Stephanie Macleod

MASTER BLENDER, DEWAR’S

ABERFELDY, SCOTLAND

Stephanie Macleod is Director of Blending for Bacardi’s John Dewar & Son Ltd.  She joined the industry in 1998, following four years of academic research at the University of Strathclyde on Scotch whisky, and after becoming the first female Master Blender in the history of Dewar’s in 2006, she now leads a team of Blenders, Whisky Stocks Analysts and Cask Experts; women and men from Scotland, India and the US to maintain and develop the house style of Dewar’s and Bacardi’s Single Malt Whisky portfolio, and ensure the best spirit is filled into the best oak casks to meet the demands for their whiskies now and in the future.

Stephanie’s knowledge and expertise in whisky making is widely acknowledged by the many prestigious accolades which have been bestowed upon her from some of the world’s top spirits competitions. One of the most notable being when Stephanie made history in 2019 by becoming the first woman to be awarded Master Blender of the Year in the International Whisky Competition. Stephanie has since retained this prestigious title for an outstanding six years in a row.

In addition to shaping the current generation of whisky, Stephanie is also working to influence and inspire future generations. Her blenders continue to learn daily from her wealth of knowledge and expertise, garnering expertise they will carry forward as DEWAR’S continues to champion the spirit of enriching discovery and change the whisky game.