“Working in the whiskey industry is not merely to promote the brand itself and offer people to drink more. Wonderful flavor in whiskey, especially Scotch whiskey, needs to be savored by heart, responsibly.” – Colin Scott
Further to his journey with Scotch whiskey, HighEnd also threw a question of what it takes to be a custodian master blender, and he answered with four key points he holds on to: good nose, time, experience and passion. Later, he shares with us that to be a custodian master blender, he must have an above-average nose. Over years, he learns so much about the flavors, distinguishing the taste from other kinds of whiskey. Then, he took some time to understand specific bits of whiskey’s characteristics because as a custodian master blender, he is not directly involved in the process of making the malt whiskey but he chooses the spirit, matures them in casks and provides the product people look for. Thus the time and experience in this phase are counted on him. The last and most important thing is, of course, passion.
He, however, has a slightly different recipe in taking his role. “It is to manage the integrity of all the Scotch whiskey. As a case in point, when you drink your Chivas Regal today, the taste must be the same as yesterday and tomorrow. So I am the guardian of Chivas Regal’s high-consistent quality and taste experience; the guardian of the past, the present and the future, to make sure that the whiskey’s quality is up to par in the next 18 to 25 year”, stated Colin.
Although he has joined the company since 1973 under the guidance of master blender Jimmy Lang, challenges always abounds. The biggest one lies in the knowledge of people about Scotch whiskey. People surely know Scotch whiskey; the brand Chivas Regal, for example, but not much else. He argues that people don’t really think when drinking whiskey due to their lack of awareness. “If I tell people ‘This is the best whiskey in the world’, they will take it right away without having to think about it”, the creator of Chivas Regal 25 Year Old exemplified. In fact, what he expects people to consider is the difference of taste between one kind and the others. It is therefore his challenge to educate them on how to identify the differences between Chivas Regal 12, Chivas Regal 18 and Chivas Regal Extra (the latest product of Chivas Regal) because it’s all about the taste experience. So people who sip Chivas Regal Extra will perceive its extra smoothness and the depth of flavor from the finest European malt being matured in the most quality process.
