master distiller is a term of art rather than science, bestowed on the person in charge of a distillery’s output by its ownership. In general, the master distiller is someone who oversees the entire production and aging process: from sourcing and preparing the raw materials—milling the grain, crushing the cane, selecting the juniper berries—to producing and testing the yeast, to creating and maintaining the mash bill, to guiding the fermentation and distillation processes.
Master distiller has long been used—the term dates back at least to the early nineteenth century—as an acknowledgment of the completion of a long, informal, and sometimes nepotistic apprenticeship process, an honorific title indicating ultimate responsibility for a large, fully operating distillery. Contemporary usage has changed that; in many cases today, the master distiller is as much a traveling brand ambassador and marketer as a hands-on, day-to-day distillery manager. The job’s duties now often include presenting a company’s spirits to consumers and the trade, speaking at events, and otherwise representing the brand to the world.
There is no certifying organization nor series of tests or tasks needed to earn the title, unlike one finds with the traditional guild distinctions of master carpenter or master electrician. Nor is there any need to study under other experienced practitioners of the craft (as is required to earn the master brewer honorific). Therefore, anyone can be named a master distiller or claim the title. For example, in 2014 the owners of the soon to be reopened Old Taylor bourbon distillery named a twenty-eight-year-old with five total years’ experience in the distilling business their master distiller. Usually, though, the title is awarded to someone who manages to combine technical expertise and experience with a colorful turn of phrase and the patience to explain such matters to outsiders.
By: Jack Robertiello