The longest-serving malt master in the industry welcomed his six-decade anniversary with a memorable dinner event in London with friends and whisky lovers
St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel was busier than usual on the chilly evening of October 25—not because of the Spice Girls fans who often flocked to this landmark for a picture of the iconic staircase that appeared in their Wannabe video. Rather, they were whisky makers, enthusiasts and friends who came to London to celebrate a living legend in the whisky industry.
That person is David C. Stewart MBE, who celebrated 60 years as The Balvenie’s malt master last month with a lavish whisky pairing event worthy of his contributions to the industry. Thus, the hotel veranda was transformed into a garden-like escape with lush greenery and exposed wooden beams shaped like those you’d find in a malting room. Esteemed guests filled the room, too, including Glenfiddich master blender Brian Kinsman, Taiwanese whisky personality Steven Lin, as well as revered whisky writers Charles Mclean and Dave Broom (who also served as the night’s host).
In his opening speech, Broom shared that “whisky is simple (in the sense that it is only made with barley, water and yeast), but in the hands of a master, they turn into sublime expressions”. For many of Stewart’s colleagues, friends and family, this statement has defined much of Stewart’s six-decade career with the exquisite expressions he has crafted (some of these were displayed on the massive whisky wall built at the venue just for the anniversary dinner), as well as the innovations he pioneered that changed how most whiskies are made today.
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When we asked him about his legacy, the ever-humble Stewart mentioned that he wanted to be remembered for pioneering ‘cask finishing’—the process of maturing whiskies in another cask for a shorter period to add another layer of flavour. This gave birth to The Balvenie’s classic DoubleWood 12 Year Old, laid to rest in an American oak bourbon cask for 12 years and European sherry oak for a few months.
It was one of the special whiskies we tried in the six-course pairing menu crafted by British culinary legend Simon Rogan of Michelin-starred chef L'Enclume—six, to highlight Stewart’s six decades in the industry, which started in 1962 as a whisky stocks clerk, followed by a 12-year journey to become the malt master in 1974, and pioneering cask finishing in the early ‘80s.
His experiments in his third decade birthed the Doublewood 12; it was first released in 1993 as part of its core range and quickly became The Balvenie’s “best-selling whisky”. Nosing the dram, we could easily understand why—it was approachable with its sweet fruity and honey aromas, yet complex with a smooth and structured body layered with sweet honey and vanilla. It also had a long and warm finish, which only accentuated Rogan’s cured and smoked salmon in a decadent buttermilk sauce balanced with tangy apple cubes and sweet clover.
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