There is a much-quoted statement on the acquisition of knowledge, generally attributed to Greek philosopher Aristotle: “The more you know, the more you realise you don’t know.” This statement was given scientific basis by psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger, whose research confirmed a cognitive bias whereby people with limited knowledge or expertise in a given subject tend to overestimate their abilities. Further research in this vein helped build the ‘conscious competence’ learning model, which breaks down the learning of a skill into four stages: unconscious incompetence (where you don’t realise how much you don’t know), conscious incompetence (where you do realise this fact), conscious competence (where you start to appreciate how much you know), and finally, unconscious competence (where you don’t realise how much you know).
After 14 years in the whisky industry, Woodford Reserve’s new master distiller, Elizabeth McCall, is just about allowing herself to peep over the parapet into conscious competence. She still considers herself a “spring chicken” and seems cautious, even unsure, of the power and responsibility she now holds. This is despite her taking every educational opportunity afforded her – and others she sought herself – since she took her first job in whisky.
Looking at the rarefied company she has joined, McCall’s nerves are more
