Elizabeth McCall named Master Distiller of Woodford Reserve, in a major bourbon industry milestone for women. WoodfordReserve whiskey feminism WoodfordReserve
In a truly significant moment for women in the wider whiskey industry, distiller Elizabeth McCall has been named as the new Master Distiller for Woodford Reserve. She succeeds the venerable Chris Morris, who has been working at some capacity at Brown-Forman ever since 1976, who will now assume the role of “Master Distiller Emeritus” while continuing to serve as the everyday Master Distiller on other Brown-Forman brands such as Old Forester.
This is a big moment; perhaps even bigger than it sounds off hand, because there have been very few women given a chance at such a post in the whiskey industry. Although it’s not terribly hard to find smaller distilleries, start-ups and microdistilleries with women heading up the distilling operations, Woodford Reserve contends that McCall will likely become the first official female master distiller—ever—for a major American whiskey brand as she takes the post.
“I am humbled to stand upon the foundation built by Chris Morris, who is one of the most well-known and respected Master Distillers in the world,” said McCall in a statement. “I look forward to following in his footsteps and crafting the world’s finest bourbon.” The “boys club” of men at the upper echelons of distilling operations at major American whiskey producers—especially in the world of Kentucky bourbon—has been an open secret for decades. In more recent years, an increasing number of women have worked their way into high-profile roles in many of these companies, but those jobs have in many instances remained on the side of “brand representatives,” rather than workers with a lot of direct control over product development.
“I am proud of and confident in Elizabeth’s ability to maintain the award-winning flavor profile of the Woodford Reserve family into the next generation,” said Morris in a statement. “Her inquisitive nature bodes well for those who have come to expect innovative flavor concepts from our Master’s Collection and Distillery Series offerings. The future couldn’t be more promising for Woodford Reserve.