A Field Trip for Future Distillers
Sixteen college students just spent three weeks in Scotland studying whiskey from the inside out, giving Kentucky’s signature spirits industry something useful to bring home: a close look at how another world-famous whiskey region does business.
A Barrel Goes Both Ways
The University of Kentucky’s James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits and Lewis Honors College sent students from several academic programs to Edinburgh this summer for a study-abroad experience built around distilling, marketing, and the business behind the bottle.
And Scotland wasn’t simply a scenic backdrop for classwork.
One group partnered with Ballindalloch Distillery, a Scottish member of the Estate Whiskey Alliance, on a real-world assignment: develop a plan for promoting a new estate product to American consumers. When the distillery learned the students would already be in Scotland, it invited them in for a tour and firsthand look at the operation.
That makes the trip particularly interesting for an industry that tends to be discussed in terms of what Kentucky exports. Bourbon certainly travels well, but so do the ideas, barrels, and expertise surrounding it.
Ilka Balk, associate director of the Beam Institute, said Kentucky came up frequently during the trip because Scottish distilleries use Kentucky casks to age their whiskey. That familiar barrel provides a rather tidy connection between two places with very different traditions and a shared interest in what happens after grain meets still.
Class Is in Session, Pour Accordingly
The Ballindalloch project also gave students a look at the growing estate-whiskey movement. The Estate Whiskey Alliance certification requires production to occur at the estate distillery, with at least two-thirds of the mash bill grains grown on land owned or controlled by the estate. Ballindalloch is currently working toward that certification.
For Kentucky’s spirits business, that international perspective matters. The Beam Institute is preparing students for an industry that stretches well beyond production, encompassing agriculture, branding, sales, tourism, and product development. Its Distillation, Wine, and Brewing Sciences Certificate is open to undergraduate and graduate students across UK.
The Scotland trip adds another layer to that education. Students got to see how a competing whiskey region approaches its craft, then put what they learned to work on an actual business challenge.
Kentucky has spent generations teaching the world plenty about whiskey. Sending the next generation abroad to see what the world can teach them feels like a smart addition to the recipe!
See what else is brewing across the state at https://www.guidetokentucky.com/distilleries!
