In February 2023, Woodford Reserve announced Elizabeth McCall as its third master distiller, taking over from Chris Morris who helped launch the bourbon back in 1996. The late 20th century was a particularly slow period for the American whiskey category and almost 30 years on, at the infancy of McCall’s reign, the sector is experiencing a similar climate.

“I know the timing doesn’t look good, but I promise it’s not my fault,” says McCall with an endearing smile in the Library Bar at The Ned, London. “There are a lot of headwinds and I think that our team is doing a really good job of navigating tariffs, plus it’s a good opportunity for us to re-evaluate our game plan.

“It’s all speculative, because I don’t know who’s going to be in the White House in the next administration. But I see light at the end of the tunnel and I think it’s going to be OK. I don’t see it lasting too long because, ultimately, whiskey is all about bringing the good together and sharing positivity.”

Since McCall joined Brown-Forman in 2009, the number of Kentucky distilleries making bourbon has risen to almost 100, according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

“I think high tides raise all ships,” adds McCall. “It’s been really good to have the craft industry being innovative, which helped push the industry into new territory while also making consumers more tolerant of new styles. But then there's only so far you can go without losing that identifiable style.

“It’s similar to the way Chris (Morris) innovated and was able to introduce more permanent products to the range like Double Oak, which at the time was so different to anything else.

“That’s really our challenge – to try to find what’s going to be the next Double Oaked. But it’s unpredictable, most of the time these breakthroughs are happy accidents, which I find fascinating.”

new era

Morris was only the second master distiller at Woodford Reserve and spent 20 years with the brand from 2003 before McCall took over.

“We’re entering a new era for Woodford. There’s more eyes on the brand than ever before and I feel a great responsibility because, while brand managers and marketing people come and go, I’m going to be here for the next 20, maybe 25 years. Therefore, I have to maintain the brand’s integrity and qualities which make it so beloved.”

During her two years in charge, McCall has introduced several whiskies, including the 2024 Master’s Collection which finished a blend of bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskies in Madeira barrels, and the most recent launch was a cask strength rye.

“I think your average drinker can be a little intimidated by rye because a lot of those on the market are 95% or 100% rye, and it’s such an aggressive profile. Historically, when rye whiskey was in its prime, it wasn’t 100% rye and ours is 53% rye, 33% part. It gives so much complexity to the flavour profile. But it still is a niche area and we have to change the perception.”

Having joined Brown-Forman as a technician, McCall played roles as Woodford Reserve master taster and worked in quality control before working her way to master distiller.

“Processing, blending and finishing are my expertise – I leave other processes up to our true experts. Our distillation is pretty much set in stone. But fermentation, I’ve really been working closely with our quality control specialist in the distillery. We’re making adjustments to temperature profile of our fermentation. Most people don’t think about how important fermentation is to your finished product. They just think about the wood, the finishing and age statement.”

innovation

Woodford Reserve is a brand known for its innovation, and McCall is working on some new concepts to challenge the norm.

“In the barrel finishing space, we’re thinking of using cocktails as the inspiration,” adds McCall. “Everybody’s trying to nail that ready-to-pour cocktail and actually, a few years ago, the marketing team came asking me to develop a Manhattan.

“But now we’re exploring that through barrel finishing in the style of a classic cocktail flavour profile rather than an actual RTD. Trying to emulate the flavour of an Old Fashioned or a Sazerac, for example.

“That’s something I’m excited about because it’s a fun challenge, and one that hasn’t been done before.

“The other thing we’re looking at is grain recipes. Because Woodford Reserve is a smaller distillery, we can play around with the complexity of grains. It’s still a secret, but what I will say is that we already have one that we’ve laid down, we’re going to produce a little bit more of it, and it’s like a caramel chocolate bourbon. Another one, which is still in the prototype phase, gives the flavours of an Espresso Martini and I love the taste of a bourbon Espresso Martini. I’m really excited about the innovations we have coming out.

“I think a Highball would be fun to do too. If we had the right packaging it would be a really good thing for the brand because up until now, I don’t think anyone has nailed the premium RTD Highball. Also, if it’s just the whiskey and sparkling water with the right ratio and carbonation then it would be an easy drinker and then if you did any flavours keep them really simple without sugar. I think a lot of people are intimidated by a 40% bourbon, but if it’s in a 5% can then it’s opened up to a whole new audience.

“It’s funny because if you had asked me five years ago I’d have said no, absolutely not, but now I do feel like there’s such an appetite and I think it could welcome a lot of people into the category, and I think we need this right now.”

Despite joining the company more than 15 years ago, McCall oozes enthusiasm as if it’s her first day on the job. Although given the average lifecycle of a Woodford master distiller is 20 years, she’s still very much in her primitive years. Much like the brand, McCall is a healthy combination of Kentucky thoroughbred and fresh innovation and if her creative juices continue to flow, we can expect some exciting releases well into the future.