Zack Smith

Zachary Clayton Smith, who goes by Zack, was born in southern Kentucky. His mother was a biochemist who ran numerous plants, producing everything from pet food to fuel alcohol. His father was a businessman who opened his own oil-change auto business.

Zack was raised most of his life in middle Tennessee. From an early age, he played numerous sports, including hockey, and developed a love of history and science fiction. Zack attended Merrol Hyde High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Zack made his way back to Kentucky by attending Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 2014, where he graduated with two bachelor’s degrees, in history and Spanish, in just two-and-a-half years. From there, Zack attended law school at Belmont University in Nashville, where he earned his Juris Doctor in2018.

Zack came into whiskey in a somewhat unorthodox way. While in law school, he discovered the unique connection whiskey had to the legal system and the historical development of the United States. It was the study of the spirit that first caught his eye, and he has pursued it ever since.

Shortly after starting his career as an attorney, Zack continued his education in alcohol. In 2020, Zack started his first job in the spirits industry with Dueling Grounds Distillery, a craft bourbon distillery in Franklin, Kentucky. That same year, he became a Certified Whiskey Sommelier through the Whiskey Marketing School in Texas.

From there, Zack quickly turned his passion for spirits into a business. He began teaching classes in whiskey, distilled spirits, and cocktails through his own business, Z Smith Whiskey and Mixology. Always willing to share his knowledge, Zack still maintains Facebook and Instagram pages where he posts weekly cocktail recipes and short stories about alcohol. In 2022, Zack joined Whiskey University, first as a student and earned his Associate Degree earning the Title of Certified Whiskey Taster after 24 courses in March of 2023. Smith quickly rose through the ranks to become an instructor and eventually the leader of the Midwest States and Kentucky Region between 2023 and 2026.

Zack continued his education by earning degrees and certifications from the Edinburgh Whisky Academy, Moonshine University, Corby Spirits Academy, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and many more. Today, Zack is a Level IV Master Whiskey Sommelier, a Master Mixologist, and a published author. Smith earned his Bachelors of Arts Degree in August of 2023 after 48 courses with a Double Major World Whisky and Tennessee Whiskey.

Smith convinced the Academic Council and the Board of Directors to make the Craft Whiskey Major their eighth Major offered. In doing so he was appointed Dean and Founder of the Craft Whiskey Department, and head of course content. Zack’s contributions to Whiskey University have been invaluable. As of August 2026, he has written or co-written 47 classes that are being taught by instructors to students all over the world. Zack earned his Master of Arts Degree and a Chartered Master Whiskey Taster after 72 courses in January 2024 with a Double Major in (his own) Craft Whiskey and The Bourbon Capital Major.

Professionally, Zack continues teaching classes regularly, both in-person and online, through Whiskey University, the Wizard Academy Marketing School, and Z Smith Whiskey and Mixology. Zack also rose through the ranks at Dueling Grounds Distillery to become its head mixologist and brand ambassador, where he creates unique cocktailmenus each week for the distillery.

In the 2020s, Zack’s ventures and studies grew beyond whiskey and spirits as his work evolved into mixology and cocktail creation. Over the past five years, Zack has created more than 1,000 unique cocktails that he has showcased at distilleries and provided to restaurants and bars. His work most recently culminated in his first book, Tales of Spirits, a cocktail book released in 2026 that compiles more than 160 of Zack’s original cocktail recipes while also including more than 80 short stories telling the history of the distilled spirits industry around the world.

Somehow, with all of these ventures going, Zack is still a practicing attorney, handling complex litigationcases in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia. Zack credits his ability to function on little sleep, his passion projects that keep him energized, and his wonderful relationship with his fiancée, Zanna, with constantly inspiring him. Smith became inducted

Zack has been blessed to make friends with numerous distillery teams around the United States and the world as he has traveled to more than 100 distilleries in theUnited States and Ireland. If you ask Zack, every distillery does something unique, and there is no such thing as a bad whiskey. His goal is to help everyone find the whiskey that connects most with them and to ensure there is always a worthwhile story to tell when you’re drinking with friends.

Where Zack goes from here is anyone’s guess. His dream is to open his own distillery or blending company someday, or to become the head blender at a medium-sized distillery. Until then, Zack will keep writing, sharing stories, teaching, and making new friends with all who love a good drink.