Highland distiller the Glendronach has released a musical collaboration with Emmy-nominated composer Rob Lewis. The track, "Valley of the Brambles", incorporates sounds found in the whisky-making process.
The song is designed to complement the Glendronach 12 Years Old — a whisky that master blender Dr Rachel Barrie describes as a "symphony of flavour". It's an experience that Rob Lewis set out to replicate when curating "Valley of the Brambles" .
Titled for the meaning of the distillery's name, the track uses "ambient textures" from the distillery's surroundings. Lewis explained: "I wanted to create a piece that not only connects with our sense of hearing, but also evokes a feeling of touch. The crunch of gravel in the dunnage warehouse, the sensation of running your hand across the casks. Every sound captured in the distillery was manipulated and woven into the piece. These sounds form the backbone of the percussion, all derived from the distillery itself, and appear as subtle textures and pitched elements throughout."
Barrie added: "I am thrilled that Rob has been able to capture all the facets of the Glendronach... The track communicates that sense of place, the casks and the inherent musicality of our liquid, making it the perfect soundtrack to enjoy a dram."
The distillery says the music "heightens" the experience of drinking its 12-year-old single malt. Professor Charles Spence, a gastrophysicist at the University of Oxford who provided comment on the project for the Glendronach, says research backs up this claim.
Spence commented: "'Sonic seasoning', is the idea that music and soundscapes can be designed to match, and even enhance tasting experiences. Early examples of sonic seasoning tended to use examples of pre-recorded music to match, and thus accentuate a specific taste (such as Pavarotti to bring out the bitterness of a dark chocolate, or Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells to bring out sweetness). However, the last few years have seen growing interest in bespoke sonic compositions created to more closely match the evolving flavour profile of complex-tasting products such as whisky."
Spence said that the way "Valley of the Brambles" combines music with ambient distillery sounds "helps to create a richly-textured listening experience that evolves in time with the evolution of the tasting experience on the palate while savouring a glass of the Glendronach. The piece cleverly, and almost synaesthetically, evokes a range of textural qualities through the curated selection and layering of sounds."
"Valley of the Brambles" is available on Spotify. A video that follows the creation of the music can be found on YouTube.
