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Kelsey is a precious talent, with a real flair for distillation, a dedication to her craft and a self-assurance and poise that completely belie her age.
Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie started working with us in 2014 as a Technical Graduate in our Girvan Distillery laboratory. In this role she was responsible for routinely analysing our fermentations and distillation profiles of our whiskies.
“I really enjoyed it, but wanted to use my sensory palate to measure the flavours I was analysing for,” she explains.
“I volunteered for the nosing panel and when I started picking out flavours in the un-aged new make spirit, I was hooked.”
Kelsey’s talent for nosing was quickly spotted and in 2018, the 26-year old was appointed Apprentice Malt Master – becoming one of the youngest women in the world to achieve this rarest of jobs.
“I’d only been at the company a few years, so getting to this point has been quite fast paced and incredibly exciting,” she says.
Since then, Kelsey has continued to grow and develop her skills. She also worked closely with Master Blender Brian Kinsman across the William Grant & Sons portfolio, on brands including Glenfiddich, Monkey Shoulder and Tullamore D.E.W.
Following a six-year apprenticeship with David Stewart (MBE), she took over the reins in 2022. As a Master Blender of The Balvenie she is responsible for ensuring excellence and consistency in each bottle of The Balvenie, maintaining the maturing spirit housed at our Dufftown Distillery and developing new expressions.
In her role, she spends a large part of her day nosing whiskies to set up blends for our core ranges.
“I can be nosing up to 30 whiskies a day, nosing the spirit, specific flavour profiles and variants,” she explains.
A single glass of whisky can contain up to 150 aromas and Kelsey is careful about what she eats or drinks before the sampling process.
“I have to forego my morning coffee and don’t wear any perfume to work anymore. But that’s a small price to pay for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
“I’m naturally quite impatient to see results, but I’m learning that patience and time are the two biggest things you need on your side when doing cask finishes. Nothing happens overnight, that’s for sure.
“My personal legacy is focusing on perfecting how to blend The Balvenie whisky and ensuring the quality of the spirit’s as good as it’s always been.”
Kelsey was recently named one of the 50 most influential people in British Luxury by Walpole, the official sector body for UK luxury – and is only the third Malt Master in the history of iconic Single Malt Scotch Whisky, The Balvenie.
Kelsey has made an indelible mark already, with groundbreaking liquids like The Balvenie Sweet Toast of American Oak and The Balvenie 60 Year Old. The latter is a rare and exquisite whisky celebrating her predecessor and our longest serving Malt Master, David Stewart’s, six decades on the brand, marking this unique once in two generations hand over moment.