Dram lovers across the country sent applications in the masses as The Single Cask - home to a warehouse in Glenrothes of over 3000 casks - announced they were recruiting for their first-ever specialist panel of ‘Taste Masters’ to help in the nosing, tasting, bottling and creation of their spectacular single cask whiskies.

A panel of eight whisky wizards have been hand-picked as the ‘best of the best’ and begin work immediately. They will be working closely with The Single Cask specialist team, as an exclusive ensemble of flavour experts whose job is to tell the story behind each unique whisky they taste and help profile the whisky into a mood category. 

The Single Cask recently took on the challenge of demystifying whisky flavour as they relaunched their brand. By using five mood categories, whisky fans can quickly navigate to whichever whiskies they are in the mood for. The ‘Taste Masters’ will draw from personal experiences in whisky and life to help categorise whisky by mood.

Each Taste Master brings something unique to the table. Among the panel is Dr. Christopher White, an award-winning whisky writer, presenter, and judge whose whisky tasting experience is impeccable. Imogen Russon-Taylor, with a vast understanding of and experience in the fragrance and perfume world, selected for her fascination with scent and story-telling. 

Mark Watt brings years of experience in cask selection after he and his wife Kate founded the Campbeltown Whisky Company, an independent company bottling under the Watt Whisky brand. Maria Scala will use her wealth of spirits knowledge and personal experience acquired from time spent working in fine dining restaurants across London. 

Offering a fresh perspective - Lucy Connor, a recent graduate of the OurWhisky Foundation mentorship programme - will use her bartending & tour guide background, a role that helped her interact with whisky lovers and introduce Scotch whisky to people across the world. 

A wide range of highly-experienced sensory experts, their fine-tuned noses will bring the best out of The Single Cask’s whisky. The recruitment expands their team of whisky professionals, with The Single Cask priding themselves on bottling only the most outstanding, characterful and distinctive casks. View the full range of ‘Taste Masters’ here: https://www.thesinglecask.co.uk/blogs/our-blog/revealing-the-industry-s-first-ever-panel-of-taste-masters 

Jan Damen, General Manager at The Single Cask, said:

“It is with great excitement that we announce our first-ever panel of ‘Taste Masters’. We only bottle exciting and entertaining whiskies worth talking about, so we wanted to work with exciting and entertaining flavour experts. All of our selected candidates have the charisma and creativity we were looking for. We are already so impressed with our talented Taste Masters, there’s lots of excitement on the horizon for The Single Cask!” 

With every one of the 3000 casks in The Single Cask’s Glenrothes warehouse easily fitting within one of the five mood categories: Cheerful, Playful, Bold, Curious and Easy-going, the ‘Taste Masters’ will help whisky fans get a feel for the whisky’s character without feeling bewildered.