Brown-Forman Founders
(NOTE: FOUNDERS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
The Brown-Forman Corporation, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky may be the fourth largest Bourbon Distiller in the world but it is by far the largest Whiskey, wine and distilled spirit maker in North America. In fact, the company produces over 62 brands, labels and variations of Bourbon and North American whiskey. Some of the name brand lines that are produced by one of four distilleries include the world's best selling-whiskey Jack Daniels as well as Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Early Times, Canadian Mist and Collingwood.
1
George Garvin Brown
The youngest son of David Beam was John H. "Jack" Beam, born in 1839. At the age of 21, he built his own distillery near Bardstown in 1860. He stayed a distiller until his death in 1915, at the age of 75. The name of Jack’s distillery and the name of the whiskey they made there, was Early Times. Eventually the brand was acquired by Brown-Forman. Early Times continues to be a leading seller throughout the world.
2
Jack Beam
George Garvin Brown was born in September 1847 and grew up in Munfordville, KY as a young man he got a job as a pharmaceutical salesman selling things like quinine, laudanum, opiates, and whiskey. After the suggestion was made from several doctors he started blending and bottling medicinal whiskey. The brand was the first bourbon to be bottled successfully and labeled as a medicinal.
3
J. T. S. Brown
John Thompson Street Brown, was the patriarch of the Bourbon whiskey making Kentucky family that left an indelible mark on the industry for the many generations that followed. Born in 1826, J. T. S. was part of a six generation family that grew into the largest whiskey producing company in the world.
4
Owsley Brown, I
In 1910 Owsley Brown, I, the son of proprietor George Garvin Brown, makes a crucial decision to join the family business. This begins a tradition of family apprenticeship that continues for more than a century. In 1933 Owsley of Brown-Forman and a group of other concerned distillers to write a code of conduct for the industry to police themselves.
5
Owsley Brown, II
The great-grandson of Brown-Forman Corporation founder George Garvin Brown, Owsley spent 40 years of his life with the company, starting as a summer employee in 1960. He became President in 1983, Chief Executive Officer and/or Chairman of the Board from 1993 until 2009. While at the helm of the company, he led successful efforts to dramatically expand its international presence and significantly modernized its marketing efforts.
6
Dr. James Crow
Dr. James C. Crow (1789–1856) was a Scottish immigrant, by trade he was a chemist and a physician that arrived in the United States in 1820 and worked for a couple distilleries until Oscar Pepper made the best move of his career (and probably the bourbon world) by hiring Dr. Crow in 1838 to be his "Master Distiller."
7
Marianne Barnes Eaves
Although Marianne Eaves was raised in Kentucky, she grew up in a dry county, and her parents never drank much, so she wasn’t really exposed to the whiskey culture that is pervasive there. She was a tomboy and enjoyed auto shop, eventually acquiring and spending time working on her muscle car - a 1972 Oldsmobile 98.
8
Dr. William Forrester
Old Forester is the flagship brand of Brown-Forman, named after the famous Civil War surgeon Dr. William Forrester. Forrester graduated from the University of Louisville Medical School and fought gallantly in the Battle of Chickamauga. The brand was the first bourbon to be bottled successfully and labeled as a medicinal bourbon by George Garvin Brown when he was a pharmaceutical salesman.
9
Lincoln Henderson
Lincoln Henderson was appointed Brown-Forman’s Master Distiller in 1976, and under his direction releases its first super premium brand ever in Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey. Next Henderson pushes out Jack Daniel's Single Barrel ushered in as the company's first "Top Shelf Brand" in 1997.
10
Elizabeth McCall
Master Distiller Chris Morris realized her potential and hard work and he invited her to train to become a Master Taster at Woodford Reserve and Old Forester in 2015. Shortly thereafter, she was given the title of Senior Quality Control Specialist and Master Taster. (Woodford) After continuing her training alongside the legendary Morris, McCall was again promoted. In 2018 she was named Assistant Master Distiller of Woodford Reserve, one of the youngest women to achieve such a title in the bourbon industry.
11
Chris Morris
In 1997, Chris was named Apprentice Master Distiller working for Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson, the creator of Woodford Reserve. In 2002 Chris developed the Bourbon Flavor Wheel and in 2003 Henderson retired and Morris succeeded him as only the second Master Distiller in Woodford Reserve’s short history but also appointed as only the seventh Master Distiller since 1870 over all of Brown-Forman’s entire operation.
12
Elijah Pepper
After establishing their roots in Kentucky, Elijah and John Pepper quickly located a reliable limestone water source, built a still, and began producing Kentucky whiskey. Success followed, and in 1812 the duo opened another distillery on the Grassy Spring Branch at Glenn’s Creek near Versailles. On the Glenn’s Creek land, Elijah also constructed a log cabin to move his family into. Elijah Pepper ran the distillery operations for 20 years.
13
Oscar Pepper
Oscar took over the business, and soon it became known as the Oscar Pepper Distillery. While working for Oscar, Crow continued his work, and the two refined the sour mash fermentation technique of the final product. Such techniques, of course, are now common in modern-day whiskey production, but were unheard of in backwoods 19th-century America
14
William Street
The year was 1870 when George Garvin Brown, a pharmaceutical representative from Louisville, recognized an opportunity within the “medicinal” whiskey market. With some family financial assistance, luck, and the help of his accountant friend George Forman, the beverage giant Brown-Forman was soon founded.
15
Jackie Zykan
In 2015 Jackie was hired as a spokeswoman for Old Forester. Her first day on the job was July 6th, 2015, ironically the same day as the Whiskey Row fire at the new Old Forester distillery being built on Main Street.She boldly told Campbell Brown, President of Brown-Forman, that by the time the new distillery opened, she’d be Master Taster for the Old Forester brand.
16
Steven Thompson
Stephen Thompson has had a distinguished and fulfilling career in the distilling and spirits industry. He was a bourbon enthusiast, an incredible resource, and knew his craft. Distilling was his life and passion. Stephen was a creative thinker, innovator, and pioneer has multiple degrees from Cali Poly, Stanford, and the University of Hartford.