Brian Kinsman

Coming Up

At The University of St Andrews, Brian Kinsman built a grounding that moved first into chemistry at a dental company, then into William Grant & Sons as a lab chemist until 2009. In 2009, he moved into the role that now defines his place at Glenfiddich, taking on Malt Master duties and the daily responsibility of holding the house style.

Where They Are Now

Blending and cask selection sit at the center of the job Brian Kinsman does now at Glenfiddich. The work is less about invention for its own sake than about knowing how to shape a consistent style from casks that never arrive as replicas of one another. Each one carries its own condition, its own differences in wood and spirit, and the task is to read those differences accurately, then select, balance, and adjust until the result sits together cleanly. That balance between continuity and movement defines the craft. A house style has to stay recognizable, but it also has to keep living inside the practical realities of the stock in front of it. In the warehouse, judgment has to work alongside knowledge; the same character must be protected while each vatting is still allowed its own variation. For Brian Kinsman, guardianship is not passive. It is an active discipline of keeping a long-established profile intact while working through the small shifts that shape flavor and structure. Experimentation has a place in that discipline as well. Brian Kinsman has said, “We’re continually experimenting to try to discover and create new expressions and flavours.” That sits naturally beside a career that began in a lab and moved into whisky production. The same habits of observation and control apply, but the goal changes from measurement to expression, from handling compounds to making decisions that determine how a whisky reads in the glass.

Signature

Brian's signature wines include Monkey Shoulder, Glenfiddich Grand Cru, Malt Master's Edition, Grand Cru, and Glenfiddich Winter Storm 21 Year Old.

In Their Words “Every cask is different, which is why blending is more of an art than a science and built up through a lifetime of experience.” “We’re continually experimenting to try to discover and create new expressions and flavours.”

Honors

Brian Kinsman has received the title of Sixth Malt Master in Glenfiddich's 130-year history. Brian's honors include Sixth Malt Master in Glenfiddich's 130-year history.