American distilleries have changed the face of who they call their person representing the distillery and their brands over the years. In the past, up to the late 20th century, they had as their main person the owner of the distillery. He was called a “distiller”, but not “Master Distiller“. The Master Distiller was the person the owner hired to actually make the whiskey. He was often, but not always, the “Master Blender,” as well as, the Master Distiller. The Master Blender was the person who would take the barrels and marry them together to create the taste profile of the brand. This was an important job as different brands from the same distillery needed to have a different and consistent taste profile.

This changed in the late 20th century. The term “Master Distiller” became the person who would represent the brand to the public. It started by taking the Master Distiller out of the distillery and on the road more often. These were personalities like Booker Noe, Elmer T. Lee, Parker Beam and Jimmy Russell. This quickly became a job that left them with little time in the distillery, so the plant manager assumed the day to day operations of the distillery and was the Master Distiller in all but name. Then came the boom in growth of bourbon as the artisan distillery movement took hold and grew. Soon, the term Master Distiller was whoever owned the distillery, whether they were making the whiskey or not.

Many brands were created by “non-distiller Producers” or rectifiers. Many of them started using the term “Master Blender” for their spokesperson. This is a more honest way of expressing the way their whiskey is made. It takes talent to become a good blender of whiskey and many of these people have created excellent whiskeys. It has become a very complicated procedure as not only are they blending whiskey from barrels from a single distillery, they are often blending whiskey from barrels from several different distilleries and trying to keep the same taste profile for the brand they created.

I have said before that it takes more than just owning a distillery to become a Master Distiller. I would prefer it if the distilleries turned back the clock to the 19th and early 20th century and call the owner a “Distiller”. They own the distillery and make their living from distilling alcohol. They should save the term “Master Distiller” for the person who actually makes the whiskey. Blending is often done by a group of people led by a Master Blender. That person could be the owner of the operation, but not always. The brand needs to be open as to who that is and to be fair, most brands are clear as to who that is. Heather Greene of Milam and Greene is a prime example of this.

One big change for the better from the 19th and 20th centuries is the fact that there are now women who work as Master Distillers and Master Blenders. Some of the most talented are people like Heather Greene, Lisa Wicker, and Sherrie Moore. There are other women also filling these roles, too numerous to name here. The distilling industry has had a change in face when it comes to who represents their brands and how they are titled in the 21″ century.

Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl and Rosemary Miller