Rachel Barrie, master blender for the Brown-Forman single malt Scotch brand BenRiach, has been inducted into Whisky Magazine’s Hall of Fame

Barrie creates single malts for BenRiach, The GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh. She is one of only a handful of female master blenders in the world of whisky.

Barrie has 26 years experience in the industry. Earlier this year, she became the first female master blender to receive an honorary doctorate by the University of Edinburgh.

“Being inducted into the Whisky Hall of Fame is an absolute privilege,” says Barrie. “My ambition has always been to unlock a deeper understanding of the distillation, maturation and provenance of Scotch whisky, to develop and nurture richness of character and taste and celebrate it with the world. It’s wonderful to be recognized for this.”

“Master Blenders and Distillers are guardians of quality: honoring the legacy and tradition of the past, protecting spirit quality in the present, while innovating and continuously improving for the future,” adds Barrie. “The decisions made today provide the foundations for growth that will be built on by the Master Blenders and Distillers that follow. Every day, I am thankful to play my part alongside our talented distillery teams in creating some of the finest whiskies in the world.”

Barrie’s love of whisky began in her childhood, growing up in Aberdeenshire, a county in Scotland, which has one of the highest concentration of distilleries in the world. Barrie studied chemistry at the University of Edinburgh before beginning her career as a research scientist at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. She has received numerous industry accolades for her work developing award-winning whiskies, in addition to judging international spirits competitions and serving on numerous industry committees.