Whisky in the blood and a life on the go - Blog post from Whisky Magazine

Interview with Stewart Buchanan Global Brand Ambassador for BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh. Originally published in Whisky Magazine no. 5.

Stewart Buchanan was born in Dumbarton near Glasgow and moved to the Isle of Mull at the age of eight. He started working in the whisky industry in 1993 at the Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull. He worked primarily in production as a Stillman and learned all about the production of whisky. In 2004, Stewart joined the Benriach distillery, where he was given the responsibility of restarting production after the distillery had been mothballed for a number of years. He claims to have painted almost every wall, fixed almost every piece of production equipment, including the boilers, and tightened every nut, bolt and screw. He's gotten to know every corner of the industry, from warehousing to hosting tastings, eventually becoming Production Manager in 2006. Stewart became a Global Brand Ambassador in 2012. This job involves traveling the world hosting whisky tastings, attending whisky events and working with the media. His job is to educate as many people as possible about the group's three exciting distilleries. With his background in production, Stewart likes to talk about the different techniques and, most importantly, the different casks used to mature the whisky.

In March 2018, Stewart was one of a small number of people to be named 'Keeper of the Quaich'. This honor is given to individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the Scotch whisky industry.

How did you become a global ambassador for Benriach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh?
I actually started in production as a stillman, so I have a background in whisky production. I've been with Benriach since the re-launch in 2004 when Billy Walker and his co-investors bought the distillery. Until 2004, I was at the Tobermory distillery. When I left Tobermory with its colorful buildings and wonderful location on the waterfront and opened the doors to Benriach, I had second thoughts about my decision. After all, it had been standing still for over two years and it was dirty, grimy and damp. There were cobwebs up and down the walls and we didn't dare turn anything on for the first six months. We just stripped everything down, painted it, oiled it, and then replaced everything we needed to before we started up a single machine. When I left Tobermory it was with about two weeks' notice, so I had no place to stay. At Benriach there was a canteen, a shower and a toilet, so I settled on the malting floors for a month. I was there 24 hours a day anyway. It took three to four years to get everything running smoothly again, but now it's fantastic. The reason I ended up in the role of Global Ambassador is probably a reflection of the evolution of the industry. In 2012, before Brown Forman took over, we were a very small team. There was actually a sales team of just five people who had to cover the whole world, and those same people had to do tastings and talks for whisky clubs and in whisky shops, where the level of knowledge was quite high. The sales team were good people, but they didn't have production experience, so I was moved from production to help the sales team along. Nowadays, people want to know the smallest details and you have to go in-depth and keep that 'nerdy' knowledge up to date, says Stewart.

What does a typical day look like for you?
That's probably the hardest question to ask because there is no such thing as a "typical" workday. Every day is different. For example, if I'm in a city for a week, on the first day I'll meet with the sales team I'll be working with. I'll do some training with them to make sure their knowledge of our distilleries is up to date. The next day, I would then head out to different stores with the sales team, bringing 6 - 8 bottles to do a tasting. In the evening, depending on where in the world we are, we do some kind of event with either regular consumers or with a Scotch Whisky Society, which exists in most major cities. It could be a tasting with 80-90 people. On top of all that, I also have to cover all the bars. I'll visit them to talk to the staff, but I might also work with the Bartenders Association, and often I'll organize lunch 'n' learns. It's a more intimate, relaxed and interactive way where I talk to about 30 bartenders and let them taste everything and make cocktails. Then I also attend a lot of whisky fairs around the world and also give masterclasses or seminars. Last year I only slept in my own bed in my own house 22 times, Stewart laughs.

- I usually work from morning to late evening. Typically, I'll get picked up at 8:00 in the morning and then I'll be home around midnight, if I'm lucky. I might go straight to the airport and then on to the next destination. But I never get tired of my job. I always tell people that if I wake up one day and I don't want to get on the plane, I won't, because you can't have this job without being 100% passionate about it. It's tiring, but you just have to pull yourself together, and when you go out and meet new people in a new city, you're refreshed again, so I'm in a really good place. There are 155 whisky distilleries in Scotland and I'm lucky enough to represent three of them and travel the world. I always wake up with a smile every day," says Stewart.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love the fact that I have to talk about whisky, I don't have to sell whisky. I don't even know the price of any of our whiskies, Stewart laughs. As a company, we are extremely transparent. I've always told everyone about every little corner, every nut and bolt, every process, every cask type, how we age whisky and how we make our whisky. There are no secrets. We're like an open book, and maybe it's my background in production that makes me just love talking about this stuff. When I do a tasting, I talk about production, production and production.

How are the three distilleries different from others?
I think we're dealing with something different, even in this part of the industry. You won't be able to buy three distilleries like that again. Even if you bought a distillery that was for sale at the moment, you wouldn't be able to buy a similar stock of whisky and the installations would be more automated and modernized. At our three distilleries, it's not only the terroir that is different, but also the location, the water supply and our production techniques are completely different. Our whiskies have extremely different characters. GlenDronach is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and is steeped in history. It's nestled down in a small valley. And the 'gothic feel' of the landscape makes the distillery come alive. At Glenglassaugh you can stand on the beach and experience that no two days are ever the same. You never know how the weather will develop due to the tides, winds and all the elements. The infinite horizon gives the distillery a truly rugged attitude. And then there's Benriach, which is located at the top of Speyside. BenRiach's dynamic personality reflects the fact that it's right in the middle of the magnificent landscape.

I also love the fact that I've probably never done two similar tastings. The line-up of whiskies that we choose is sometimes quite overwhelming," says Stewart.

What are customers most interested in at your whisky tastings?
Historically, it's often the most interested customers who show up to the tastings. They are often extremely enthusiastic malt whisky fans. Therefore, you need to have your knowledge in order and go in-depth with the details, which I personally am happy about. As I said, we are very transparent and don't hide anything. I think that's the way we've been communicating our whisky. It's the disclosure of what we do that's different. But you also have to appeal to the consumer who is coming to single malt for the first time. You don't want to intimidate them and scare them away. When we look at our range, we have a whisky to suit every profile. You always have to look at the consumer in front of you and then go in different directions depending on who you're talking to.

Are there any new trends among consumers around the world?
What I've definitely seen in the last five years is how the general interest in whisky is changing. When I was in mainland China five to ten years ago, 99% of the people I met at the tastings were older businessmen. In a few years, that has completely turned around and what I see at the whisky festivals out there now is mainly people aged 25-35 and, most importantly, almost a 50/50 gender split. I see that increasingly in Europe as well. I think there's still a growth potential in the US, but it's a slightly different market because of all the new American brands that are putting single malts a little bit in the background because all the new consumers want to try the new bourbons and American whiskeys. I feel like that's coming to an end now and the younger consumers are starting to look at single malts.

Especially in Japan, bartenders are the most educated people when it comes to single malt. Being a bartender in Japan is a lifelong career, for example, I've had 300 bartenders at a seminar who don't lift their heads for three hours. They just take note after note because it's their calling. The Eastern European markets and Australia are the latest markets to really discover single malt and we've seen a growth in interest. However, sometimes you have to overcome the obstacle of the color of the whisky. If you put a range of whiskies on the table, 90% of them will initially be attracted to GlenDronach because it has a darker color. Since BenRiach is mostly a Bourbon barrel aging, I have to make the point that the color has nothing to do with the age or quality of the whiskey, other than the barrel it was aged in. I love it when people taste a BenRiach and the nose smells like fresh fruit and suddenly Benriach becomes the favorite. But it's all about knowledge and education.

I can see that there are different taste preferences in different climates. Scandinavians will historically have a more peated taste because they've grown up with foods like smoked fish. But if you go to warmer climates, you prefer something fresher and crispier. BenRiach The Mediterranean and parts of the US are a good fit because it has this crunchy character.

Who inspired you growing up?
Growing up on an island like Mull, you don't aspire to a nine-to-five job. A lot of the people who inspire me are my friends who are artists and musicians. And my younger brother who is a wildlife cameraman and is on TV every weekend is also a big inspiration (Stewart's brother is wildlife photographer Gordon Buchanan).

You have quite an interesting family, why do you think you all ended up in such unusual jobs?
Maybe it's because we were encouraged to be outdoors. I've been sailing since I was 7 or 8 and I've been riding horses since I was 9. I've been camping out and I've been raised differently. We had a lot of freedom as kids to do what we wanted to do. My dad, Gordon, was a musician (drummer), so I was always brought up with music and he was very laid back. It was an easy childhood. He was also a Scottish Commonwealth shooter, he traveled all over the world in the 70s and he still holds the record for "small caliber target". So he traveled and we traveled. So there's definitely a wanderlust in our family. He almost made it to the Olympics, but just missed out.

What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?
Passionate, dedicated and funny, Stewart laughs.

Tell us about your hobbies?
I don't even have a TV at home so I don't watch TV, but I love live music. My perfect relaxation would be to find somewhere with live music - no matter the genre - it could also be sitting in a bar drinking a local craft beer on the bartender's recommendation. If I have the luxury of a day off, I'll do my laundry first and then you can usually find me at some distillery. You get to know people in this business, not just in the Scotch world but also in the global whisky world, and I know I can pretty much go to any distillery in the world where I will know someone and be invited in to tour the premises.

I like my cars and motorcycles. If I won the lottery, I would definitely buy a car collection or motorcycle collection. I had seven motorcycles when I worked at Benriach but I sold them all. I also love snowboarding. I learned to snowboard at Glen Nevis and if you can snowboard there, you can snowboard anywhere. I used to snowboard every year in February and even when I'm out on the road, I'll snowboard if I can. I also love going to music festivals.

Best travel tips when you're on the road?
Take less than you think you need because it will still be too much. I was in the US for six weeks and my bag weighed 15 kg and it was mostly kilts. If I'm traveling long-haul, I try to get my body used to the time zone before I arrive. I either stay up all night or get up very early. I always research a city on the internet before I arrive and when I get there, I like to walk around the place to get a feel for it.

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you during a tasting/event?
Working with the public and press has its surprises. When we released a Madeira Cask bottling, a journalist from Germany arrived with a film crew and a bag of men's salsa clothes. I was asked to slip into the salsa clothes. What I didn't know was that the journalist had also brought along a professional salsa dancer and I was to dance around the boiler house in front of the camera! I'm not sure what the connection was to Madeira Cask Finish, but in these times of global change you have to be flexible.

Have you seen any changes since Brown-Forman took over?
Most consumers were worried about losing Billy Walker, but Rachel Barrie taking over his reins has been a great success and has removed any doubts. What many people don't realize is that Brown-Forman are not just the owners of Jack Daniels. They own Slane Distillery in Dublin, Old Forester and Woodford in Kentucky and they are all small, family-oriented businesses. The Brown-Forman ethic is very much family-focused. I don't think there is any other company that has such an ethic of making great spirits.

What is your favorite malt?
If I were blindfolded, my hand would search for Benriach 10 Year Old Peated. Oddly enough, I'm not a huge peated fan, but I just love the balance of it. It really is a return to the original Speyside character and the taste of malt is typical nineteenth century. But sometimes I can't pick a favorite because it depends on the time of day or the event. I have some whiskies that are social whiskies and others that are solitary whiskies. So I would enjoy a GlenDronach in a leather armchair with a few friends. Whereas BenRiach and GlenGlassaugh are more social whiskies," concludes Stewart Buchanan.

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