The Blender Files: Jack Lowrie
Dornoch Distillery, Thompson Bros, Highland
In Arthur’s fascination to understand a little more about industry roles, he’s reaching out to the folk on the front lines. This is the first in his series of The Blender Files. If you like it, let him know, he’s busying up others!
#1 Jack Lowrie, Dornoch
What’s your job title at Thompson Bros? And what do you do there?
I am warehouse manager at Dornoch Distillery. My main role is to look after all warehouse operations. So, cask filling, receiving 3rd party stock, blending, bottling etc. Job titles are a bit redundant at Dornoch, though, we’re a small team and as such we all do a bit of everything. I usually find myself doing a few solo days in the distillery a month. It’s good to see the whole picture.
How did you become a blender at Thompson Bros? Did you take formal training or study beforehand?
Circumstantially. Blends needed to be blended and I was the one on the forklift. I’ve received no formal training however I am fortunate to work with some great noses, who have an ability for reverse engineering old style blends. So, I learn a lot from my colleagues. I love the creative aspect of blending and I suppose every experience I’ve had is ultimately reflected in my opinions on how a blend should be put together. I don’t necessarily think formal training is always that beneficial, or at least in my case, to something that requires an emotional reaction. I’ve worked in wine and spirits for 8 years now, so I’ve gained a lot of experience via delicious osmosis.
How long have you been a blender?
I started working on our first blend, SRV5, in December 2021. During our Christmas shut-down period, Phil had sent us home with three 200ml samples and tasked us with creating a blend. I think everyone else just drank theirs. Prior to working at Dornoch, I worked in a couple of whisky bars around Scotland and I used to enjoy blending together different malts and spirits to see what would happen. I don’t think people liked it when I would blend Yamazaki 12 with Del Maguey. That was my experimental phase.
How does your approach to blending differ to your approach to drinking?
It doesn’t. I’m just looking for a good time, baby.
Do you have rules of thumb for blending? Particular proportions of liquid that go well together, or is everything case-by-case?
The only rule of thumb we operate by is time. Integration time is integral to the whole thing. Everything else is case-by-case, however from experience, barometers have been set. “A little peat goes a long way”, “Throw some Clyn*lish in there”, “Obviously the blending vat doesn't need a lid” and so on.
How do your roles as both a warehouse manager and blender interact?
The roles are fairly intertwined in my case. I am constantly considering our stock and its availability for blending. We view resting periods as crucial to the profile of a blend so we will always be looking to work as far ahead as possible. Space is an increasingly limited luxury for us, so there is some inner turmoil between the warehouse manager and blender in me.
How long have you been a whisky drinker?
Longer than I should say, but I started on Jack Daniels, so maybe that doesn’t count. I didn’t start drinking Scotch Whisky until I was about 20. I stumbled into a bar job in The Ben Nevis in Glasgow whilst I was beginning to study biology and chemistry. Initially, I didn’t like the taste but I loved the smell and I loved the story. Soon enough, I thought the biochemistry in my glass at work was more interesting, so I dropped out and pursued whisky full-time.
What other alcoholic drinks are you fond of?
Specifically, I have an intense love affair with Italian wine and Belgian beers. More generally speaking, I just like good booze made by good people. Drinks produced with heart. Love and curiosity seem to mitigate the poisonous effects of alcohol. Producers that are willing to sacrifice commercial yield for the potential of flavour creation are what make this industry so fascinating and delicious.
What non-alcoholic drink are you particularly fond of?
The juice that is left over after a tin of peaches.
The whisky industry seems to be in a boom period, with a new Dornoch distillery on the horizon. How do you see the future of whisky and your role in it?
Big question! I would agree that it does seem to be boom time, certainly I don't think there has ever been as much spirit being produced as right now. What goes up must come down, though. I think we are definitely seeing signs of the industry slowing in some regards, which will be felt mostly by the big players. We are small enough that, fingers crossed, we will manage to be largely unaffected by any downturns. At our current operating level, we are well-insulated because our output is relatively (hilariously) tiny. Hopefully by the time distillery no. 2 is up and running, and we have juice around the 5 year mark, we will be back in the upswing. More generally speaking, I think for Scotch Whisky to hold its place on the world stage, work needs to be done to protect the reputation that it has hard earned over the past few hundred years. Especially from the reemergence of the pernicious threat of cask investment schemes and swindlers.
As for my role in the future of whisky? I have dreams of giant mech suits for warehouse operations. Space yeast; yeast harvested from asteroids. Blending taking place in particle accelerators; smashing congeners together to unlock new flavours, promoting esterification etc. Cask racking in 2-dimensional spaces. For now, I look forward to making nice drinks with good people.
Thanks to Jack, Vhairi and the team at Dornoch Distillery. Click here to see where they’re placed in our community Top 40.
AB
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