women in whiskey
Meet the women shaping the whiskey industry
September 2021
Maggie Kimberl: Passionate for Grain and Grammar
In honor of Bourbon Heritage Month, meet Maggie Kimberl, the new President of the Bourbon Women Association!
It’s not every day one gets to chat whiskey and things with a female Kentucky Colonel, so it was a treat to chat with Maggie Kimberl who was selected as the new president of the Bourbon Women Association earlier this year.
Like many of her bourbon peers, Maggie grew up in Kentucky (specifically Louisville and Prospect) but with no family ties to the bourbon industry. She graduated with a Bachelor’s from the University of Louisville, majoring in both Philosophy and English. While she’s a strong advocate for the Oxford comma (“There’s no ambiguity, it’s precise.”), Maggie is also open to exploring the nuances presented in linguistic anthropology because she’s “fascinated by the history of curse words”.
Before Maggie would grow to be the prolific whiskey journalist and speaker she is today, she would work in medical transcription, retail media merchandising, and substitute teaching. Though it would be her hardest (and most fulfilling) “job” as a stay--at--home Mom that would actually kick off her whiskey journey.
From Palate to Pen
While she enjoys being a Mom, Maggie craved grown--up conversation and ended up getting at a part--time job on the night shift at Cox’s Spirit Shoppe in St. Matthew’s, Kentucky. She threw herself into learning about beer, wine, and spirits and quickly realized that whiskey, specifically bourbon, was her spirit of choice.
Her new job would introduce her to Master Distillers such as Chris Morris (Woodford Reserve) and Jimmy Russell (Wild Turkey) but it would be meeting Jim Rutledge of Four Roses that would set journalism into motion.
Jim had been leading a tasting at the store for Derby Week and as expected, there had been no time for Maggie to chat with him one--on--one. Though disappointed, she thought he had left when Jim walked into the break room where she was and told her that he knew she didn’t get a chance to taste the bourbon. He then took the time to give her a personal Bourbon 101 lesson explaining everything from bourbon history to technique to why glassware matters along with what makes Four Roses bourbon unique.
Inspired by this gesture and wanting to help others learn more that might not have the same opportunity, Maggie quit her job at the store. As she continued to learn, she started writing about whiskey for Louisville.com where she made less than $10 a month. For almost a decade, Maggie would continue to spread her love and knowledge of bourbon not only as a journalist for multiple media outlets, but also as an editor and content manager for whiskey sites.
Moving in the bourbon media circles, Maggie befriended Susan Reigler, an established restaurant and beverage journalist out of Louisville, and co--author of Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon. (Fun fact: Our own Brian Miller reviewed this book with a dual interview of the authors in last September’s issue.)
Susan introduced Maggie to co--author, Peggy Noe Stevens, the world’s first female master bourbon taster. (If you’re a bourbon lover that recognized the “Noe” in her name, the answer is yes, she is related; she is the cousin of Booker and Fred of Jim Beam).
Supporting Women in Bourbon
Peggy Noe Stevens founded the Bourbon Women Association (“BWA”), bourbon’s first national female focused consumer group dedicated to bourbon and its culture and currently serves as Chair Emeritus. 2021 marked their 10--year anniversary and BWA announced Maggie’s appointment as President in January. Maggie considered it was an honor to be personally approached by both Peggy and Susan (also a co-founder of BWA) for this role.
For her freshman year as President, Maggie told me that while BWA will continue to celebrate and promote bourbon culture through its membership engagement and events (confirming the Spectrum news report that their membership grew by 25% in 30 states), she is also mindful of the COVID’s impact on workers in the hospitality industry.
While many career and life planning resources are generally available to traditional industries in Corporate America, Maggie would like to see more mentoring and career planning tools promoted. She cites how women in the industry do tend to make themselves accessible to others interested in joining the industry. When asked to name one of her favorite “fan girl” moments, she cited meeting Nicole Austin (currently at Cascade Hollow that puts out George Dickel and formerly of Kings County) on stage at the Bourbon Classic.
The BWA website’s content lists open jobs at various distilleries and their Amber Circle fundraising arm’s mission statement is as follows: “Women chosen for the Amber Circle--supported programs will be connected with a Bourbon Women mentor, provided with a free annual membership, and given scholarships to attend Bourbon Women events. The Amber Circle’s Leadership Cohort focuses on educational, personal, and professional development programs that will distill your passion for the bourbon industry and prove that you are celebrated and welcome in Bourbon Women no matter your mash bill.” Maggie would also like to ensure career tools are available for those currently in the industry or looking to switch industries. One example would be offering LinkedIn training and financial planning to bartenders.
While BWA hosted virtual events in 2020 and continues to do so such as their recent 'Toast to the 10th' celebrating over a dozen distilleries, she looks forward to seeing people in--person, specifically at the return of their flagship event, SIPosium to be held August 26--29 in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the only large--scale whiskey festival aimed at female consumers and, not surprisingly, tickets sold out within a week of being released. The program is a combination of presentations, workshops, distillery tours, and shopping excursions.
Meanwhile, Maggie will continue to be a bourbon advocate through journalism, speaking at forums such as the Wine & Whiskey Investment Forum, and bourbon related projects that may come her way. (Her not so secret power of promotion was also honed for several years as Director of Promotions for an infographic design agency where her work included working with Brown--Forman and Maker’s Mark.)
The Kentucky Spirit
While “Bourbon” generally doesn’t have to be made in Kentucky, (as pointed out in our Bourbon Cheat Sheet from last year’s Bourbon Heritage Month Women in Whiskey ), native Kentuckians always point out the community spirit that’s prevalent in Kentucky Bourbon culture.
At the beginning of this article, it was mentioned that Maggie is a female Kentucky Colonel. What doe that mean exactly?
The original title of “Kentucky Colonel” was created for veterans of the American Revolution and the War of 1812 who ended up advising the Governor. Today, it refers to women and men that receive it by gubernatorial appointment in recognition of their contributions to the state of Kentucky. Those who receive the title become part of a nonprofit organization and continue to dedicate themselves to the community through the promotion of Kentucky culture and charitable acts.
In addition to promoting bourbon, Maggie has used her pen and social media channels to profile and highlight others’ efforts. During our interview, she mentioned the Maker’s Mark CommUNITY Bourbon Batch Release, the result of a collaboration with Louisville chef and James Beard Winner, Ed Lee. He was forced to shut down his restaurants and pivoted during COVID to create the LEE (stands for “Let’s Empower Employment”) Initiative designed to help hospitality. All proceeds went to those in the service industry impacted by COVID.
Bourbon Education
To learn more about bourbon itself, Maggie is glad that there are numerous sources for education from books to blogs to podcasts. Two of her recommendations are Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American History by Michael Veach and Bourbon Curious by Fred Minnick. Even better would be to visit a distillery or participate in programs such as Stave and Thief. Maggie herself continues to educate herself with hands--on distillery experiences and has stated that she really doesn’t have an “off switch” for learning.
Ultimately, there is tasting. While hard to choose a favorite, Maggie mentioned that the first bourbon she tried that really made her decide this was her spirit was Eagle Rare. For first time bourbon drinkers, she recommends to try one of the iconic brands such as Maker’s, Jim Beam Black, or Four Roses Small Batch because of their history and they should be readily available worldwide. And as a fellow Sister of the Leaf (i.e. female cigar smoker), she pointed out that these are also great for cigar pairings.
If you’re in a cocktail mood, Maggie suggests you try Under the Kentucky Sun, which earned an Honorable Mention at this year’s BWA Not a Pink Drink Cocktail Competition and uses jam as a sweetener in place of simple syrup.
Under the Kentucky Sun
Created by Adina L Ewaldz
1.5 oz Rabbit Hole Cavehill
.5 oz Ramazzotti amaro
.5 oz Cointreau
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Fig Jam
Put all ingredients into an ice--filled shaker and shake for at least 10 seconds. Double strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon and orange slice.
To join or keep up-to-date with the Bourbon Women Association, visit their website.
Join us next month as we chat with Rhonda Kallman, founder of Boston Harbor Distillery.
