The Balvenie Announces Season 3 of Grammy Winner Questlove’s ‘Quest for Craft’ Series, Featuring Guests Including Anderson .Paak and Fred Armisen

(Photo: The Balvenie)

On Monday, scotch whisky brand The Balvenie debuted the third season of the “Quest for Craft” series, starring Grammy Award-winning musician, Oscar-winning filmmaker and New York Times best-selling author Ahmir Thompson, better known by his stage name, Questlove.

“I’ve been an obsessive student of creativity my whole life,” Questlove said in a news release. “I’m interested in how people make things, how creators move from one medium to another, what makes work better — and what allows creators to hold onto the passion that inspired them in the first place. And surprisingly, it turns out I have a lot in common with a 131-year-old whisky based in rural Scotland. It’s a pleasure to explore these issues with creatives I respect and admire.

The series is sort of like educational TV for adults – I follow my curiosity wherever it leads and I never fail to learn. As a creator, I am increasingly moving from a head space to a heart space and this season reflects that. We’re interested in how people’s passion drives and improves their work.”

Each episode of “Quest for Craft” features Questlove, who rose to prominence as the drummer and for the hip-hop group The Roots, sitting down with a fellow creative.

The episodes can be viewed on The Balvenie’s YouTube channel.

“The Balvenie is a rarity in the world of global single malts in that we are committed to our distillery not just as a place of production, but as a community of makers,” said Greg Levine, vice president, marketing, Single Malt Scotch Whiskies USA, William Grant & Sons. “As a family-owned company, we’re willing to invest in upholding the Five Rare Crafts of whisky-making. Nowhere else can you find a distillery that grows its own barley, malts in its own traditional floor maltings and still employs a team of coopers to tend to the casks alongside a coppersmith to maintain the stills.

“This isn’t a business decision, it’s what we believe makes the very best whisky possible. This commitment to maintaining a cohesive community of craftspeople working together brings invaluable skill, knowledge, experience and passion to every stage of the whisky-making process. Our partnership with Questlove allows us to explore the very creativity and craftsmanship that drove the Grant family to begin making whisky in the first place.”

‘Quest for Craft’ Season 3 Episodes

• Chapter 9: Craft and Joy with 8-time GRAMMY Award Winning Artist, Songwriter and Record Producer Anderson .Paak.
• Chapter 10: Craft and Connection with American Cellist Yo-Yo Ma
• Chapter 11: Craft and Voice with Lena Waithe
• Chapter 12: Craft and COmmitment with Actor and Peabody Award-Winning Comedian Fred Armisen

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