Master Blender Rachel Barrie Has Been Waiting A Decade To Bring GlenDronach To India

Rachel Barrie has spent close to three decades doing something few in her field ever attempted: reading whisky the way a psychologist might read a person, then explaining it back to the rest of us.

She became the first woman to hold the title of master blender in Scotch whisky in 2003, a milestone that arrived after more than a decade of hard work at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, in an industry that, by her own account, was built almost entirely by men. Her path there was less calculated than it sounds: a science degree, a chance stop at a university career office, and a job posting she didn't know existed until the day she saw it.

This instinct for synchronicity runs through her recent visit to India, where GlenDronach has only just launched despite decades of demand from sommeliers and collectors who, as Barrie puts it, had been waiting for the brand for years.

In this conversation, she talks about what surprised her on the ground: the sophistication of the Indian palate, the unexpected harmony between GlenDronach's sherry cask richness and the country's food culture, and why she believes whisky clubs, culinary pairings, and cocktail culture will define how India drinks Scotch over the next decade. She also shares her go-to serves, from the Spanish Highball to a concentrated Blood and Sand, and reflects on what GlenDronach's 200th anniversary means for the distillery's next chapter.

ESQ: You're the first female master blender ever. What brought you to the world of whisky and blending?

Barrie: Oh, that was in 2003. So I was the first woman to get the title. So yeah, after a very richly rewarding journey for the past, let me see, since 91, 92. So we're talking about 11, 12 years in whisky before that happened.

I got into this journey through a set of really meaningful coincidences, I would say.

I studied medicine, and then I studied chemistry, but I would have liked psychology. So I love science, I love people. And I also love whisky, because my dad always collected whisky. I'm from near Glendronic Distillery, and therefore, it was something I appreciated whilst in university as well.

So it was really synchronicity, all my science side, my theory, my understanding of my senses, as well, and psychology. It was just serendipity, actually, that after I got my science degree, I just happened to be strolling past the university, dropped into the career service, and the very last day a job was advertised at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute.

I thought, oh, I didn't know such a job existed back then. Because it was really mostly men, and you worked your way up from rolling casks and whatever.

And yeah, I got the job! And it was a very transformative experience of really joining up, integrating the science and understanding and analytics of whisky with my senses and psychology of the consumer as well. And then that just set the path for the next nearly 35 years.

Q: Indian audiences have started appreciating whisky more, and there are many new homegrown labels as well. What do you think is driving this shift?

Barrie: Obviously growth, growth of whisky. There is potential, more consumers in India as the population is a very big population, compared to the five, six million people we have in Scotland. You have 1.4 billion or whatever. So huge population.

And as I understand it people have very, very good taste in India. So from my experience-I've obviously been to India quite recently for the first time and I was blown away by the hospitality, the culture, the exquisite level of appreciation of food, of beverages and of whisky.

Obviously, whisky has been in India for a long time. It's been, I think, in 2023, it became the biggest market for whisky in volume. However, you know, Glendronach for one has only just been launched because we didn't have more whisky.

So but when I was in India, I saw people really who got to taste it really appreciated it.

I think there is an emerging trend of increased appreciation of seeking out the finest tastes in whisky as well and really creating up whisky's single malts that are a bit finer, that have character, that tell a story, that reward you on your palate, that are more indulgent on the taste as well.

I think it definitely seemed to be and also an increase in connoisseurship. That's probably the main thing: there seems to be this increasing appreciation of more whisky clubs, people getting together and sharing the whiskys. So I think, yes, the interest has increased exploration. And obviously, India whisky is part of that as well.

Q: Now that you've visited India, what surprised you the most about Indians and their tastes in whisky?

Barrie: I think I was very, very surprised that the sommeliers or experts in spirits and in top bars and restaurants were already aware of Glenronach. So that surprised me.

So many people said, oh, we've been waiting for you for the past 10 years to launch the whisky. And of course, I said, well, we didn't have enough because the opportunity is so large. So I think that surprised me.

I think that India is more than ready for Glenronach. I think the palate kind of surprised me, but didn't surprise me in some ways because, you know, people found the character to be very easy to drink, which I was quite surprised to find out. I had not expected it.

But then we thought about the food and the wonderful spices, the different textures, and the wonderful array of richly flavoursome foods that people here enjoy. And then I thought, well, actually, I get it now. This is why people really are going to love Glenronach, because of its voluptuous mouthfeel, because of its indulgent taste.

Indian food for me is very, very rich. And that's why I think it will do really well here. I think we just need to convey that, you know, get liquor to lips, as they say, and get people to try it.

And obviously we're sharing it as the ultimate sherry cask indulgence, which I think really resonated with people who came to some of the events. They got the fact that this was indulgent taste and was something aspirational as well.

Q: For someone tasting Glendronach for the first time, what feeling or associations do you want them to take away?

Barrie: You know, I'd want them to appreciate the richness first and foremost. This is a rich whisky.

This is a whisky that is perfectly balanced on my palate. This whisky is like a symphony of flavour that has an overture. It tells you the story, it crescendos on the palate and leaves you with this richly rewarding finish until you go back to another sip.

So I think the symphony of flavour is so important because when you taste a whisky, you always want it to exceed your expectations and not all do. You can smell that it's nice, then you try it and you go, oh, that's a bit short, or oh, that was a bit sharp.

So especially in terms of the voluptuous nature of the whisky, its texture, its mouthfeel and carrying the symphony of flavours, I want them to feel rewarded. I want them to feel welcomed as well and also appreciate the generosity of flavour in the glass.

Q: How do you plan to influence Indian whisky-drinking traditions, and what trends do you see emerging?

Barrie: I think whisky clubs: people gathering together to share their whiskies because it's great for conversation. So I think this idea of connoisseurship and whisky clubs, and bringing people together to appreciate whisky is definitely a growing trend because because of the rise in connoisseurship and knowledge.

There are many, many Indians coming to Scotland to visit our distilleries. I think they will be taking that experience home with them and educating other their friends who also enjoy enjoy whisky.

I also think food pairings is a good one because there are so many beautiful synchronicities with the with Glendronach and different foods; whether it's the nuttiness or the dried fruit or the wonderful creaminess of the texture.

I think there is a growth in the culinary side as well with Glendronach. I can really see that as an opportunity.

And also, it it makes very good cocktails. So that's another area where when it's really hot, if you may prefer to have it as a slightly longer drink. We have some beautiful cocktails where the richness of the chocolate note comes through as well as the dark fruit as well.

Q: Any particular cocktail you'd recommend someone try Glendronach with?

Barrie: Well, we have two main ones we talk about most and it's really up to your taste. One is the Spanish highball, which is Glendronach 12 with sherry and soda water. This really allows it to be a longer drink and give you a more refreshing side. With it, you're going to get the lovely sweetness of the sherry, but also with this lovely, refreshing note and the fruitiness coming through.

And then also Rob Roy or a Blood and Sand, if you want to try a really, really concentrated cocktail that brings out the chocolate and the cherry notes.

If you're looking for a more indulgent cocktail, it would be Rob Roy or Blood and Sand. If you're looking for a more refreshing cocktail, more the Spanish highball.

Q: It's the distillery's bicentenary this year. What excites you most about Glendronach's future?

Barrie: For me, it's growth. We have expanded the distillery just now, which is still being expanded. For me, being able to grow the distillery and really reach more people is very exciting.

Obviously, the introduction to India is particularly exciting this year, the bicentennial year. And then for me, really mastering the art of sherry cask batteries on a very personal basis matters a lot. I also want to really raise expectations even higher and making the very best, most indulgent sherry cask mature whiskey.

We're just at the start of a richly rewarding journey. And after 200 years we're on to the next chapter for the next 200 years, just building on the legacy of the past and bringing it to life for the drinkers of the future in the most exquisite and refined and indulgent way possible, so people can really get a taste of a very luxurious tasting whiskey.

I think we are just at the start of that journey.