brands group. From there he spent 7 years working across Global Advocacy for William Grant & Sons becoming the Global Ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin. From there he sidestepped into marketing and innovation roles, leading the creation of several award-winning advocacy and experiential programs. This culminated in him spearheading the creation of the £13m Hendrick’s Gin Palace in Ayrshire and a raft of new liquid innovations for the brand. In 2019 Duncan left William Grant & Sons to become the Global Head of Marketing at Atom Brands Group, now part of ZX Ventures/ABI Inbev. Seeing an opportunity emerging, he left to establish Woven in 2021, through which he aims to reimagine the blended whisky category for a new generation of whisky drinker.
Kristiane Sherry, Freelance Whisky Writer
Kristiane Sherry writes, talks and tastes all things whisky. A drinks writer, educator, judge, consultant and presenter with a fascination for flavour, she’s a multidisciplinary communicator with a modern, inclusive approach to spirits storytelling. Since 2012 she has written for and edited both B2B and consumer publications, going on to lead the in-house content team at multi-award-winning eCommerce platform, Master of Malt. An expressive speaker, she hosts live tastings, broadcasts, and is an accredited WSET educator. Her first flavour love is Scotch whisky, and she’s happiest either exploring distilleries, or trail running across her local South Downs.
Craig Wallace, Master Blender, Diageo
Craig has spent 25 years in the Whisky Industry (all with Diageo) as a Distiller and Master Blender. Having graduated from Heriot Watt Uni in 1998, Craig became a Grain distiller at Cameronbridge. Moving into blending in 2006, Craig became Master Blender for Buchanan's, Old Parr and Black&White Scotch in recent years. He also leads Diageo's new make quality and innovation platform. Global Whisky is also a passion having spent time working in China and India.