Raising a Glass to 8 Women Who Are Making Major Contributions to the Whiskey World

March is Women’s Month, and we wanted to toast these exceptional women in whiskey who are doing incredible things within the world of bourbon, scotch and beyond.

Though women have come a long way within the whiskey industry and multiple glass ceilings have been shattered — the industry still has its share of problems besides a lack of representation and opportunity.

A survey in August titled “Do You Even Like Whiskey” conducted by Our Whiskey Foundation revealed that out of 600 women working in the whiskey industry, 70% faced sexual harassment on the job.

Twenty-seven percent of the women who experienced sexual harassment faced it within less than five years of working within the industry, making the problem a very real and current one. Many women faced widespread assumptions that whiskey is still considered “a man’s drink,” yet we know that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The following women in whiskey are key players, and have made contributions to many incredible brands. They are tirelessly shaping the landscape of this dynamic field with their incredible contributions. Their inspiring stories show other women that it is possible to make an impact in the whiskey world.

Raising a Glass to 8 Women in Whiskey Shaking Things Up in the Industry

To the Moguls: Fawn Weaver and Victoria Eady Butler

Uncle Nearest is a whiskey brand that is rapidly becoming a household name, and a lot of that is thanks to its CEO, Fawn Weaver, and her keen leadership. Weaver founded Uncle Nearest in 2016, and its ascent to whiskey superstardom has been nothing short of meteoric.

Uncle Nearest is the best-selling African-American-founded spirit brand of all time, according to the brand, and has a hefty amount of accolades behind it. Weaver additionally founded the Nearest Green Foundation, a non-profit that offers scholarships to the descendants of Nearest Green, the world’s first-known African-American master distiller.

Victoria Eady Butler is the master blender at Uncle Nearest and is the great-great-granddaughter of Nearest Green. Thanks to her work, Uncle Nearest has earned over 1,075 awards.

When Eady Butler was young, her grandmother often told her the story of her descendant, Nearest Green, who taught Jasper “Jack” Daniel how to make whiskey and perfected the Lincoln County process. Yet, Eady Butler didn’t explore the world of whiskey right away.

According to Whisky Magazine, Eady Butler worked in law enforcement before joining the Uncle Nearest Team. She was a supervisor who ran a team of criminal and forensic analysts for almost 31 years.

Weaver approached Eady Butler and asked her to join the team when she got word that Eady Butler was going to retire from her career in law enforcement. Eady Butler initially joined the Uncle Nearest team in an administrative role and was asked about two months in to blend a batch of 1884 Small Batch Whiskey.

Though Eady Butler was nervous, she took to the process as if destined to blend whiskey.

“From that moment on, there was no question who would blend every future bottle of Uncle Nearest,” Weaver said.

Eady Butler described making whiskey as “feels like home” in the Whisky Magazine interview. In March 2022, Eady Butler was named Whisky Magazine’s Master Blender of the Year for the second time in a row, making history.

To the Scientist: Dr. Rachel Barrie

Brown-Forman Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie has worked in whiskey for over 30 years and has a chemistry background.

Barrie’s résumé is impressive. She has worked with brands like Ardbeg, The Glenmorangie and Glen Moray.  She additionally managed stocks for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, according to a career retrospective feature by Master of Malt.

At present, Barrie serves as master blender for The GlenDronach, BenRiach and Glenglassaugh. In 2019, Barrie was made the Keeper of the Quaich, one of the highest honors within the scotch whisky industry.

Over three decades ago, she entered the whisky industry as a researcher under the leadership of Dr. Jim Swan, who was referred to as the “Einstein of Whisky.” After working under Swan’s leadership, Barrie moved to Brown-Forman and rapidly moved up the ranks.

According to Forbes, Barrie is all about keeping the character of the distillery’s signature style and experimenting with different casks. Barrie sees the different distilleries she works with as have different “personalities,” and she is all about using oak as a tool to emphasize each brand’s distinctive characteristics.

“I think for any distillery, really understanding your unique DNA is important and sets you up for the future,” Barrie told Master of Malt in an interview. “The first thing I did with GlenDronach, Benriach and Glenglassaugh was really take the time to explore the inventory and refine the signature for each.”

Barrie’s passion for the industry indicates no sign that she’s slowing down, and she expressed that making whisky is much more collaborative and easier than it used to be.

“I wish I had another 30 years to work,” she concluded.

To the Future: Elizabeth McCall

Elizabeth McCall is the master distiller at Woodford Reserve. She has an impressive 10-year background working in the spirits industry and started at Brown-Forman as a sensory expert in 2009.

The Louisville native became Woodford’s first female master distiller in February 2023. McCall was brought on to succeed Chris Morris, who voiced his opinion that Woodford Reserve’s future “couldn’t be more promising” with McCall at the helm.

Interestingly enough, becoming a master distiller wasn’t a part of her initial plan. Whiskey University reports that McCall studied psychology and intended to become a therapist before entering the whiskey industry. After she was brought on at Brown-Forman, she became one of the youngest women to achieve the title of assistant master distiller at Woodford.

Quality control remains priority No. 1 for McCall, and during an interview with Robb Report, she claimed her success stems from focusing on the liquid inside of the bottle. She expressed in the interview that Woodford currently has releases for the next decade planned out. She says she is inspired by history, experimenting with flavors and “current sustainability work in rye and other small grains for future innovation.”

Though McCall’s tenure as master distiller is just beginning, we look forward to seeing where Woodford Reserve goes in the future.

To the Rebel: Marianne Eaves

Marianne Eaves holds the title of Kentucky’s first female bourbon master distiller since Prohibition.

Eaves found bourbon after leaving the art world and obtained a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville. She interned at Brown-Forman and worked her way up to master taster and associate process research engineer. After five years at Brown-Forman, she departed to become the first female master distiller at Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.

After leaving Castle & Key, Eaves started her own company, Eaves LLC, and shifted her focus to getting other bourbon brands off the ground. She has worked with multiple celebrity-inspired brands, including Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick’s Sweetens Cove brand and Dr DisRespect’s Black Steel Bourbon.

In May, Eaves unveiled her own brand, Forbidden Bourbon. The debut expression used white winter wheat and white corn in the mash, making it a category first. Eaves chose to use “cuisine-quality” corn and made the whiskey with a cold-fermentation process.

“Total creativity involves a certain degree of rebellion,” Eaves explained regarding her choices for the release. “To be completely creative, I tend to do things that are a bit forbidden.”

To the Nose: Nancy Fraley

If you’re a whiskey enthusiast, there’s a good chance you’ve tasted a whiskey blended by Nancy Fraley.

Fraley entered the whiskey world after an extensive career working in Cognac. She worked under a 10th-generation Cognac maker, Hubert Robin, at Germain-Robin brandy house, according to American Whiskey Magazine.

During her tenure, she learned antique production techniques, which gave her a strong foundation for the whiskey blending world. She started her consulting business in 2010 and hasn’t looked back since. Fraley has earned the nickname “The Nose” thanks to her sensorial excellence. She has lent her talents to brands like Joseph Magnus, Wyoming Whiskey, Smooth Ambler, Ironroot Republic, J. Henry & Sons, St. Augustine Distillery and many more.

Fraley has focused much on her time on Still Austin in recent years, and many of their whiskeys have received excellent scores at Whiskey Raiders.

Fraley likes to bring her knowledge of French blending to her work in whiskey. According to The Whiskey Wash, Fraley’s nose is so developed she can detect flaws and faults made during the distillation process, such as acetic acid issues, fairly easily.

Fraley says her process is heavily influenced by music — she is a musician who plays multiple instruments — and brings sonic influences to her work.

To the Fighter: Heather Greene

Heather Greene is the CEO and master blender of Milam & Greene Whiskey. She entered the world of whiskey via scotch, according to an interview with Whisky Magazine. Greene worked as a scotch ambassador for five years after falling in love with whiskies from distilleries like The Macallan, Bowmore and Glenmorangie.

When she was ready to make a change, she faced more than her fair share of obstacles.

“I was told behind the scenes that hiring a woman as an ambassador for a whisky company was a ‘non-starter,” Greene told Whisky Magazine. “They were still hiring women in little black dresses behind tables at conferences and trade shows, and I like a little black dress as much as anybody, but it was a thing.”

Yet, Greene did not let the misogyny that pervades the industry deter her. Ever the fighter, she adapted and found another way.

After regrouping, Greene worked at the Flatiron Room and got a book deal where she wrote “Whisk(e)y Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life,” which was shortlisted by the New York Times. After a period of consulting, she founded Milam & Greene.

Milam & Greene’s Port Finished Rye was awarded “Best In Show” by The American Craft Spirits Association in 2021. In 2023, Greene made the cover of American Whiskey Magazine and was named Master Blender of the Year by Bourbon Women. As Milam & Greene continues to catapult into the whiskey stratosphere, it appears Greene managed to carve her own path in the whiskey world and her career trajectory is going nowhere but up.

To the Trailblazer: Jackie Zykan

Jackie Zykan arguably has one of the most respected palates in the bourbon business. The former master taster for Old Forester, Zykan’s palate has been critical to successful releases such as Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, President’s Choice, Old Forester 150th Anniversary and many more.

According to Whiskey University, Zykan was initially hired to work for the brand as a spokeswoman in 2015, and during her first day on the job, a fire broke out on Whiskey Row at the Old Forester Distillery.

Zykan learned about the brand’s plans to build a new campus and informed the president of Brown-Forman that by the time the distillery’s new campus was completed she would be master taster for Old Forester. She stayed true to her word.

Zykan left Old Forester in July 2022 to strike out on her own and launched her own company, Hidden Barn Whiskey. Whiskeys from the brand have won Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

When Zykan is not working on her own whiskey brand, she’s busy perfecting her whiskey-based fragrance line, ODUOAK. These unisex scents are inspired by the aromas from whiskey.

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