Claire Breslin

Claire is an Assistant Blender at International Beverage.

What do you like about your job?

The variation of work I am involved in – days in the warehouses selecting the perfect casks, compiling tasting notes, nosing and tasting lots of amazing cask samples, creating new products for our whisky and gin brands and attending a variety of shows and tastings.

I enjoy the mix of people I work with and the fabulous relationships I have built with them over the years. There is no greater satisfaction than being involved in a new product right from the get go and then seeing it on the shelf for consumers to purchase. When our brands win awards, it gives you such a sense of pride to work for such a great company with fantastic products.

How did you become a Assistant Blender?

After studying chemistry with instrumental analysis at college, I went on to become a quality assistant for Boots Contract Manufacturing, analysing a variety of products – bubble baths, suncreams, lipsticks etc.

In 1997 a vacancy became available at International Beverage (then Inver House Distillers) for a quality technician I applied and was successful. I was lucky enough to reduce my hours and work part time while the kids were growing up. However in 2018 the opportunity to become assistant blender with the company was advertised, I was promoted to the role in Jan 2019 and haven’t looked back.

What are your career aspirations?

Keep developing my knowledge and expertise, continue to produce amazing products across the International Beverage portfolio and one day have more responsibility following in the footsteps of our blender and master blender.