PASSING OF A LEGEND
The whisky industry is mourning the sudden death of Dr Jim Swan, one of the world’s most knowledgable and experienced whisky experts
The whisky world mourns the death of Dr Jim Swan
When Dr Jim Swan died suddenly at his East Lothian home aged 75 in February this year, t he whisky industry lost a genuine legend. Most whisky consumers and connoisseurs have never heard of Swan, a man variously described as ‘the Einstein of whisky’ and ‘the ultimate whisky troubleshooter’. I never had the chance to meet him but I’ve been very aware of his work for a long time. He was one of those characters in the whisky industry who just quietly got on with what they were doing. He was incredibly successful and influential, often in a subtle way.
Swan described his role as a ‘consultant to the drinks industry’ but that really does not do him justice. Thanks to his unrivalled expertise in the maturation and blending of whisky, he played an instrumental role in the new wave of whisky distilleries across the world and was the person the industry would call on to fix any problems regarding maturation or blending. His unique skill set will be sorely missed because there is, quite simply, no one else in the whisky industry with his breadth of knowledge and experience.
Such was Swan’s understanding of whisky-making technology and processes, and so creative was he, that he could help make whisky from new distilleries taste more mature and well-balanced than younger whiskies typically taste. In 2014 he gave a hint as to his secret technique: ‘It’s a case of optimising each stage of the process for being ready at a young age.’ He was regularly called on by start-up distilleries to stand in as a Master Blender and Master Distiller while they were finding their feet.
Swan’s work for clients in the beer, wine, yeast, timber and coopering industries took him all over the world. However, he will probably be remembered best for his work in the whisky industry, most notably with Taiwan’s Kavalan whisky. He also played a key role in developing Penderyn Distillery in Wales, The English Whisky Co. in Norwich, Dublin Whiskey Distillery, the Milk & Honey Distillery in Israel and the Macaloney Distillery in British Columbia. Closer to home, he worked with Kilchoman on Islay, Annandale in the Borders,
The Glasgow Distillery and Lindores Abbey Distillery in Fife. Swan had been involved in the Lindores project for over 20 years and worked very closely with Drew and Helen Mackenzie-Smith, the owners of Lindores. Sadly, he died only days before the topping out ceremony, which was cancelled out of respect.
Swan graduated with a degree in Chemistry and gained his PhD in Chemistry and Biological Sciences from Heriot-Watt University. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and was awarded a Fellowship by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. He spent several years working with chemical analysis consultancy Tatlock & Thomson and the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, where he was one of the original creators of the Whisky Flavour Wheel.
Swan had a particular interest in maturation and was able to work with distilleries in exotic climates, such as Kavalan in Taiwan and Amrut in India. He helped them take advantage of the extreme temperatures and climatic factors, such as humidity, and use this ability to influence the whisky in the casks to their advantage.
His influence on the new wave of whisky distilleries is impressive. He shaped and developed so many of them that it is impossible to say how many barrels of whisky are currently maturing around the globe that Jim Swan has had a say in. However, there is no doubt that his work with these whiskies is his legacy and will be enjoyed by generations to come.
‘ He could help make whisky from new distilleries taste more mature and wellbalanced’