Woodford Reserve named Elizabeth McCall as its newest master distiller on Monday, according to a Brown-Forman press release. She first joined the parent company in 2009, growing from her initial role in the company’s Research & Development department to becoming Woodford Reserve‘s master taster in 2015.
Previous master distiller Chris Morris mentored McCall since 2015, training her to eventually step into this leadership role. She’s the third master distiller in the brand’s nearly three-decades-long history.
“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,” McCall states in the release. “I look forward to following in his footsteps and crafting the world’s finest bourbon.”
McCall will replace Morris, who is set to remain on the Woodford team as a master distiller emeritus. She is the second person in her family, after her mother, to pursue a career in spirits. She also holds a master’s degree from the University of Louisville.
“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,” Morris states in the release. “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.”
The label was founded in 1996 and offers a line of several core whiskeys (two bourbons, one rye, one malt whiskey, and one wheat whiskey) as well as several small-batch releases.
