Master distiller award for Whyte and Mackay employee from the Black Isle
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A native of the Black Isle has been named master distiller of the year.
Gregg Glass received the honour at the global Icons of Whisky Awards 2023, becoming one of the youngest ever recipients.
Working as master whisky maker for Whyte and Mackay his impact has been felt throughout the business and its portfolio of single malt distilleries including The Dalmore in Alness as well as Jura, Fettercairn and Tamnavulin.
Mr Glass is renowned for his experimental and inventive approach to whisky making, the team Glass created, shaped and worked alongside since joining the firm in 2016 is credited with the rejuvenation of the Jura and Fettercairn distilleries as well as the creation of the brand’s independent innovation wing, Whisky Works, in 2017.
He is also the mastermind behind Whyte and Mackay’s pioneering and celebrated Scottish Oak Programme, which aims to help establish the use of native oak as a quality raw material for the wider spirits industry, starting with Scotch.
In 2022, the Scottish Oak Programme won The Spirits Business Award for Innovation in Production.
Having grown up on the Black Isle, Mr Glass has worked in the whisky industry for a total of 24 years and counting.
Presenting the award, Whisky Magazine’s editor-at-large, Christopher Coates, highlighted Glass’s undeniable passion for both nature and nurture, crediting him for charting an exciting course for the industry.
He said: “As a whisky maker, to be recognised by our industry, in a room of peers, at a time when Scotland is alive with brilliant whisky making, is truly humbling.
“This accolade is not mine alone, it is testament to the dedication of everyone within the Whyte and Mackay community, who give their all in the pursuit of creating the finest whiskies.”
“It is an absolute pleasure to be leading whisky making at five incredible distilleries on behalf of Whyte and Mackay. I cannot wait to share with you the fantastic whiskies the team have laid down, to be released when the time is right.
“Thank you to everyone at Icons of Whisky for this award – it is a real honour.”Richard Paterson, master distiller at Whyte and Mackay, himself a winner of the Icons of Whisky Lifetime Achievement Award and inductee number 15 into the Whisky Hall of Fame, said: “What an achievement for Gregg, an incredible accolade, and, likely, the youngest winner to be recognised by the industry in this way.“From the moment I met Gregg, I recognised not only his talent for creating exceptional whisky, but for his unmistakable passion.
“”That passion is everything – it is what defines the greatest blenders in our industry and this award is a tribute to his creativity as a whisky maker.”
Gregg’s win follows his success in the awards’ regional heat where he was named Scotch whisky master distiller of the year.
At those same awards, Invergordon Grain Whisky also received the top award in the grain whisky category,.
while Whyte and Mackay’s Kieran Healey-Ryder was Highly Commended as Scotch Whisky Ambassador.
