Wait a second. Rewind. Looking back 30 years in the spirits business, the homage, attention, bottle-signing line and media frenzy has always fallen at the feet of the master distiller.
What does need to be said and certainly not ignored in any way is the trend we are seeing in the form of blending, steeping, and finishing that is squarely in the purview and influence of blenders.
Furthermore, there is a new wave of these blenders creating some magic with break-through innovations based on the quality of the spirits that they are blending. They detect and dissect flavors to blend and finish based on the slightest nuances, so get ready for some flavor calisthenics when you hear their journeys. It’s science lab meets natural palate talent.
ASHLEY BARNES
MASTER BLENDER
Co-founder, The Spirits Group
Peggy Noe Stevens (PNS): Over the past 10 years production facilities have raise d the innovation profile of blending. In your opinion, how has it changed the industry?
Ashley Barnes (AB): Long ago, when people started distilling their grains, they did so out of necessity to preserve harvest or to use as currency. There was very little focus on flavor and profiling. Until very recently, those traditional production practices remained as they were simply “the way things were done”. With the emergence of the craft distiller, a lot of those old ways are being questioned. The effect of that curiosity, and today’s extraordinary whiskey demand, is a unique platform for the craft producer to capitalize on their creativity through the use of a larger variation of grains, distillation methods, aging processes, and blending with maturity.
PNS: What is the role of a blender in the world of production?
A blender is a critical role and isn’t always referred to as ‘blender’ or ‘master blender’ in the US. The role entails synthesizing business plans, production capabilities, current inventory and planned inventory into a program for a consistent product profile. The blender innovates through grain selection and identification of the most optimal distillation process to achieve the desired profile. They utilize the finishing maturate to blend and coax the flavors in a direction that highlights the distiller’s work
