Halewood takes on Dr Kirstie McCallum from Glen Turner

Halewood Artisanal Spirits has announced the appointment of Dr Kirstie McCallum as its new master blender, as the business looks to strengthen its whisky portfolio.

McCallum will be responsible for evolving and developing Halewood’s core whisky brands which includes; Crabbie whisky from Scotland, Irish whiskies Gelston’s and The Pogues, Aber Falls Welsh whisky and Peaky Blinder English whisky.

McCallum will also work with the group on new projects and expressions from Halewood’s newest distillery in the West Midlands.

Lee Tayburn, operations and production director at Halewood Artisanal Spirits said: “As a business, we are dedicated to growing our portfolio of artisanal spirits, and of course whisky plays a very important part in this.

“Over the last five years we have invested heavily in distilleries across the UK and globally, and are constantly evolving to ensure that we provide our customers with premium, quality spirits with provenance.

“With her extensive experience and expertise, Kirstie will be integral to this, and we look forward to working closely together as we grow and develop our whisky credentials.” 

McCallum has more than 20 years’ experience in the spirits industry, and joins Halewood Artisanal Spirits from Glen Turner, where she worked as head of whisky creation for the Glen Moray brand which recently launched an expression aged in five sauternes wine casks.

Prior to this, she was the senior blender at Distell International, working across the Bunnahabhain, Deanston and Tobermory brands.