Dr Emma Walker will succeed Jim Beveridge OBE becoming the first female Master Blender in the 200-year Johnnie Walker story, reports Diageo.

Beveridge will retire at the end of the year after more than 40 years at Diageo, 20 of which as Master Blender.

Walker will be one of a small, select group of people, and the first female, to take on the coveted role of Master Blender in more than two centuries of the business’s existence, the first being founder John Walker.

Aptly named, although no relation to the Walker family, Walker joined Diageo 13 years ago and has gained extensive knowledge and experience of Scotch production and innovation to become a highly respected blender who has worked extensively on Johnnie Walker for the last six years. Her innovations include the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare series and Jane Walker by Johnnie Walker.

Diageo said that the role of Johnnie Walker Master Blender is one of the most coveted in the industry, and Walker will lead the 12-strong team of expert whisky makers in the pursuit of exceptional flavour, crafting and blending whisky from the four corners of Scotland to create the numerous Johnnie Walker variants which are sold in more than 180 countries around the world.

During her career, Walker has worked in different areas of whisky production; gaining experience and understanding of how flavour develops in fermentation, distillation, and maturation, striving to ensure quality at every stage of the process. She has spent several years working with Beveridge to develop an encyclopaedic understanding and knowledge of whisky.

“I am honoured to take on the title of Master Blender of Johnnie Walker, and at an exciting time for the brand as we embark on the next step of our journey looking ahead to the next 200 years. I love experimenting and innovating with flavour and we’ll be working hard to not only continue to deliver the unrivalled quality that we are renowned for but also introducingblends to appeal to a new generation of Scotch Whisky fans. I have learnt so much over my career working with Jim – whose knowledge and generosity of spirit is unsurpassed in the world of whisky,” she said.

Photo credit: Diageo