Embracing the subtleties

Having an Old Forester kind of day

When you sit down and think about a dream job, what is it you’re picturing? I count myself as one immensely lucky lady when it comes to my 9-5 and contrary to Dolly’s opinion, it seems like a pretty good way to make a living if you ask me. Talking about whiskey, tasting a few of them along the way and meeting the incredible people that create it… I can definitely live with this. However, if there was something else I could choose to be, something that I didn’t really know existed until a few years ago, there is no doubt in my mind that it would be a master taster.

Can you imagine getting to test out liquid gold and find the perfect place for it, for a living? To a whiskey lover, this is effectively the equivalent of telling someone you to breathe to earn a living. And yes, you are correct in thinking I am wistfully looking off into the middle distance picturing what it would be like. Back to the words. I have, of course, just completely oversimplified what is an incredibly difficult and skilled role to undertake. In every job there are complexities and obstacles to tackle, like anything in life, but the point of a dream job is not having to accept that fact. So go on, you can let me off just this once.

Taking a swift turn back to reality, it’s time to meet someone who really does know the ins and outs of what it takes to make it as a successful master taster. It’s not just any old brand either, but one of the world’s most well-known, Old Forester. In what is its 150th year, the brand continues to stand firm as a keystone in the marketplace and shows no signs of ageing… well, only the good ones anyway. Now part of the Old Forester family, Jackie Zykan didn’t plot herself out a career in whiskey, but it clearly had plans for her.