Women in Whisky Today: Distillers, Blenders and Industry Leaders
Women in whisky hold roles across blending, distilling, site management, archives and business leadership. The appointments and published profiles below show that breadth through named people and specific work, with dates attached so that an earlier career milestone is not mistaken for a current job listing.
Women in whisky today: beyond the master blender title
Elizabeth McCall’s appointment as Woodford Reserve Master Distiller in February 2023 and Kirsten Robertson’s appointment as Senior Operator at Lagavulin in August that year offer two distinct examples of production leadership. Diageo’s undated account identifies Aimée Morrison as Port Ellen Master Blender and Kirsten Wilson as Senior Site Manager at Glenkinchie and Oban; their current posts have not been reliably established. These are different responsibilities, not interchangeable versions of the same job. [7][12]
The people here should therefore be read through their work rather than gathered under a single idea of a “woman in whisky”. A research background, responsibility for a whisky range, management of a production site and stewardship of an archive each deserve attention on their own terms.
This is a selected survey of documented careers, not a ranking or a complete industry directory. Its emphasis is on appointments, experience and responsibilities rather than unsupported claims about how much of the industry women represent.
Scotch blending and whisky making
Emma Walker: science before the surname
On 20 October 2021, Diageo announced Dr Emma Walker as Johnnie Walker Master Blender, succeeding Dr Jim Beveridge OBE. The company described her as the first woman to hold the role in Johnnie Walker’s 200 year history; she is not related to the Walker family. [1]
At appointment, Walker had spent 13 years at Diageo and led a 12 person whisky team. Her earlier work included Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare and Jane Walker by Johnnie Walker, giving the announcement a substantial professional background beyond its headline first. [1]
Walker holds a PhD and entered Diageo after applying for a Project Scientist role at its Menstrie technical centre. That route is worth keeping in view: the shared surname is incidental, while her scientific training and recorded work provide context for the appointment. [12]
Stephanie Macleod: responsibilities across several malts
According to Bacardi, Stephanie Macleod joined the company in Glasgow in 1998 and became Master Blender for Dewar’s in 2006. Its June 2024 account identifies her as Director of Blending, Scotch Whisky, and Malt Master for Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, Royal Brackla and The Deveron. [2]
Those named responsibilities make her profile more informative than a title alone. The record connects her work with Dewar’s and her responsibilities for Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, Royal Brackla and The Deveron. [2]
Bacardi also records that Macleod became the first woman named Master Blender of the Year by the International Whisky Competition in 2019, winning for a sixth consecutive time in June 2024. That is a specific competition record, not proof that any whisky is better than another. [2]
Rachel Barrie: chemistry and accumulated experience
Dr Rachel Barrie studied chemistry at the University of Edinburgh and began her career at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. Brown-Forman’s appointment announcement records 16 years at Glenmorangie, including eight as master blender, followed by five years at Morrison Bowmore. [3][4]
On 20 February 2017, Brown-Forman named her whisky maker for BenRiach, The GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh, effective from 1 March. The announcement date and the date she took up the position are separate facts, both useful when tracing her career. [3]
The BBC reported in April 2018 that Barrie had held the title of master blender since 2003. Its profile called her “one of the few women ever” to hold that title in Scotch, not the first woman to do so. Her documented career needs no broader priority claim to make it significant. [4]
Kirsteen Campbell: a newly created role
The Macallan appointed Kirsteen Campbell its first master whisky maker in October 2019. She had begun her career in 2002, joined Edrington in 2007 and become Cutty Sark master blender in 2010. The Macallan position was newly created, rather than an inherited place in a long succession of holders. [5]
The Macallan’s undated account identifies Campbell as the first woman to hold its Master Whisky Maker role. It credits her with signing each ongoing release in The Red Collection and Lead Whisky Maker Sarah Burgess with signing the guest releases; their current posts have not been reliably established. [6]
American whiskey: distilling and blending
Elizabeth McCall: a recorded progression at Woodford Reserve
Woodford Reserve named Elizabeth McCall Master Distiller on 6 February 2023, succeeding Chris Morris. The producer described her as the third person to hold the position in its 26 year history. [7]
McCall joined Brown-Forman research and development in 2009, became Master Taster in 2015 and Assistant Master Distiller in February 2018. Woodford Reserve also identifies her as the second generation of her family to work in spirits, following her mother. [7]
These milestones provide the substance behind the appointment: research and development, tasting responsibility and an assistant master distiller position preceded the senior title. They also make McCall a clear counterexample to the notion that women’s work in whisky is confined to promotion. [7]
Victoria Eady Butler: family connection and professional responsibility
Whisky Magazine’s undated interview identifies Victoria Eady Butler as Nearest Green’s great great granddaughter and as a master blender at Uncle Nearest. Her current post has not been reliably established. [8]
Story box: From administration to blending
Founding story: Not applicable to this career account.
Turning point: Butler joined Uncle Nearest as Vice President of Administration in March 2019 and became master blender later that year. [8]
Key person: Victoria Eady Butler, identified in the interview as an Uncle Nearest master blender. [8]
Documented record: Whisky Magazine records both appointments and Butler’s family connection to Nearest Green. [8]
Claim and source mapping: The interview supports the appointments and family connection: https://whiskymag.com/articles/video-interview-with-uncle-nearest-master-blender-victoria-eady-butler/
Verdict badge
Claim: Butler moved from an administrative role to master blender at Uncle Nearest in 2019.
Verdict: Documented. The interview records both roles in that year. [8]
Evidence against or gap: No contrary evidence is recorded on the supplied sheet.
Earliest known source: Not established; the supplied interview is undated.
Source: Whisky Magazine, interview with Victoria Eady Butler: https://whiskymag.com/articles/video-interview-with-uncle-nearest-master-blender-victoria-eady-butler/
Last checked: November 2026. The exact day is not recorded.
Those are two distinct parts of her profile: a documented family connection and a documented professional appointment. Neither should be used as shorthand for the other, and the work deserves attention alongside the ancestry. [8]
Marianne Eaves: keep the scope of a first precise
Marianne Eaves’s own biography records that she was the first woman to hold the Master Distiller title at Castle and Key in Frankfort and that she launched Forbidden Bourbon in 2023. Those are specific claims about a named workplace and a named venture. [10]
Claim: Marianne Eaves was Kentucky’s first female bourbon Master Distiller since Prohibition.
Verdict: Disputed. Her own biography makes the claim, but the supplied research did not independently verify it. No conflicting account is identified on the sheet. [10]
Earliest known source: Not established. Eaves’s undated biography is the source supplied: https://www.marianneeaves.com/me-bio
Last checked: November 2026. The exact day is not recorded.
Irish whiskey: blending, archives and leadership
The Irish Times identified Helen Mulholland of Bushmills as Ireland’s first female master blender in its January 2019 profile. It also reported that she became the first woman inducted into the Whiskey Hall of Fame that year, her 25th at Bushmills. [9]
Archives belong in this picture too. The same newspaper identified Carol Quinn as archivist for Irish Distillers at Midleton; a 2026 account identified her as Head of Archives at Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard. Her inclusion broadens the discussion beyond the people whose signatures or titles appear beside a release. [9][11]
A Women in Irish Whiskey event at the Midleton Distillery Experience on 6 March 2026 brought several kinds of leadership into the same programme. Speakers included Jaime Jordan, General Manager of Midleton Distillery; Aoife Clarke of Suntory Global Spirits; and Alice Carroll, founder of Foxes Bow Irish Whiskey. [11]
That programme is useful evidence of named participation across distillery management, a spirits business and brand founding. It should not be stretched into a statistical claim about representation throughout Irish whiskey.
A short appointment timeline
These selected dates make the range of roles easier to see. Each records a particular appointment, not a claim that the person still holds the same post in November 2026.
| Date | Appointment or milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Stephanie Macleod became Dewar’s Master Blender | [2] |
| 1 March 2017 | Rachel Barrie’s Brown-Forman appointment took effect | [3] |
| October 2019 | Kirsteen Campbell became The Macallan’s first master whisky maker | [5] |
| 20 October 2021 | Diageo announced Emma Walker’s appointment | [1] |
| 6 February 2023 | Woodford Reserve named Elizabeth McCall Master Distiller | [7] |
| August 2023 | Kirsten Robertson became Lagavulin Senior Operator | [12] |
Reading the headlines accurately
“First” is useful only when its boundaries remain visible. First at Johnnie Walker, first in a newly created Macallan role and first at a particular distillery describe different achievements; none establishes who was the first woman master blender across Scotch. [1][4][5]
Equally, “women in whisky” should not become shorthand for marketing. The recorded roles here include master distiller, senior operator and senior site manager, alongside blending, archives and business leadership. Looking at the actual responsibility gives a fuller picture than either a celebratory headline or a familiar stereotype. [7][11][12]
For the earlier record, start with women who changed whisky history. Keeping that historical question separate allows this page to concentrate on the named careers and appointments that shape its contemporary survey.
Where to go next
- The Women Who Changed Whisky History: explore the earlier record behind the contemporary careers.
- Bessie Williamson: From Secretary to Owner of Laphroaig: follow a focused account of distillery leadership.
- Helen and Elizabeth Cumming: The Women Who Made Cardhu: read a separate study of women in whisky history.
Sources
- Diageo. New Master Blender for Johnnie Walker as industry legend retires. Producer’s account, 20 October 2021. https://www.diageo.com/en/news-and-media/stories/2021/new-master-blender-for-johnnie-walker-as-industry-legend-retires
- Bacardi Limited. Sláinte To Six! Stephanie Macleod Wins 'Master Blender of the Year' For Record-Breaking Sixth Time. Producer’s account, June 2024. https://www.bacardilimited.com/media/news-archive/slainte-to-six-stephanie-macleod-wins-master-blender-of-the-year-for-record-breaking-sixth-time/
- Brown-Forman. Brown-Forman Names Rachel Barrie Whisky Maker for BenRiach, The GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh Distilleries. Producer’s announcement, 20 February 2017. https://investors.brown-forman.com/investors/news-releases/press-release/2017/Brown-Forman-Names-Rachel-Barrie-Whisky-Maker-for-BenRiach-The-GlenDronach-and-Glenglassaugh-Distilleries/default.aspx
- BBC News. The master blender who is Scotch whisky's First Lady. 22 April 2018. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-43712091
- The Spirits Business. Macallan names Campbell its first master whisky maker. 1 October 2019. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2019/10/macallan-names-campbell-its-first-master-whisky-maker/
- The Macallan. The Red Collection: A Dream of Old. Producer’s account, undated edition supplied in the fact sheet. https://www.themacallan.com/en/inside-the-macallan/our-history/a-dream-of-old
- Woodford Reserve. Woodford Reserve Names Elizabeth McCall Master Distiller. Producer’s announcement, 6 February 2023. https://www.woodfordreserve.com/woodford-reserve-names-elizabeth-mccall-master-distiller/
- Whisky Magazine. Interview with Uncle Nearest master blender, Victoria Eady Butler. Undated edition supplied in the fact sheet. https://whiskymag.com/articles/video-interview-with-uncle-nearest-master-blender-victoria-eady-butler/
- The Irish Times. A spirit of success: the women of Irish whiskey. 19 January 2019. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/drink/a-spirit-of-success-the-women-of-irish-whiskey-1.3752347
- Marianne Eaves. Bio. Subject’s own account, undated edition supplied in the fact sheet. https://www.marianneeaves.com/me-bio
- Technological University Dublin. Women in Irish Whiskey hosted an International Women's Day. 2026. https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/faculties-and-schools/sciences-health/food-science--environmental-health-grangegorman/news/women-in-irish-whiskey-hosted-an-international-womens-day.php
- Malts.com, Diageo. Women in Whisky: From Past to Present. Producer’s account, undated edition supplied in the fact sheet. https://www.malts.com/en-gb/articles/women-in-whisky
This desk-researched survey uses the supplied verified fact sheet, distinguishing producers’ appointment records from independent reporting and subjects’ own accounts.
Last checked: November 2026