Chris Morris is Master Distiller Emeritus for Woodford Reserve Distillery ─ owned by Brown-Forman Corporation. A Louisville native, he has spent his working life – 50 years in 2026 – in the spirits industry. Chris is one of the key people responsible for the success of Brown-Forman’s award-winning bourbon portfolio, including Old Forester, Woodford Reserve and King of Kentucky.
Chris grew up around bourbon as he is one of three generations of his family to work at Brown-Forman. His career began in 1976 as a trainee in the central lab working for the master distiller. In 1988, he went to work for Glenmore Distilleries Company and joined United Distillers through its acquisition of Glenmore in 1991.
In 1997, Chris returned to Brown-Forman and was chosen to begin training as master distiller, a position he held from 2003 to 2023. He developed the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection, Double Oaked, Rye and Distillery Series products. In 2015, Chris was given the additional responsibility of vice president of Whiskey Innovation for Brown-Forman. He was named Master Distiller Emeritus in 2023 when his mentee, Elizabeth McCall, was named Master Distiller.
As a student of the industry, Chris authored the Society of Wine Educator’s Certified Spirits Specialist program, introduced the use of taste notes for bourbon in 1992 and developed the Woodford Reserve Flavor Wheel in 2004.
Morris has served on the Kentucky Distillers’ Association and Kentucky Bourbon Festival’s Board of Directors and as co-chair of the DISCUS Master Distillers Committee. He has also been a judge in IWSC and ISC competitions.
