Can you believe it is already March? You may not know that March is National Women’s History Month, dedicated to recognizing women often overlooked in American history, culture, and science.
Women’s History Month began
in Sonoma, California, in 1978, as presentations were performed at dozens of
schools, and hundreds of students participated in a Real Woman essay
contest. There was also a parade that took place in Santa Rosa. Then, in 1980, President
Jimmy Carter declared National Women's History Week the week of March 8th.
Congress declared it as such in 1981, and in 1987, the National Women’s History
Project petitioned Congress, who agreed to celebrate the entire month of March
as National Women’s History Month.
Yet, that’s not the beginning
of the story. On March 8, 1911, was the first International Women’s Day.
The United Nations sponsored it in 1975, stating:
“To recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality, and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security.”
For 2025, I’ve chosen to
recognize a selection of essential and fascinating women in whiskey because, well, I like
whiskey and women. I even married one (a woman, not a bottle of whiskey). On a
more serious note, women have had an incredible impact on the industry, and you
should know about them and what they’ve accomplished.
Scotland - Helen Cumming
One of the most important women in whiskey history is someone you’ve likely not heard of. Her name was Helen Cumming.
She was the earliest recorded female Scotch distiller and founded Cardhu in 1824. She disguised her distillery as a bakery to evade the tax auditors, and when she knew they were in the area, she would fly a red flag so other distillers were aware. She was also known to walk around with bladders of whisky beneath her clothing, knowing that it would be undignified for her to be searched. She worked well into her 90s and handed control of the distillery to her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth.
Scotland - Margaret and Flora Macdougall
Sticking with Scotland,
there are two women you should know about: Margaret and Flora Macdougall. After their brother Alex's death in 1853, the sisters took over the Ardbeg distillery, becoming history's first female distillery managers. Not much is
documented about them short of their partner, Colin Hay, who assumed sole
control of Ardbeg in 1865.
Scotland - Bessie Williamson
Next is Bessie Williamson, the only woman in the 20th century to run and manage a distillery. It is Scotland’s well-respected Laphroaig distillery.
Bessie started as a shorthand typist in 1934 and became the office manager. She was eager to learn and was mentored by Ian Hunter. In 1938, Ian suffered a stroke, and Bessie took on even more responsibilities. He died in 1954 and left the distillery to Bessie! She was well-respected on Islay as she employed many of the island’s residents.
Scotland - Dr. Rachel Barrie
The last Scottish woman I’ll touch on is Dr. Rachel Barrie. A trained chemist, Dr. Barrie worked for Dr. Jim Swan as a researcher at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. Dr. Swan is known for demonstrating that whisky didn’t have to age for decades to taste great.
Dr. Barrie researched oak
maturation and its impact on whisky flavors. She was a production worker at Glenmorangie,
Ardbeg, and Glen Moray. In 2003, she became a Master Blender and
managed the stocks for the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society.
In 2011, Dr. Barrie worked
with Bowmore, Auchentoshan, and Glen Garioch. Then, in
2017, she became the Master Blender of three distilleries simultaneously: BenRiach,
Glenglassaugh, and GlenDronach, where she remains.
USA - Catherine Spears Frye Carpenter
If we travel back to the United States, Catherine Spears Frye Carpenter is credited with coming up with the first sour mash recipe. She likely didn’t write it down, as she was illiterate. Her recipe is on display at the Kentucky Historical Society.
USA - Mary Dowling
Then, there is Mary Dowling, whose husband, John, owned Waterfill, Dowling & Company in the 1880s. Mary was known as a shrewd businesswoman, and John brought her on to help run the distillery just before his death. She was his legal heir and became one of the first American women to own, run, and manage a distillery.
Mary’s story didn’t end
there. In 1904, her distillery suffered a significant fire. She restored it
quickly and resumed production. Then, Prohibition became a reality, and her
distillery wasn’t one of the lucky six. She began to relocate her stocks “elsewhere”
and continued to distill illicitly for four years.
What stopped her were the
revenuers, assisted by two bootleggers, who either Mary rubbed the wrong way or
the duo cut a deal to avoid prosecution. They set her up, and she was busted,
tried, and convicted. However, due to the court stenographer passing away
without anyone understanding his notes, the conviction was overturned, and the
charges were thrown out.
Rather than pack it in, in
1926, Mary hired Joseph L. Beam to carefully deconstruct the distillery
and relocate it, piece by piece, to Juarez, Mexico, reconstruct it, and resume
distilling Waterfill & Frazier Bourbon. Mary died in 1930, a few
years shy of Prohibition’s repeal. But her response, shoving her middle finger
at the US government, taking her ball, and going elsewhere, was fantastic.
USA - Nancy L. Fraley
In more recent years, we have Nancy “The Nose” Fraley. She is a master blender responsible for more American whiskeys than you can shake a stick at. Then, there’s Kamet Indian Single Malt Whisky, which she helped develop while stuck in India during COVID-19.
I’ve met Nancy. She’s
brilliant. She earned a Master of Theological Studies at Harvard and a law
degree from the University of San Francisco but didn’t want to practice law.
She started working with brandies, concentrating heavily on aromas and flavors.
She built a solid reputation and has been instrumental with brands such as Wyoming
Whiskey, J. Henry & Sons, Still Austin, Joseph A
Magnus & Co., and many others. She is also the creator of the American
Craft Whiskey Aroma Wheel.
USA - Marlene Holmes
Down in Texas, there’s a master distiller named Marlene Holmes. She’s part of Milam & Greene Whiskey and the only female distiller named to Whisky Magazine’s Hall of Fame. Her induction was this past February.
Marlene began her career
with Jim Beam in 1990 and was mentored by Booker Noe. She spent
30 years there, also working with Michter’s Master Distiller Emeritus Pam
Heilmann. Since 2018, she joined forces with Heather Greene and Marsha
Millam in Waco, Texas, to make Milam & Greene.
USA - Heather Greene
That brings us to Marlene’s distilling partner, Heather. Heather Greene is a name that many whiskey fans will recognize, especially after being named Master Blender of the Year at the 2023 Women of Whiskey Awards.
Heather is a pioneer for
women in the industry, the first American woman to sit on the Scotch Malt
Whiskey Society Tasting Panel. She’s the author of Whisk(e)y Distilled:
A Populist Guide to the Water of Life and the first woman to write a
whiskey-centric book shortlisted by the New York Times.
USA - Nicole Austin
Nicole Austin is the General Manager and Distiller at George Dickel. She said she planned on
being the next Erin Brockovich when she began her career as an environmental
engineer after graduating from Manhattan College with a degree in chemical
engineering. Whiskey-making was not on her radar until she went on a date. The
bartender told her about whiskey and how it was made, and she was hooked.
She started with Kings
County Distillery in 2011, and then went to work with Dave Pickerell.
In 2016, she was a commissioning engineer at Tullamore D.E.W. When she
returned to the United States, she founded the New York State Distiller’s
Guild and was a founding member of the American Craft Spirits
Association.
At George Dickel, she was
responsible for George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon.
USA - Elizabeth McCall
Elizabeth McCall is Woodford
Reserve’s current Master Distiller. The strange thing is her background is
in psychology, where she earned undergraduate and master’s degrees. She had no
interest in whiskey until someone from Brown-Forman suggested that their
sensory team sought out people with psychology backgrounds.
She started 2009 as an entry-level sensory expert at Brown-Forman’s research and development department. In 2015, she was named Woodford Reserve’s Master Taster, and in 2018, she earned the title of Master Distiller, becoming the distillery’s first woman to hold that position.
USA - Fawn Weaver
Last, and by no means whatsoever least, is Fawn Weaver. Fawn is the brains and passion behind Nearest Green Distillery.
Fawn’s story is fantastic. I
highly recommend reading Love & Whiskey, a three-part story about Jack Daniel and his
mentor, Nearest Green. She dedicated her life to researching and writing
about Uncle Nearest and telling his story before founding Nearest Green
Distillery. I wrote about it, and it was probably my favorite book report I’ve
ever put together. You can read about that here.
Keep in mind that this is just
an appetizer on the menu of important women in whiskey. I ended with Fawn only
because this could go on forever. There are so many others: Alex E. L.
Castle, Lisa Roper Wicker, Jackie Zykan, Marianne Eaves,
E.J. Corrigan, Tracie Franklin, and Emma Walker. And perhaps
that’s already the subject of my 2026 article.
The long and short is that
whiskey has long been considered a man’s world. But, without the talents of so many
impactful women, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Cheers!
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