“When I blend for my own products, I insist on tasting every single barrel. Sometimes this can add up to hundreds and hundreds of barrels—but, in my mind, how could I create a masterpiece if I don’t know what flavors are present and possible from the beginning? It would be like trying to create a work of art where certain colors don’t show up on your palette until you’re halfway through creating the piece.” —Marianne Eaves, master taster, freelance distiller and blender
So, you had your plan—your script, if you will. You went into production, and you used a true-to-target sensory panel of hard-working people aligned on a sensory vocabulary to confirm you are executing the plan. The distillate is in the barrel now, and your team will continue to evaluate it over time. The science part is done.
Now, it’s time for the art—for the magic. Now, it’s time for the editors to come in and shape the story.
“The blenders need the distillers to be consistent and conscientious,” says Ryan Ciuchta, head blender at Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn, New York. “The distillers have to trust that the blenders will age, blend, and release their distillate in a way that best showcases their work.”