Editors Letter: David Fisher

People often ask how I got into the world of blending, and it is a hard thing to answer quickly. Usually, this question is followed by more questions, such as, “What does your day-to-day look like?” and “How many barrels do you sample a day?”. Whenever I respond, I feel lucky to reflect on a different angle of my work. Having to figure out how to explain my incredibly niche job to people with varying understandings of the production world helps me get closer to answering an essential question: what is important to being a blender?

To work in the sensory or blending space, you must be very comfortable with questions; they are the core of what we do every day. There are questions about every cask sample we look at, every iteration of a blend we work on, and even when sniffing water in a glass. Whatever it is we’re doing, we’re usually questioning something. It keeps things fun, exciting, and challenging.

Knowing full well that I have given very little insight into what being a blender looks like to people, this journal issue was a perfect long-form opportunity to do just that. I have lined up a delicious mezze of sensory treats for you all.

I use “How did you become a blender?” as a jumping-off point for a conversation with one of our blenders, sharing a glimpse of the unique experiences of the blending world and an insight into what is important to us as a team.

For those more focused on the how rather than the why of our niche and unique role, I invited some of our team to tour our lab and discuss the standard and not-so-normal tools of our trade.

There’s a great little story about one of my passions here at Archie Rose: our tailored spirits range. I take great pride in our ability to custom blend single malt, gin, or vodka to order. We explore what makes it possible to give the customer the final say on a product's flavour profile and why they are so special.

We also asked some of our staff here at Archie HQ to prepare a tailored spirit for a loved one, capturing their thought process at each stage of the tailoring process.

When travelling, the sensory world is not always at the forefront of people’s minds. But it sure is for us, so we have compiled a list of some fun and challenging sensory experiences around the world for you to add to your next itinerary.

And finally, for those staying at home, we’ve put together some tips for elevating your in-house drinks game. Enjoy the read.