William Grant & Sons recently hosted a visit to Australia for Glenfiddich’s malt master, Brian Kinsman, where he sat down with some of Australia’s leading bartenders – including the 2024 Australian Bartender of the Year, Joey Folkersma – for a chat over a few drams.
Words by Ross Blainey, Brand Ambassador – Glenfiddich
Photography by Chris Pearce
The last time I was at the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, malt master Brian Kinsman and I were in Warehouse 36, sipping a sample straight from a 1997 cask, the same year Kinsman joined the company.
The aroma in the warehouse is a comforting combination born from generations of aging whiskies and oak, and as I sat there, extracting as much knowledge and wisdom from Kinsman as he would allow, I realised this opportunity was what I wanted for bartenders back home. What would they want to ask him, what could they learn from the master?
We have been fortunate enough to make that a reality. With Kinsman in town, we invited three talented and inquisitive bartenders to have lunch with him and discuss all things Scotch whisky. Around the table were last year’s Bartender of the Year, Joey Folkersma, from Hanky Panky in Darwin, and Remy Krassoi and Sofie McKeever-Ford from Baptist Street Rec. Club, part of the Housemade Hospitality Group.
Experimentation, moving things forward, and looking for something that adds a little something the make the best dram in the valley have always been a part of how we make whisky.
Folkersma is well known for his creativity, and he was curious about what the creative process of making a Glenfiddich whisky looked like.
Kinsman explained that working for a family-owned company like William Grant & Sons meant he was granted a great deal of freedom to experiment.
“I might have up to 100 experiments in barrel at any one time. None of which will have a specific use planned out, it is just to see what happens and what might work. You never fully know the outcome until you try!
“Experimentation, moving things forward, and looking for something that adds a little something the make the best dram in the valley have always been a part of how we make whisky,” Kinsman said.
Glenfiddich goes far beyond the norm with innovation at high age, whether it be the rum cask finish of its 21 Gran Reserva, the 29 Gran Yozakuro finished in super rare Japanese Awamori casks, or the newly release 22 Gran Cortez finished in Palo Cortado.
Pushing boundaries when it comes to creating new flavours is something McKeever-Ford is passionate about. She asked Kinsman how he gets to those flavour profiles with boundary pushing single malts at high ages.
“For the new Gran Cortez, it was about managing the flavour of European oak and sherry casks. Initially it is aged in a re-fill oloroso sherry butts for 22 years before being finished in the Palo Cortado. But we had a precise process for it not to become a “sherry bomb”, we wanted to hold on to the distillery style of Glenfiddich while highlighting the cask influence,” he said.
By using both first and refill casks, Kinsman could manage not going overboard on the big sherried flavour and finishing it off in Palo Cortado almost brings a slight savoury element back to that richness. It was clear to everyone that some very creative thought goes into building something new while still holding on to the style Glenfiddich embodies.
Krassoi is a true steward of hospitality. He wanted to be able to take his experience of meeting Kinsman and share it with any guest that enters Baptist Street Rec. Club, so asked Kinsman how best to explain Glenfiddich to people across the bar.
Kinsman said it was at the absolute core of what he does. “I make whisky for people to be able to sit and enjoy the taste.
“It’s great to chat about all the bits and pieces surrounding making whisky, but as a bartender or a drinker, we don’t have to get bogged down in all the details. When it boils down to it, if you like it and it tastes great, don’t stress about trying to work out every flavour and process that went into it,” he said.
Kinsman is one of the most accomplished whisky makers there has ever been in our industry. His background is in science, and he can get very technical when he needs to, but at the end of the day he has been tasked with making a great tasting whisky, and that is what he’s done for almost 30 years at Glenfiddich.
Krassoi said it was reassuring to hear from someone as renown and experienced as Kinsman be able to talk technically but also come back to the simplicity of a moment to enjoy a dram that tastes great.
It was a beautiful experience watching the conversation unfold between the four of them and something we will definitely do again. Understanding the perspectives of others is so important and allows you to learn far more.
During the chat, Kinsman said that one thing that made him happy was knowing there were bartenders with the passion and excitement of the three around the table, on the other side of the world, pouring a dram or two of Glenfiddich to their customers. And I have to agree.
Slainte to you all.