Alan Winchester, The Glenlivet

Alan Winchester

MASTER DISTILLER THE GLENLIVET

Alan Winchester is proof that hard-work and a humble attitude can see an individual achieve great things. Although he has been in the whisky trade for over 40 years, he has had to climb the ranks during that time, starting out as a tour guide for a summer job before working as a mashman, a brewer, a still man and, finally, taking out the top job – master distiller.

Starting from the ground levels of production and working his way up to being appointed The Glenlivet Master Distiller in 2009, Alan has unique insight into the importance of the production process at all stages. It was an old school teacher that inspired him to, ‘get a job that he would enjoy’ and he’s followed this advice to turn his passions for whisky and history into a career.

Alan is dedicated to using the traditional methods of The Glenlivet distillery, which are close to 200 years old, but he is also ardent about constant innovation via new expressions and styles. During his career, he has introduced peated styles, such as the Nàdurra, and a no-age-statement expression, Founder’s Reserve, to open up the brand to a wider range of whisky enthusiasts. It is this ingenuity that makes Alan well-respected amongst his peers in the industry, and he is regularly asked to speak on his experience and extensive knowledge of the category. He is the past President of the Malt Distillers Association, past Chairman of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, Scotland and a fellow of the Institute since 2011. He was bestowed with the title of Keeper of the Quaich in 2004, before becoming a Master in 2015, and he won Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky Scotland Master Distiller of the Year 2017.

One of the greatest recognitions of Alan’s career has been the attribution of his name to ‘The Glenlivet Winchester Collection’ – the brand’s series of extremely rare and highly valued 50-YearOld single malt Scotch releases. Released over a number of years, each vintage in the collection is bottled at the peak of maturation under Alan’s watchful eye. Very few whiskies are able to reach 50 years in cask and still be drinkable, alongside the fact 60 – 80 per cent of the spirit is usually lost to the angel’s share by this stage. This makes the whiskies in ‘The Glenlivet Winchester Collection’ incredibly unique, with each bottle sold at $25,000USD.

In his spare time, Alan is a great walker, often found roaming the Highland hills. Uniting his loves of history and rambling, he created The Glenlivet Smugglers Trail in 2007. The trail invites visitors to The Glenlivet distillery to walk in the footsteps of the whisky smugglers who transported their illicit golden liquid out of the Livet valley in the 18th and early 19th century. During The Spirit of Speyside Festival each summer, you can often find Alan out on the trail educating guests about the distillery’s rich history and characters.

He has admitted before his favourite drink is a small dram of The Glenlivet 18-Year-Old with a splash of water, but he would never pass up a tipple from The Winchester Collection – as long as someone else is footing the bill!