It’s not often someone gets to make a living out of their passions, but Conor O’Driscoll is one of the rare exceptions. Armed with a degree in chemical engineering, Conor’s job brought him to the United States from Ireland. He was still working in pharmaceuticals at the time, specifically in fermentation, and although he enjoyed what he was doing, part of him dreamt of moving back home to work in the beer industry.
But a funny thing happened: he fell in love with American Whiskey. Once the idea to work in this industry took hold, he couldn’t shake it. So Conor made the leap into Whiskey distilling in 2004, where he was able to combine his technical expertise, passion for fermentation and love of the art of distillation.
In 2019, Conor became Heaven Hill Distillery’s seventh master distiller. Now, he spends his days at the Bernheim Distillery, making the distillate that becomes our Whiskey. It’s undoubtedly an exciting career, and he regularly gets asked about it. He recently answered the 10 most-asked questions about his job, Whiskey distilling and more.
Q: HOW DID YOU BECOME A MASTER DISTILLER?
After I graduated with my chemical engineering degree, I worked in several industries before getting into Bourbon production. Interestingly, most of those jobs were in fermentation-based processes and that specific part of the operation continues to fascinate and excite me. That’s what drew me to the industry after I settled in Louisville—that and the delicious product, of course! Then, after 15 years of making Whiskey with two different companies at three different distilleries, I was lucky enough to be hired by Heaven Hill Distillery as their seventh master distiller.
Q: IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? WHAT’S THE MOST DIFFICULT PART?
My favorite part is the actual process of making the Whiskey. Twenty years in, I have yet to get tired of seeing and smelling a fermenter bubbling away. Staying on top of all the details and variables that it takes to keep a distillery running well—especially one as big as Bernheim—can be a challenge, but a very rewarding one. I work with such a great team and the work is so fulfilling, I don’t ever really think of any of it as “difficult.”
Q: WHAT TYPE OF TECHNICAL EXPERTISE IS NEEDED TO BE A MASTER DISTILLER?
My background in chemical engineering helped a lot and there are more and more distillers with engineering backgrounds these days. That’s not by any means a prerequisite and it’s quite feasible to learn the technical aspects “on the job” as your career develops. That being said, it is critical to have a strong understanding of the science behind the process. But having a passion for the art of Whiskey making is far more important. If you don’t care deeply about everything it takes to make good Whiskey, it doesn’t matter what your technical qualifications are.
Q: DOES THE MASHBILL TYPE AFFECT THE PROCESS FOR DISTILLATION OR DOES IT REMAIN CONSISTENT FOR ALL WHISKEYS?
One of the things that sets Heaven Hill Distillery, and the Bernheim Distillery in particular, apart from other Whiskey makers is that we regularly mash five unique styles of American Whiskey (Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, Wheat Whiskey and Corn Whiskey), as well as several experimental and small-volume mashbills. Each of them requires different mashing procedures and fermentation profiles to get the most out of that particular recipe.
For example, the higher the rye content in a recipe, the trickier it can be to mash, ferment and distill because rye grain has more complex carbohydrates, like cellulose, than other grains. This can make the mash “stickier” and more viscous and therefore harder to process but, because we make these styles of Whiskey regularly, we’ve gotten pretty good at overcoming these challenges.
We have a culture of continuous improvement at the distillery and the whole team is focused on making the best Whiskey we can, regardless of the mashbill.
Q: HOW OFTEN ARE YOU TASTING NEW BARRELS?
If I’m not on the road, I am typically at the Bernheim Distillery and I make a point of tasting the new-make Whiskey as it comes off the stills. That’s the quickest, easiest “quality control” test there is! Once the Whiskey has been barreled, we tend to let it be—we have over two million barrels aging now in over 60 rickhouses so tasting them all would be impossible!
But as the Whiskey matures and gets ready to be bottled, we taste it to make sure it is aging as expected and to determine which brand a given batch will be best suited to. I’m also part of the Innovation Team that meets monthly to select liquid for upcoming releases like the Heaven Hill Heritage Collection, Parker’s Heritage Collection, Old Fitzgerald, etc.
Q: WHAT INNOVATIONS ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AS THE INDUSTRY PROGRESSES?
The one I’m most excited about is getting the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery ready to open. This will be a state-of-the-art modern distillery that will also honor Heaven Hill Distillery’s almost nine-decade-long Whiskey-making legacy. For example, we will be propagating a live yeast culture, as was typical back when Heaven Hill Distillery was founded. We’re looking forward to using this yeast strain to craft Whiskeys with the consistency and quality we’re known for.
Q: CAN WE GET A PROGRESS UPDATE ON THE NEW HEAVEN HILL SPRINGS DISTILLERY?
We broke ground on the new distillery in the summer of 2022 and construction is well over halfway completed! Almost all the major equipment has been installed and the electricians began wiring the motors and valves this month. There’s a lot of work left to do but we have a fantastic team working on it and we’re all so excited to bring it to life.
Q: DO YOU DRINK BOURBON WHEN YOU’RE NOT WORKING? WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO?
Of course! My go-to is very occasion- or situation-dependent, but, given the breadth and depth of the Heaven Hill Distillery portfolio, I’m spoiled for choice. The two I drink most often, though, are Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond and Elijah Craig Small Batch. My favorite beer-and-a-shot Bourbon is Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond and, for a treat, I’ll reach for any of our barrel proofs or a Pikesville Rye. As I said, spoiled for choice!
Q: IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT SETS AN EXCEPTIONAL WHISKEY APART FROM THE REST?
The first and really only rule in tasting Whiskey is: are you enjoying it? It’s great if you have the palate to identify individual flavor components but, first and foremost, the Whiskey should taste good with no off-notes or harsh flavors. It should be complex and balanced with no one flavor dominating and it should have a long, delicious finish. If that is all true, it shows that the distiller knew what they were doing and paid attention throughout the process.
Q: HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN YOU COME ACROSS AN EXTRAORDINARY WHISKEY YOU KNOW WILL EXCITE SPIRITS FANS?
That’s when the hard work, patience and magic all come together! Our goal at the distillery is to make high-quality, consistent new make every single day. Once it has been barreled and put in a rickhouse, that’s when the patience and magic take over. It’s always gratifying when the Whiskey turns out well, regardless of which brand it might end up becoming.
But it’s especially rewarding to come across something unique and unexpected like the upcoming release of the Heaven Hill Heritage Collection. It’s an 18-year-old Bourbon that was aged in rickhouse 1I at the Bernheim site in Louisville and, at that age, you might expect it to taste strongly of oak or barrel char. But it’s an exceptionally gentle and delicate Bourbon, even at 120 proof. I was genuinely surprised by the delicate floral notes present on the nose, the palate and particularly on the finish.
