Eine interessante Presseaussendung haben wir heute aus der Speyside-Destillerie Benriach erhalten: Dort hat hat man den Versuch unternommen, Whisky und Kunst zusammen zu bringen. Gemeinsam mit der Malerin Ellis O’Connor aus North Uist möchte man die Geschmackspalette der Whiskys aus der Brennerei in abstrakte, von der die Destillerie umgebende Landschaft inspirierte Bilder umzusetzen.
Mehr darüber und Bilder dazu im nachfolgenden englischsprachigen Text:
PAINTING BY WHISKY – SCOTTISH ARTIST BRINGS PALETTE OF BENRIACH TO LIFE ON CANVAS
BenRiach has teamed up with an award-winning Scottish artist to bring its sensory
palette to life through a series of abstract paintings inspired by the Speyside
distillery’s landscape, architecture and kaleidoscope of flavour.
Taking inspiration from the distillery’s extensive library of some of the world’s
most eclectic casks housed in Warehouse 13, contemporary landscape artist Ellis
O’Connor has been commissioned to create a trio of dramatic landscapes influenced
by the 3 casks used to make up the BenRiach 10 Year Old. The deconstruction of
this expression will create 3 pieces of art that fuse the flavour palette of BenRiach
with Ellis’ signature painting style, the collection will be crafted at her studio
on the outer Hebridean island of North Uist before being exhibited in Hackney’s
underground bar, TT Liquor during Scotch Whisky Weekend in January 2020.
At the event, Ellis will appear in conversation with the BenRiach team discussing
where she found inspiration for these commissions. Guests will get the chance
to explore the palette of BenRiach for themselves through a ‘painting by tasting
notes’ workshop where Ellis will guide them to explore the depths of BenRiach by
harnessing their own creativity.
With a particular focus on the casks used to mature the BenRiach Aged 10 Years,
O’Connor draws inspiration from the flavours drawn from the Oloroso sherry,
bourbon and virgin oak casks which give a perfect balance of fruit, malt and
oak. The bourbon cask gives vanilla and orchard fruits, Oloroso sherry gives the
sweet creaminess of the malt and virgin oak gives a touch of toasted spice, all in
sublime synchronicity. Following its three-cask maturation for over a decade it has
been expertly combined by Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie to create a smooth,
multi-layered flavour experience, thanks to its multiple eclectic casks from around
the world.
Ellis, who originally hails from Dundee, studied fine art at Duncan of Jordanstone
art school. Since then she has continued her studies, which has led her to travel to
remote lands to partake in a number of artists’ residencies. BenRiach decided that
Ellis was right for this partnership due to her unique approach to art, connection
to an eclectic audience and love for whisky.
Artist Ellis O’Connor said:
“Speyside is renowned for its big skies, fast flowing river and of course, whisky,
so when the opportunity arose to bring this climatic corner of Scotland to life on
canvas on behalf of its most creative distillery, I jumped at the chance.
BenRiach is packed full of innovation, experimentative heritage and flavour
and I wanted to depict that through the essence of its flagship whisky BenRiach
Aged 10 Years and how it speaks to me through the colours and movement on the
canvas. Each canvas will have a distinct colour that explores the flavour profile
of the single malt and its cask journey.”
BenRiach Distillery Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie added:
“At BenRiach we are known for doing things a little differently, always exploring
the creative possibilities of our Speyside malt. We have a creative approach to
whisky distilling, cask maturation and blending, which Ellis has embraced in her
approach to illustrating BenRiach’s eclectic mix of cask types and rich layers of
BenRiach Aged 10 Years. Partnering with this talented young Scottish artist is
such a wonderful way to bring BenRiach’s flavour journey to life and we can’t
wait to see Ellis’ creations on canvas.”
