Trained in whisky-making on the Isle of Arran, later in nosing with Pernod Ricard, and everything else ‘whisky’ at Nyborg Destilleri, I apply my whisky-making, blending and story-telling know-how to helping others through my Whiskymaker consultancy.
Casks of maturing whisky at Nyborg Destilleri.
Frederikshavn, DENMARK
The beginning
1985
I had my first dram of aquavit when I was just tall enough to look over the edge of my grandparents’ dinner table. My fisherman grandfather, Kai, pushed a glass of ‘the strong stuff’ towards me and said: “Drink this!!” I downed the dram, and thus started a lifelong love affair with spirits.
However, many years would pass before I started working with liquid luxuries on a professional basis.
The early part of my career centred around international marketing and branding, both as a brand owner and as a consultant, working for Bang & Olufsen, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies and eBay.
These years gave me a foundation for product/brand management and for storytelling.
Kim’s Master: Gordon Mitchell @ Lochranza Distillery, Isle of Arran (2002).
Isle of Arran, SCOTLAND
My first apprenticeship
2002
Many years later, I was fortunate to be apprenticed under the exacting eye of famed Master Distiller, Gordon Mitchell, who ran The Lochranza Distillery for Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd.
Later, he kindly gave me a complimentary assessment: “Although he had no previous experience in distilling operations, he proved to be an enthusiastic and very intelligent trainee. /…/ Throughout the entire time of his employment with us he impressed not only myself but also his colleagues.”
It was Arran that gave me the chance to learn every aspect of whisky production, including cask evaluation and nosing, under the inspiring tutelage of Master Blender Alain Reid.
Copenhagen, DENMARK
Finding my nose
2010
When a ‘noser’ position opened up on Pernod Ricard’s product development team in Copenhagen, I decided to go for it.
Three weeks of testing my nosing and tasting capabilities later, the results came back: 95%. It got me the job, and so began hours and hours of nosing and tasting spirits – so-called ‘objective sensory analysis’. I was off!
Nosing glasses with single malt whisky.
Nyborg, DENMARK
A new distillery
2016
At the beginning of 2016, I met Nicolai and Niels Rømer, who were building a new distillery in Nyborg, on the Danish island of Funen. They knew a little about making whisky, but by now I knew a lot. Together, we founded Nyborg Destilleri.
Within the first year of launching, our whisky, rum and gin won a total of 32 gold and silver medals in five of the most prestigious international spirits competitions.
Nyborg, DENMARK
For the love
of whisky
2022
In the summer of 2021, I left Nyborg Destilleri to launch my consulting business, offering distilling, blending and storytelling services to distillers and spirits producers. First, I worked in collaboration with spirits bulk business, Nicvin, but later on my own with Whiskymaker.
Besides consulting, I also source whisky by the barrel and in bulk, as well as a range of accessories for distilleries.
Whisky maker, blender and storyteller Kim Møller-Elshøj