The Glenlivet is on a mission to change the outdated stereotype of the whisky drinker – one image at a time. #BreakTheStereotype celebrates diversity and representation within whisky – the first in a series of preconceptions the original Speyside single malt is challenging head on.

For far too long, the thought of whisky being enjoyed exclusively by middle-aged, white men has dominated pop culture. A perception so widespread, you only need to look at the results for ‘whisky drinker’ on Google Images™ search service – a disproportionate number of white men over any other gender or ethnicity. However, research conducted by Pernod Ricard* shows that the modern whisky drinker has evolved, with a third of whisky drinkers globally being women.

To challenge this ‘cultural norm’, The Glenlivet is infiltrating search engine algorithms and purposefully planting images to change the visual landscape. Now, when searching ‘whisky drinker’ using Google Images™ search service, you are greeted with a colourful montage as unique and diverse as real whisky drinkers in 2022.

Miriam Eceolaza, Global Marketing Director, The Glenlivet & Single Malts at Pernod Ricard commented: “#BreakTheStereotype continues The Glenlivet’s pioneering heritage and shows that we will never be held back by limiting preconceptions. We know there is a diverse range of whisky fans across the globe and that continues to grow – yet the old stereotype surrounding whisky remains. Time for us to change that.”

The photos were captured by two photographers who embody originality and the eclectic world of whisky. Danny Kasirye is a Ugandan-British photographer and director who forged his own path. His photography always aims to bring a sense of purity, joy and beauty in its many forms. Devyn Galindo is a queer Chicanx artist, photographer and Whisky Sour fan based in California, whose work exists at the intersection of culture, representation, and politics. An individual who champions self-expression, their personal project, ‘The Van Dykes Projects’ documents queer stories across the US and aims to preserve queer oral history for future generations, practicing activism through art.

To continue to promote diversity in whisky, The Glenlivet has partnered with Equal Measures, an organisation founded to deliver greater equity for ethnic minorities and marginalised groups in hospitality. As part of the partnership The Glenlivet is supporting Equal Measures through its Education and Mentorship Scheme by providing up to 30 participants from marginalised communities with access to qualifications, one-on-one mentorship and opportunities that will enable them to challenge the biases they encounter with a wealth of experience, knowledge, and connections.

“It’s critical that we do our part to better represent today’s whisky drinker and our partnership with Equal Measures will help accelerate change for the better. ‘#BreakTheStereotype celebrates The Glenlivet’s passion for challenging conventions and continues the innovative and original thinking of our founder, George Smith.” added Miriam Eceolaza.

Supporting #BreakTheStereotype, Deano Moncrieffe, Founder of Equal Measures said:

“We’re delighted to be announcing our partnership with The Glenlivet for the launch of #BreakTheStereotype, and especially to be working with a company that shares our values, and the vision that became Equal Measures. We hope to make the drinks and spirit industry a more welcoming and inclusive place, for not only those who work within bars, but at every level of the drinks industry.” 

To further support The Glenlivet’s mission to challenge the outdated stereotype online, whisky drinkers are invited to the #BreakTheStereotype pop-up bar taking place at Coupette in London from 13^th–19^th June. Guests posting a photo of themselves with a cocktail from the #BreakTheStereotype menu on social media with the hashtag, will enjoy a free drink.** The pictures will further infiltrate the algorithm by flooding the internet with images and continuing to reinforce the modern face of whisky. A portion of proceeds from each cocktail purchased from the menu beyond the complimentary drink will be donated to Equal Measures and go towards delivering greater equity for ethnic minorities and marginalised groups in hospitality.

For more information about #BreakTheStereotype, please visit https://www.theglenlivet.com/break-the-stereotype/

*The Pernod Ricard Group conducted research across seven key markets that shows there is an approximate 68% male / 32% female split; Brand source tracker, 2020 

**For people over legal drinking age.

Chivas Brothers has bid farewell to iconic The Glenlivet Master Distiller Alan Winchester, after an illustrious 48-year career. Following the news of Alan Winchester’s retirement, Chivas Brothers is announcing the appointment of a new team of The Glenlivet Makers, comprising of Distillers and a Cask Expert who will continue Alan’s legacy at The Glenlivet.

Alan retired as Master Distiller for The Glenlivet in 2018 and moved into an ambassadorial role for the famed Single Malt brand. His retirement today brings an end to this ambassadorial position. He was recently honoured with The Spirit of Speyside Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for his work in the whisky industry.

The Glenlivet’s new Distillery Manager, Lisa Glen, will be spearheading the new Makers team alongside Lead Distiller, Kevin Reid and Chivas Brothers Cask Expert, Kevin Balmforth. Lisa began her career as an engineer in the Merchant Navy before becoming a Distillery Operations Technician and later Team Leader at The Glenlivet, where she oversaw the operations and processes of the plant for 8 years.

With a combined 53 years of experience between them, they will be instrumental in continuing to shape The Glenlivet’s legacy of breaking traditions and challenging stereotypes.

With fresh expertise on board, The Glenlivet is broadening its structure to ensure its modern and innovative contribution to the Scotch industry is upheld.

Bidding farewell to an industry icon

Dedicating nearly half a century to the world of whisky, Alan Winchester entered the industry in 1975 as a Distillery Guide at the Glenfarclas Distillery and over the following decades held positions at Strathisla, Glen Keith, Aberlour and many more distilleries. In 2002, he was promoted to Distilling Manager at Chivas Brothers.

Throughout his career, Alan Winchester has represented Chivas Brothers in various industry bodies, in which his roles have included; President at the Management Committee of Malt Distillers Association of Scotland, Chairman of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling Scottish Section, and Director of Combination of Rothes Distillers.

In 2009, he took on the highly esteemed position of Master Distiller of The Glenlivet which he held for 9 years, before taking a step back from production and distilling duties to focus on representing the brand in an ambassadorial capacity. Since 2018, Alan Winchester has fervently promoted The Glenlivet and the wider Scotch industry to new people and markets around the world.

Leaving behind an impressive legacy, Alan Winchester, comments:

“Taking on the role of Master Distiller of The Glenlivet was truly an honour. Representing such a revered, quintessential Single Malt has been nothing short of a privilege. It has been a real joy to promote Scotch around the world especially to a new generation of drinkers who have enabled us to broaden the boundaries of what Scotch whisky can be. Our audience is constantly evolving their ideas and attitudes which in turn pushes the industry to diversify and innovate the craft in new and interesting ways. The future of Scotch is very bright and I look forward to watching what happens next – with a dram in hand of course!”

The distillery expansions will grow Chivas Brothers’ total production by 14 million litres of alcohol per annum. The investment is further confirmation of Chivas Brothers’ commitment to Scotland and a testament to the growing global demand for Scotch whisky which has seen exports increase across all regions, with market gains in Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia. In its Half Year results in February, Chivas Brothers announced a net sales increase of +23%, confirming the company’s recovery to beyond pre-Covid levels.

The distillery expansions will also serve to accelerate Chivas Brothers’ ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutral distillation by 2026 with the installation of new bio plants and high-efficiency Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) fan technology for pot still distillation across both sites. This mechanism enables a major energy recovery by compressing the vapor which then rises in temperature and is sent back to heat the stills during the distillation process. Last year, the company announced plans to roll out MVR technology across all viable sites in its distillery portfolio by 2026 following a groundbreaking pilot study at its Glentauchers distillery which resulted in energy reductions of 90% on a single pot still there.

Jean-Etienne Gourgues, Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers said:

“Scotch has demonstrated its resilience as a category over the past few challenging years and in the process has opened new avenues for growth. This expansion will allow us to increase our volume to capitalise on the increased demand and interest in Scotch, but also supports our drive to reduce emissions in line with our sustainability ambitions. We’re once again betting big on the future of Scotch so we can bring in new consumers to the category and continue to shape a sustainable future of whisky.”

The Aberlour distillery, which has been producing whisky since 1879 will see its production capacity double to 7.8 million litres of alcohol per annum. This additional capacity will support the accelerating global demand for the cult favourite Scotch which continues to be the best-selling single malt whisky in France and has made significant gains across Asia. The distillery will also undergo a significant facelift with an upgraded visitor centre which will draw more whisky fans to the area and boost local tourism. A new still house will be equipped with large windows providing visitors with views into the nearby woods and the River Spey; the water source for the spirit.

Miltonduff’s expansion will consist of a brand new state-of-the-art sustainable distillery built next to the existing facility. The distillery, which will include a bio plant and evaporator, will add 10 million litres of alcohol per annum to the total production capacity. Miltonduff single malt is one of the foundations of Ballantine’s blends and is a key component of other blended whiskies in the Chivas Brothers portfolio. This increased capacity will further accelerate Ballantine’s pace of growth which in HY22 results saw global sales rise by +29%, fuelled by a range of new expressions.

Secretary of State for International Trade, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, said:

“Scotch Whisky is a UK exporting success story and this excellent news will see some of the best products made in Scotland, sold to the World – supporting jobs and economic growth and helping us to level up the country.

“It’s great to see Chivas Brothers adopt new ground-breaking energy efficient technology, helping deliver the Government’s Net Zero strategy, and maximising export opportunities through green UK innovation.”

Both sites are expected to be operating at full production capacity by mid-2025.