Meet Conor O’Driscoll, Heaven Hill Master Distiller
We Caught up with Heaven Hill Master Distiller for an update on his time with Heaven Hill thus far
This January, Heaven Hill hired Conor O’Driscoll as its new Master Distiller – only the seventh in the company’s 84-year history. A native of Dublin, Ireland, O’Driscoll has years of experience in American whiskey, including at hte Brown-Forman, Woodford Reserve, and Angel’s Envy distilleries. We caught up with Conor to discuss his first year on the job.
Can you describe your experience taking the reins at the largest single-site Bourbon distillery in the world?
It’s Exhilarating. Joining the Heaven Hill family has been just about everything that I hoped it would be. There’s a ton of responsibility in running the distillery – maintaining the quality and consistency, but also the company’s legacy. At the same time, it’s just a fun position. We’ve got some real fans and connecting with them completes the circle on why we make great whiskey.
How do you familiarize yourself with an inventory of over 1.6 million barrels?
It’s all based on the five different mashbills we make at the distillery. From that point of view, I’ve just got five things to familiarize myself with – how they’re supposed to be mashed, how the mash is supposed to taste, how the beer is supposed to taste, and how the new-make whiskey is supposed to taste. Then I get into how we mature the different brands and the impacts of the different warehouses. Of course the easiest way to d that is to taste the brand. It’s been a fun journey.
How does it feel to be the public face of Heaven Hill?
It’s very fun. We have fans all over and they are so dedicated to our products. It’s an honor to be the guy who gets to meet fans like that.
How do you drink your whiskey?
Generally, I’m going to drink whiskey with just a little bit of ice – preferably one big rock. If you drink it that way, typically your first sip is full strength, exactly as it came out of the bottle, and then as the ice melts, it opens up and you can access the layers and the different flavor notes I’m also becoming more and more of a fan of classic cocktails. You really can’t beat a well-made Manhattan or Old Fashioned. One of the best cocktails I’ve had lately was a Manhattan made with Pikesville Rye. It’s big, bold whiskey, and the botanical flavors in vermouth play really well with the spice notes and the wood impact in the whiskey. And Elijah Craig makes a great Old Fashioned.
