This month, meet with Stephanie Macleod, Master Blender & Malt Master with John Dewar & Sons
At school and even at the University of Strathclyde, where I studied Food Science, I was aware of Scotch whisky, but I wasn’t aware that it could provide me with a career! When I graduated, I joined a soft drinks company, which I enjoyed, but one day the head of my course at Strathclyde contacted me and asked if I would like to apply for an assistant position in his research group, which, amongst other things, studied the sensory and chemical characteristics of Scotch whisky.
At this point, I had no idea how whisky was made and indeed did not think that I liked whisky. However, when I started working with whisky and discovering the intricacies of flavour that three ingredients: water, barley and yeast, using roughly the same process that produces, I was smitten. So after four years of research, I decided that I no longer wanted just to study whisky; I wanted to be part of it.
In 1998, I joined John Dewar & Sons Ltd, in the quality department, looking after the liquid and the packaging. Next, I moved into managing the lab and then the Spirit Preparation area. And finally, one day I was asked if I would like to train to be the Master Blender, as the current Master Blender was planning on retirement - I accepted immediately.
In 2006 I became the Master Blender, and now (in 2025), I have a team of 8 blenders from all over the world, including Scotland, the US and India.
Blending Scotch whisky is a combination of science and art, and ultimately, it’s about giving our global whisky appreciators pleasure when they enjoy a glass of one of our Dewar’s Blends and Single Malts (Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, Royal Brackla and Glen Deveron).
Curiosity is crucial- exploring the possibilities of whisky, but without losing the key factors that make Scotch whisky, arguably one of the most beloved of all the spirit categories.
My role involves assessing our spirits from the distilleries, through maturation, to the finished product with my team. Quality is key at John Dewar & Sons, and we never compromise on that. I have frequent meetings with our brand and product development teams, as we are constantly working on new expressions and innovations - which is always exciting, no matter how many times you do it.
I also travel frequently to our markets around the world, spreading the word of Dewar’s. Travel is a constant source of inspiration for me as I love watching how people in different countries consume our brands and see their passion for our liquids. It gives me a boost which I take back home to Scotland with me to continue the work.
I get asked a lot about advice on getting into the whisky industry and graduate and intern schemes are often the best way to get in. We have an intern and graduate scheme at Dewar’s where young people have the chance to experience different parts of the business until they find the area of our operations that they enjoy and excel in.
We have a range of careers in the business, including finance, marketing, new product development, manufacturing, distilling and of course blending. A university degree in Science is usually the best foundation for pursuing a career in blending but if you have passion, drive and a keen sense of smell, then we are open to all candidates.
As a team, sustainability is always front of mind in everything we do. We’re constantly evaluating our processes and day-to-day work to ensure that we are in-line with industry standards and reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible. For example, our Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery has a biomass boiler which uses sustainably sourced wood pellets as fuel, leading to a 90% reduction in carbon emissions since 2015. Our distillery was rated ‘Excellent’ by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in its latest review, the highest rating in the scheme. We are working towards “Route to Net Zero” with many other initiatives now part of this ongoing endeavour.
When I joined the industry, there seemed to a lot of ‘rules’ surrounding appreciating Scotch whisky, which I think people found intimidating and off-putting. Many people were afraid that they’d make an embarrassing faux pas. However, in the last 10 to 15 years, we have seen a welcome shift in attitudes. I encourage people to enjoy whisky as they see fit including in cocktails! I personally enjoy a Dewar’s 18 Boulevardier - which is a riff on a Negroni and the recipe can be found on Dewars.com. It looks stunning and tastes divine.
In my role, I’m able to honour our heritage by building on all the great advancements that came before me. A quote I live by is: “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” (Gustav Mahler). The fire needs to be continually fed to be preserved. We continue to push progress, creating beautiful liquids that get our whisky lovers excited about what we might create next.
