The Balvenie's David Stewart MBE talks 50 years in Scotch

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 04 August, 2016

Recent MBE recipient and The Balvenie master blender David Stewart has witnessed the full evolution of the modern Scotch industry throughout his 53 year career - and pioneered a few revolutionary production methods along the way.

From starting as a whisky stocks clerk in 1962 through to receiving an MBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for services to Scotch last month, his career began at a time when the industry was dominated by blended whiskys, and it still endures in 2016 - when the William Grant and Sons' owned company counts 15 expressions in its portfolio.

Stewart said: "When I started in 1962, it was all about blended whisky; there was no single malt - at least not commercially. Glenfiditch [another William Grant and Sons brand] started that in around 1963 and 1964 and for the rest of the 1960s there wasn't much competition. But by the 1970s all that had changed. It put the industry on the map in terms of variety."

Stewart was also instrumental for the pioneering cask finishing, a technique whereby whiskies are "finished" in casks previously used for rum, port, Madeira and others to subtly add flavour.

Stewart says such innovations were due in part due to the "free hand" he was given by the family-owned distillery to experiment.

"The Balvenie really started finishing for the industry back in the 1980s," he explained.

"It offered Scotch drinkers something different. We used with double wood, triple cask, single barrel and also different cask types. Not everything worked, but we had the freedom to experiment."

David Stewart MBE Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart MBE Balvenie Malt Master

Now, the Balvenie has around 15 expressions, with ages ranging from 12-years-old all the way up to 50.

Looking to the future, more needs to be done to get the younger generation into Scotch, Stewart says.

"Getting into whisky can be difficult, especially for younger people. But there are a lot of things going on in the cocktail industry to change that, especially with producers like Monkey Shoulder which is designed to used in cocktails and sweeter drinks," he said.

Unsurprisingly, the highlight of his career, he says, is being awarded his MBE, which was presented to him by the Queen in July.

"She asked me if I enjoy drinking Scotch. I said I did, but I spend a lot more time sniffing the whisky. I said you can tell just as much about the Scotch from its smell rather than its taste."

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