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Kentucky Owl, the sourced bourbon and rye brand that was acquired by the Stoli Group in 2017, has brought in Maureen Robinson as their new Master Blender. She takes over the reins from John Rhea following his retirement after a long and industrious career. This appointment marks an exciting time for the brand as they bring in their first female Master Blender, who will provide an exciting perspective from Scotland to craft high quality signature bourbon and rye whiskeys.
Having previously worked with Scotch whisky brands such as Johnnie Walker, The Singleton, Buchanan’s and Old Parr, Maureen has dedicated her impressive 45 years of experience to the twin causes of elevating Scotch whisky and creating opportunities for other women to succeed in the whisky blending industry.
“I’m really looking forward to my new career venture into the bourbon industry and, as the first female master blender at Kentucky Owl, I look forward to being a role model for aspiring women who have a passion for whiskey making,” says Maureen Robinson. “I’m honored to have this opportunity to work with The Stoli Group and bring my expertise from my career in Scotland to Kentucky Owl, a brand that I hold in high regard.”
Robinson is not new to bourbon either, where as a Scotch whisky Master Blender, she worked extensively with second fill bourbon barrels, learning and appreciating the influence that ex bourbon barrels had on the flavor of Scotch whisky. “I’m excited to be now working with first fill bourbon barrels, understanding how flavor is influenced using new American oak barrels and the processes you can use to differentiate these flavors to create new whiskeys.”
Maureen has also received significant whisky accolades. She became Keeper of the Quaich in 2012, was inducted into the Scotch Whisky Hall of Fame in 2019 and was awarded ‘Master of the Quaich’ in October 2022 in further recognition of her significant achievements in the Scotch industry. Maureen is one of only a handful of female Masters globally and was also instrumental in creating her own language to describe what she was able to detect when nosing whiskies and was involved in developing and forming the Scotch Whisky flavor wheel, now used by many Scotch whisky companies, experts and whisky enthusiasts.
“With Maureen’s impressive knowledge and vast blending experience on some of the world’s biggest Scotch whisky brands, we are incredibly fortunate to have someone of her caliber to follow on from John Rhea and we are all looking forward to her future contributions to Kentucky Owl with her new role as Master Blender,” says Stoli Group Global CEO Chris Caldwell. “We would also like to take this opportunity to say a huge thanks to John for his immense blending stewardship of Kentucky Owl and The Wiseman and wish him all the very best in his retirement.”
