Ashley Smith has always had a good sense of smell. However, it wasn’t until she followed her heart into the whisky industry that she discovered how valuable it could be to follow her nose, too.
Over the past decade and a half she has risen through the ranks as a blender, mentored by some of Scotch whisky’s finest. Now master blender at Glen Scotia Distillery in Campbeltown, she is pooling her knowledge and skills to manage one of the industry’s most distinctive regional characters.
“There is a quiet confidence to [Campbeltown] that I’ve always admired,” she says, noting that she observes this attribute in Glen Scotia, too. “We’re a small team, from a small region, but we think big… Glen Scotia has made a genuine impact on the world stage, and it’s a huge part of why Campbeltown whisky is seeing a revival today.”
The Path to Campbeltown
Smith began her whisky career as a maturation administrator at Beam Suntory (now Suntory Global Spirits). Then-master blender Ron Welsh spotted her acute sensory skills and encouraged her to develop them. “Ron was the first to take me under his wing,” she says.
Her next move was to Chivas Brothers, working alongside master blender Sandy Hyslop on global brands including The Glenlivet, Ballantine’s and Aberlour. From Hyslop, she learned to set aside personal preferences in her blending and centre the drinker’s experience. “You’re seeking to recreate a flavour memory that millions of people around the world would recognise instantly. That requires precision, patience, and a deep respect for the DNA of the brand.”
With her sights set on a career as a blender, she sought guidance from two more industry heavyweights, Rachel Barrie and Bacardi’s Stephanie Macleod, who she says were “hugely encouraging”.The Top 10 Indian Whiskies Dominating Shelves Worldwide in 2026
From her mentors, Smith has inherited a desire not to gatekeep her learnings. “Blending can seem like this mystical, intuitive art, and while there are of course intuition and creativity involved there’s also a huge amount of science, structure, and discipline that underpins it. When you share that openly, you make the industry more accessible,” she says.
Honouring Campbeltown’s Character
Smith joined the blending team at Loch Lomond Group in 2019, working closely with master blender Michael Henry, before being named master blender for Glen Scotia in 2025. In addition to this role, she leads the exclusive cask programmes for Glen Scotia, Loch Lomond and Littlemill.
Smith is a long-time admirer of Henry. “Michael is incredibly knowledgeable, and his approach to whisky making is innovative and inspiring,” she enthuses. “[He] has taught me to think outside the box, to experiment with process, and to always put flavour first.”
Influenced by these teachings, Smith has become intimately familiar with the nature of Glen Scotia’s single malts, how the spirit ages, and how it interacts with different cask types. Her knowledge and the creative freedom she is afforded are already bearing fruit.
This year’s Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival edition is the first Smith has overseen: a seven-year-old medium-peated single malt finished for six months in first-fill Ruby Port casks. It was inspired by the 2018 festival edition, one of her favourites from the series, also medium peated with a Ruby Port finish. “I wanted to take it full circle and pay homage to this incredible whisky,” she explains.
She has also made her mark on the Icons of Campbeltown series, developing the collection’s third edition. Inspired by the Wulver, a wolf-like creature from Scottish folklore, this unpeated 12-year-old single malt was finished for nine months in Tawny Port casks.
There are few Glen Scotia whiskies more ‘Campbeltown’ than Victoriana, a single malt designed to emulate those made in the region during its 19th-century peak. Smith believes Victoriana put a spotlight on Campbeltown whisky which helped its global ascendence. “Its bold flavours and the story behind it remind people what Campbeltown was historically capable of. The fact that it’s been so well received has given us the freedom to keep exploring that character,” she says.
Despite the proliferation and popularity of its whiskies, Smith describes Glen Scotia as a hidden gem. “The idea of contributing to its next chapter and helping shape what Campbeltown whisky looks like for the future is incredibly exciting,” she says.
That future is looking bright, not only for Glen Scotia but for the region, with three distilleries set to open in the coming years. Smith welcomes the new arrivals: “For a long time it was in danger of becoming a region people spoke about in the past tense. To see new distilleries choosing to invest here is a sign of confidence in the region’s identity and potential.”
Read the full article at Glen Scotia Master Blender Ashley Smith on Campbeltown’s ‘Quiet Confidence’
