The Tasting Panel magazine

Mitch Bechard arrives by snowboard to the on-mountain Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro at Aspen Highlands for staff education and training. "Being a snowboarder, I always love coming to Colorado for events," he says. "I picked up snow- boarding in Scotland, but you guys here would laugh at our ski slopes!" Scotch Superstar A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A GLENFIDDICH BRAND AMBASSADOR IS ALL WORK—AND PLAY by Rachel Burkons T his is the first in our year-long series of portraits of William Grant & Sons' busy Brand Ambassadors. In each issue throughout 2012 we will follow one of these spirited diplomats on his or her long day's journey into on-site training, consumer outreach, creative marketing, tastings and more. It's been a rare day in Southern California for Glenfiddich Brand Ambassador Mitch Bechard when we meet up for a drink at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills in the late afternoon. He's spent the day sending emails and taking phone calls, is en route to a Hollywood party for English expats and will be departing for Colorado early the next morning for Aspen Fashion Week, where he'll kick off the trip on the slopes before snowboarding into an account for staff training. "Yeah, it can be a bit chaotic," admits the charming It's all part of the job: Mitch Bechard rolls an (empty) Glenfiddich cask through the streets of Seattle, encouraging passersby to write their hopes and dreams on the cask as part of the brand's Cask of Dreams campaign. The project will culminate this year with a special limited-edition bottling of whisky finished in these special barrels. january/february 2012 / the tasting panel / 73 PHOTO: MATTHEW WILLIAMS PHOTO: KEVIN MOLONEY

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