Balvenie whisky launches scholarship with Westminster Kingsway College

The Balvenie has launched a scholarship in conjunction with Westminster Kingsway College, which will see three aspiring chefs and hospitality leaders head to its distillery for a month-long placement.

A new partnership between the Speyside single malt whisky and the college has given rise to the scholarship - the only one being offered by a brand to students.

The three placements, which will take place during September, are available to third-year students and span across three hospitality disciplines: chef, pastry chef and front of house.

The Balvenie Distillery, which grows its own barley on site, is host to several events from private luxury dinners through to guided tours.

The scholarship holders will work alongside the team to help facilitate these events throughout the paid placement as well as learning about the craft of whisky production.

The pastry chef placement will involve training in specialty pastry and the creation of teatime delicacies, while the successful candidate for the chef scholarship will be responsible for main meal dishes served at the Distillery.

The successful applicant for the front of house scholarship will set and dress tables ahead of meal services as well as offer advice on food and whiskey pairings and creation of Balvenie cocktails.

Sean Fennelly, brand ambassador for the Balvenie, said Westminster Kingsway’s approach towards educating and nurturing its students made it a “natural partner” for the scholarship.

The successful candidates of what he said was an inaugural scholarship would be offered a chance to “stress-test” some of their ideas, he said.

“A lot of these students are in their late teens or early 20s and they’re on the first step of the ladder in terms of their hospitality careers.

“It’s likely going to be a good few years before they’ve got dishes on menus or concepts that they can actually put their own names to.

“What we’re doing for them is almost giving them a testing ground for some of these ideas that they would have learned over their years at Westminster. They’ll get a chance to showcase these to our guests at the distillery.”

Candidates’ final year exam results would be taken into consideration alongside interviews that would take place throughout June and July.

At the end of the scholarship, the three students will be responsible for putting on a VIP dinner, which will give them the opportunity to show off skills developed over the month.

Jose Souto, senior chef lecturer at Westminster College, said the school was “honoured” to be part of the new initiative.

“There are a number of shared values between Westminster Kingsway and the Balvenie, notably championing the importance of developing your craft,” he said.

“The school thrives on harbouring exceptional talent and takes pride in facilitating specialist education and development for those looking to make a career in their chosen industry - the Balvenie placement will give successful applicants a unique edge as they start their career.”