Master distiller is a title often used for a distilling expert or a key leader or owner at modern distilleries. The title doesn't have a fixed definition and can mean different things at different companies. [1] Although the craft of distilling has existed for centuries throughout history, the term "master distiller" only dates back as far as the 1800s when it was first used to acknowledge the distilling expertise and knowledge a person gained after practicing and perfecting the craft of distilling for many years. [2] In more recent usage, the term can have a much broader meaning and is sometimes used for owners and company leaders who run their companies but do not actively create the distilling recipes and processes used at their distilleries. [3]
The craft of fermenting and distilling beverages dates back centuries, but the actual term "master distiller" has not been around for nearly as long. The 1867 edition of The English Cyclopaedia (Arts and Sciences section) offers a clear definition of the original meaning of the term: [4]
"He tests the specific gravity of all the liquids as often as he pleases; he requires that the numerous pipes shall be painted, some black, some red, some blue, and some white, in order that he may know which is for the conveyance of wort, which for wash, which for the first spirit, and which for the finished spirit; he demands the aid of ladders and passages to give him access to every part of every piece of apparatus. In short, the master distiller is so thoroughly controlled in all the operations, that nothing but the prospect of large profits, arising out of a large business, would induce a manufacturer to wear such shackles."
Originally, master distiller was a term most commonly used in relation to bourbon, both before and after Prohibition in the U.S., and its historical usage was typically limited to only those who had truly mastered the craft of distilling. In particular, Kentucky bourbon makers often had a hierarchy that consisted of distiller, head distiller, and master distiller. [2]
Although the level of scientific involvement may vary, master distillers usually supervise the production of the spirits made at their distilleries and are responsible for the final products and their quality. It was once common for master distillers to simply learn through years of hands-on experience, often as apprentices, but now many distillers – even those not labeled as master distillers – have related academic backgrounds with degrees in chemistry, biology, microbiology, food science, or actual distilling. [5]
At the very least, those with master distiller titles typically have some type of related experience and the skills necessary to manage staff and supervise food safety throughout the distilling process. They also frequently possess the public relations skills needed to communicate with the public and the press. [5]
A master distiller's exact responsibilities will vary, depending on the company, but common job duties include:
A modern master distiller who fits the traditional definition and actively participates in the production of existing spirits and the creation of new ones often has a background in chemistry and yeast physiology combined with years of distilling experience. However, some learn to master their craft without a formal education or training, instead learning from mentors who train them on the job. Regardless of the method, they learn how to take raw base ingredients, such as various grains for different types of whiskey or sugar cane for rum, and create fermented washes designed to produce spirits with very specific desired characteristics. [6]
The spirit produced at different points in the distillation process varies in quality and has different characteristics. Making "cuts" to the distilled spirit to separate the heads (foreshots), hearts, and tails (feints) is an important part of the process that is often supervised by master distillers. They also choose the type of container for aging, such as wooden casks, and make decisions about blending, filtering, coloring, and bottling. [6]
Even when master distillers entrust recipe-based decisions on malting, fermentation, maturation, and blending to other experts on their teams, they are generally responsible for the quality of the final product. They usually source the raw materials themselves and work with tasters on quality control to ensure consistent quality and flavor across all batches. They also have to ensure the distillery maintains the proper facilities and equipment for long-term storage for products that require aging. [5]
Master distillers often participate in the development of marketing campaigns and financing initiatives for new and existing products. With a goal of maximizing the value of the spirits produced by the distillery, they often incorporate the opinions of marketing teams and tasters into the product development phases. [5]
Additionally, master distillers often serve as the "face" of the distillery, meaning they are usually the recognizable person who interacts with the public and the press at tastings, product launch events, trade shows, and other key events. They work with everyone from customers to wholesalers and sometimes even other distilleries to promote products and gain a loyal following of satisfied customers. [5]
In addition to managing staff, master distillers are often responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the distillery, including handling finances and organizing distribution systems. They may have varying levels of involvement in the distilling process but usually at least manage the distilling team and plan staff training and development for a range of duties, including distillery functions like mashing and fermenting and administrative functions like accounting. Ensuring the team meets food safety standards at all times is also a key responsibility. [5]
On an administrative level, master distillers are sometimes in charge of regulatory paperwork to ensure all spirits remain in compliance with government rules and standards. The information that is monitored includes details about raw ingredients, equipment, and final product specifications. [6] Master distillers either record each phase of the distillation process themselves or assign this duty to someone else. Detailed records are necessary to ensure the right procedures are followed to create products that meet all the quality and food safety guidelines. [5]
In 2019 Discovery Channel (owned by Warner Brothers) debuted a reality based competition show called Moonshiners: Master Distillers [7] [8] . The show is currently in its 5th season in 2023.
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Various schools and institutes offer programs to teach distilling. Additionally, some distilleries offer educational programs, often combined with on-the-job training. [9] [10]
Jeff Arnett is the seventh Master Distiller in the history of the Jack Daniel Distillery, [11] having served in the position since 2008. He was honored by Whisky Magazine as "Master Distiller of the Year" in 2017. [12]
Don Facundo Bacardi Masso – Spanish by birth, the namesake of Bacardi rum emigrated to Cuba and opened a general store with his brothers in the early 1800s. In 1862, Bacardi purchased a small distillery and worked with Jose Leon Boutellier to create the charcoal mellowing distilling technique used to make the world's first white rum. [13]
James B. Beam – The Beam family has been distilling bourbon in Kentucky for more than two centuries. James Beauregard Beam, the namesake of the Jim Beam brand, revived the company after Prohibition. [14]
Joseph L. Beam – Another member of the Kentucky Beam family, Joseph was the original master distiller at Heaven Hill Distillery, the company he founded with Ed Shapira after Prohibition ended. Many of the company's brands are named after notable local distillers, including Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, and J.W. Dant. [15]
John Brannick – The co-founder and master distiller of Dublin Whiskey Distillery Company for many years beginning in 1872, Brannick produced D.W.D. Whisky for the company before leaving in 1887 to reopen Banagher Distillery. [16]
Vanessa Braxton – Declared the first female African-American master distiller and blender of a nationally distributed vodka within the United States by the New York Legislature. Today, Braxton owns and operates Black Momma Vodka, which she founded in 2013. [17] [18]
Elijah Craig – Craig was a Baptist minister in an eastern Kentucky county that was originally part of Virginia. Also a whiskey distiller, he is labeled the "Father of Bourbon" by maker Heaven Hill Distillery, who adds that note to most of its Elijah Craig labels. [19]
Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo – The namesake of Jose Cuervo tequila received the land grant for growing blue agave plants from the king of Spain in 1758. Jose Cuervo celebrated its 250th birthday in 2009. [20] [21]
Jack Daniel – After learning the craft of distilling from Nearest Green, Daniel went on to establish his own distillery with Green by his side. Today, the top-selling Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 whiskey is one of several whiskeys bearing the Jack Daniel name. [22]
J.W. Dant – 1830s bourbon distiller J.W. Dant used hollowed out logs instead of copper pot stills to distill bourbon. Today, J.W. Dant is a rye-based bourbon with an inexpensive price point. [23]
Marianne Barnes Eaves – Formerly the master distiller at Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, in 2016, Eaves became the first female bourbon master distiller in the state since before Prohibition. [24]
William Grant – The Scottish founder of William Grant & Sons – the parent company of Glenfiddich Scotch Whisky – built the original distillery by hand in 1886 with the help of five of his nine children. [25] [26]
Nathan "Nearest" Green – The actual first master distiller of Jack Daniel's whiskey went unacknowledged for more than a century, but Brown-Forman – the owner of Jack Daniel's – officially recognized Green, an African American former slave, as the mentor of a young Jack Daniel in May 2017. Two new whiskeys named after Green – Uncle Nearest 1856 aged whiskey and Uncle Nearest 1856 silver whiskey – were released the same year. [22]
John Jameson – Scottish by birth, Jameson took over management of the Bow Street Distillery in Dublin after marrying Margaret Haig, a cousin of the owners. Jameson Irish Whiskey was created at the distillery under his tutelage. [27]
Elmer T. Lee was a master distiller at Buffalo Trace Distillery famous for launching Blanton's, the first modern bourbon brand marketed as a single barrel bourbon. [28]
Colonel James E. Pepper – Pepper was known for his flamboyance and bold claims about his family's whiskey, Old Pepper. He also claimed his family's distillery was the largest in the world and the oldest in the U.S. [29]
Benjamin Prichard – Prichard originally distilled whiskey in the early 1800s in Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1997, his descendant, Phil Prichard, rejuvenated the family's distilling business in Kelso, Tennessee. Today, Prichard's distills rums and liqueurs in addition to Tennessee whiskeys. [30] [31]
Jimmy Russell – As master distiller at Wild Turkey, Russel has decades of hands-on distilling experience. His son, Eddie Russell, also became a master distiller for the company in 2015. [32] [3]
Jim Rutledge — Master distiller for over 20 years at Four Roses.
Don Cenobio Sauza – Often referred to as the "Father of Tequila", Sauza experimented with different varieties of plants before settling on mezcal azul as the one that produced the best flavor. This ultimately led to the exclusive use of this type of agave plant to make tequila. [33]
Charles Tanqueray – Tanqueray established his London gin distillery in the Bloomsberg area in 1830. As of 2016, the United States was the largest market for Tanqueray gin. [34]
Evan Williams – A Welsh immigrant and the first wharf master of Louisville, Kentucky, Williams started distilling in the late 1700s in Kentucky. The black label Evan Williams bottle claims he was Kentucky's first distiller in 1783. [35]
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.
Bourbon is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the dynasty. The name bourbon may not have been used until the 1850s; the association with Bourbon County did not appear until the 1870s.
Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey:
Tennessee whiskey is straight whiskey produced in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Although it has been legally defined as a bourbon whiskey in some international trade agreements, most current producers of Tennessee whiskey disclaim references to their products as "bourbon" and do not label them as such on any of their bottles or advertising materials. All current Tennessee whiskey producers are required by Tennessee law to produce their whiskeys in Tennessee and – with the sole exception of Benjamin Prichard's – to use a filtering step known as the Lincoln County Process prior to aging the whiskey. Beyond the perceived marketing value of the distinction, Tennessee whiskey and bourbon have almost identical requirements, and most Tennessee whiskeys meet the criteria for bourbon.
Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, by the Jack Daniel Distillery, which has been owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation since 1956.
George Dickel is a brand of Tennessee whisky produced in Tullahoma, in Coffee County, Tennessee. Today owned by Diageo, the modern brand was introduced in 1964, though the distillery has a longer history. Whisky production and aging takes place at the Cascade Hollow Distillery, which offers tours to the public and is part of the American Whiskey Trail. George Dickel operates the second-largest distillery in Tennessee, selling 130,000 cases in 2013, while the largest is Jack Daniel's, which sold 11.5 million cases the same year.
Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795, seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand. The brand name became "Jim Beam" in 1943 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business after Prohibition ended. Previously produced by the Beam family and later owned by the Fortune Brands holding company, the brand was purchased by Suntory Holdings in 2014.
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a variety of other distilled spirits.
The Lincoln County Process is a step used in producing almost all Tennessee whiskeys. The whiskey is filtered through—or steeped in—charcoal chips before going into the casks for aging. The process is named for Lincoln County, Tennessee, which was the location of Jack Daniel's distillery at the time of its establishment, but is no longer used in that county.
A master blender is an individual who develops specific blended spirits using a combination of spirits with different characteristics. For example, in the Scotch whisky industry, master blenders choose which single malts and grain whiskies to combine to make particular brands of blended whisky. A master blender is not the same thing as a master distiller, although one person may do both jobs at small craft distilleries. As the name suggests, the blender creates blends using spirits from different casks and is responsible for making sure the product remains consistent across different batches, while the distiller is either directly responsible for the mashing and distilling of spirits or simply holds the title as the administrative and marketing figurehead of the company.
Luxco, Inc. is a privately owned producer and marketer of distilled beverages and liqueurs based in St. Louis, Missouri. It has been owned by MGP Ingredients since 2021.
Willett Distillery Ltd, is a private, family-owned-and-operated company that produces bourbon and rye whiskey. Over the years, the company has bottled whiskeys that range from two years of aging maturity up to 28 years. The company was named Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) between 1984 and 2012.
Yellowstone is an American brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey founded in 1872 and owned and marketed by MGP Ingredients. It is distilled by the Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky.
Sazerac Company, Inc. is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionaire William Goldring and his family. As of 2017, it operated nine distilleries, had 2,000 employees, and operated in 112 countries. It is one of the two largest spirits companies in the United States, with annual revenue of about $1 billion made from selling about 300 beverage brands.
Benjamin Prichard's Tennessee Whiskey is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced in the small community of Kelso, Tennessee in the United States. Although it is produced by one of only two distilleries operating in Lincoln County – and its unaged variation is named Lincoln County Lightning – Prichard's is not produced using the Lincoln County Process. Due to a special grandfathering exemption under a Tennessee law enacted in 2013, the Prichard's distillery in Kelso is the only producer allowed to label its product as "Tennessee Whiskey" without using this process. Prichard's whiskey is produced entirely using pot stills rather than column stills.
Beam Suntory, Inc. is an American-founded, Japanese multinational company that produces alcoholic beverages. It is a subsidiary of Suntory, based in Osaka, Japan.
Old Pogue is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Located in Maysville, Kentucky, the Old Pogue Distillery carries strong family ties dating back to the 1870s, and is privately owned by members of the Pogue family.
Proximo Spirits, Inc., is an American multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in Jersey City, New Jersey. It is a major distributor of tequila and other spirits, it is best known for Jose Cuervo, the world's largest-selling tequila brand.
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced by Uncle Nearest, Inc., headquartered in Shelbyville, Tennessee, United States. The whiskey is named after the formerly enslaved man, Nathan "Nearest" Green, who taught a young Jack Daniel the craft of distilling.