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David Stewart MBE [1] (born 1945 in Ayr, Scotland) is the long-time master blender and malt master for William Grant & Sons distillers.
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David Stewart MBE [1] (born 1945 in Ayr, Scotland) is the long-time master blender and malt master for William Grant & Sons distillers.
Born in Ayr on the west coast of Scotland in 1945, David Stewart started work at William Grant & Sons as an apprentice in 1962, the year before Single Malt Scotch Whisky was first officially exported to England, when Glenfiddich became the first single malt to be enjoyed outside Scotland.
Following a 12-year apprenticeship at the independent family distillers learning the skills of nosing and blending the best quality Scotch whisky, David was appointed Malt Master of William Grant & Sons in 1974; a position he has held ever since, making him the longest-serving malt master of any distillers in the industry.
During his 50 years at William Grant & Sons, David has developed an award-winning range of single malts and blends which have earned him some of the industry's top accolades and helped the independent William Grant & Sons become Distiller of the Year an unprecedented five times by the International Spirits Challenge (ISC), four times by the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) and for the first time by the World Whiskies Awards in 2011.
His key achievements include the development of two cask maturation in the 1980s, unheard of at the time, but these days an established technique referred to as ‘finishing’ and widely enjoyed as The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old. David's introduction of Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 Year Old, was also the first and only single malt to use the innovative Solera maturation process.
As master blender at William Grant & Sons, [2] he developed the world's first blends to be finished in Ale and Sherry Casks, with the introduction of Grant's Ale Cask Reserve and Sherry Cask Reserve. His passion for the art of blending also helped Grant's Family Reserve, the world's third best-selling Scotch whisky, receive consistent international acclaim as one of the world's best blends.
David officially handed over the role of Glenfiddich Malt Master and Grant's Master Blender to Brian Kinsman in 2009, after almost a decade working closely together. [3] He firmly remains part of the William Grant & Sons family, however, dedicating his time to his Malt Master role at the company's renowned Balvenie Distillery in Dufftown. David's pioneering spirit and dedication to his craft, coupled with his modest, unassuming manner has made him one of the best-loved and respected craftsmen in the business.
Stewart lives outside Glasgow with his wife Ellen and has three children Heather, Colin and Alan and two grandchildren, Rory, three and Lily, one. An avid Ayr United football fan, David also finds the time to indulge in curling and a round of golf in his spare time. Apart from Scotch, Stewart enjoys Guinness and white wine, particularly from France or South Africa. [4]
Scotch whisky is malt whisky or grain whisky, made in Scotland.
Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, a single malt means that the whisky has not been blended elsewhere with whisky from other distilleries. As with any Scotch whisky, a single malt Scotch must be distilled in Scotland and matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years, although most single malts are matured longer.
Royal Brackla distillery is a Highland Scotch whisky distillery on the Cawdor Estate, near Nairn in Scotland. The distillery is operated by John Dewar & Sons Ltd for Bacardi.
The Glenlivet distillery is a distillery near Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland that produces single malt Scotch whisky. It is the oldest legal distillery in Scotland. It was founded in 1824 and has operated almost continuously since. The distillery remained open throughout the Great Depression and its only closure came during World War II. The Glenlivet distillery has grown in the post-war period to become one of the biggest single malt distilleries. The Glenlivet brand is the biggest selling single malt whisky in the United States and the second biggest selling single malt brand globally after Glenfiddich.
Finishing is the procedure that some whiskys undergo where the spirit is matured in a cask of a particular origin and then spends time in a cask of different origin Typically, the first cask is an American oak cask formerly used to mature bourbon. The second cask may be one that has been used to mature some sort of fortified wine, often sherry, though sometimes casks for port, madeira, or even red burgundy or chardonnay are used.
Glenfiddich distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery owned by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic Gleann Fhiodhaich meaning "valley of the deer", which is reflected in Glenfiddich's stag logo.
Grant's is a blended Scotch whisky, produced by the company William Grant & Sons in Scotland.
William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky distillers remaining in family ownership.
A master blender is an individual who develops specific blended spirits using a combination of spirits with different characteristics. For example, in the Scotch whisky industry, master blenders choose which single malts and grain whiskies to combine to make particular brands of blended whisky. A master blender is not the same thing as a master distiller, although one person may do both jobs at small craft distilleries. As the name suggests, the blender creates blends using spirits from different casks and is responsible for making sure the product remains consistent across different batches, while the distiller is either directly responsible for the mashing and distilling of spirits or simply holds the title as the administrative and marketing figurehead of the company.
The Classic Malts of Scotland is a selection of six single malt whiskies, launched and marketed together in 1988 by United Distillers and Vintners which is now owned by Diageo. They are often displayed together in bars and liquor stores. Diageo has since marketed other single malt labels and expressions with the Classic Malts labeling. The six original malts are:
Vat 69 is a blended Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was created by William Sanderson & Son Limited of South Queensferry, Scotland.
Kininvie distillery located in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland produces single malt Scotch whisky. The distillery is owned by William Grant & Sons and the product from the distillery is used in their blended malt and blended whisky brands.
Blackadder is an independent bottler of single malt Scotch whisky. It was founded in 1995 by Robin Tucek and John Lamond, and named after historic Scottish figure Bishop John Blackadder. The company's bottlings are generally from single casks, are neither chill-filtered nor colored, and are bottled in clear glass to allow customers to see the natural color of the whisky.
Amrut is a brand of Indian single malt whisky, manufactured by Amrut Distilleries. It is the first single malt whisky to be made in India. Amrut (अमृत) or amrit is a Sanskrit word which can be translated as "nectar of the gods", "nectar of life", or "drink of the gods". The company translates it as "Elixir of Life". The brand became famous after whisky connoisseur Jim Murray gave it a rating of 82 out of 100 in 2005 and 2010. In 2010 Murray named Amrut Fusion single malt whisky as the third best in the world. John Hansell, editor of American magazine Whisky Advocate, wrote that "India's Amrut distillery changed the way many think of Indian whisky – that it was, in the past, just cheap Scotch whisky blended with who knows what and sold as Indian whisky. Amrut is making whisky, and it's very good".
House of Hazelwood is a brand of aged Scotch whisky, owned and produced by the Gordon family, owners of William Grant & Sons. The whisky is made with spirit from the Gordon family's private collection.
Ailsa Bay distillery is a Lowland whisky distillery located in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The distillery is owned by William Grant & Sons.
Alexander Grant Gordon was a Scottish distiller who was credited with creating a global market for single malt Scotch whisky. As a managing director of the William Grant and Sons Glenfiddich distillery between 1968 and 1996, he is credited with global market success of the Glenfiddich brand. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1988.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky: