Marianne Eaves is leaving Castle & Key

[Mako254]

30 minutes ago, kcgumbohead said:

My take on this is that what she had to have gone through these last few years would be a compressed master distiller 101 ( 102,3...) Had this been an all new facility on a micro scale I may be less generous but resurrecting an abandoned scrap heap of great historical significance, researching and assembling recipes then putting up enough whiskey to fill a 350ft long multi story warehouse, plus several other locations suggests she just might have distilled, a bit. I wager she learned more in the last 4 years than some learn in 20 or more. Now why at this critical juncture in the cycle of her initial batch she would fly the coop ( or castle in this case) is a bit odd, it in no way alters the experience gained or the output of her efforts up to this point ( and of the many others at C&K that I am sure also gained a wealth of knowledge via a trial by fire). She's legit IMO.

 

I don’t think anyone doubts her experience and skill as a distiller. MEs time at BF working w/ Morris and her time resurrecting CK clearly puts her in the ‘distiller ‘ category. 

I think many have reservations about ‘master distiller ‘ in that she has yet to put a product to market, much less a product that has been evaluated by her peers and deemed exceptional. Just my opinion. 

[flahute]

^^^^^^^^^This. 

[BigRich]

Personally, I feel like the “master” titled should be bestowed by other master distillers.

[Richnimrod]

1 hour ago, BigRich said:

Personally, I feel like the “master” titled should be bestowed by other master distillers.

Now ^^^THIS^^^ is an interesting proposition! 

I wonder if such a distinction (or some other "title of respect and accomplishment", since the MD has become a title  so easily assumed... even by posers in dinky craft outfits that have yet to sell a drop of their own juice) should indeed be an earned one not a given one, through a process of voting by peers who have bona fides in the industry, maybe?    We already have a 'hall of fame' or some such; but most those folx are looooong-time, and often 'legacy' folx who have gone above and (waaaay?) beyond the usual MD level of respect.        Just a bit of musing on a rainy day.....

[kcgumbohead]

1 hour ago, Richnimrod said:

Now ^^^THIS^^^ is an interesting proposition! 

I wonder if such a distinction (or some other "title of respect and accomplishment", since the MD has become a title  so easily assumed... even by posers in dinky craft outfits that have yet to sell a drop of their own juice) should indeed be an earned one not a given one, through a process of voting by peers who have bona fides in the industry, maybe?    We already have a 'hall of fame' or some such; but most those folx are looooong-time, and often 'legacy' folx who have gone above and (waaaay?) beyond the usual MD level of respect.        Just a bit of musing on a rainy day.....

This was the point I was addressing in response to the posters question. I did it from the perspective of creating a product on a large scale in a manufacturing environment. That in my mind checked the distiller box. I give her the benefit of the doubt when it comes to dumping barrels, cutting to proof and bottling, something tells me she could handle that. The "master" aspect is one that seems to have many sides, I voted yea simply because of points such as yours, like how many posers assume that title and wear it proudly. If someone did as ME has, even excluding that initial bottling, its still light years ahead of several others.  How should the master distiller title be granted and by whom?  Well that's a debate I think I'll sit out.

Edited May 22, 2019 by kcgumbohead

[alcoholica]

3 hours ago, kcgumbohead said:

This was the point I was addressing in response to the posters question. I did it from the perspective of creating a product on a large scale in a manufacturing environment. That in my mind checked the distiller box. I give her the benefit of the doubt when it comes to dumping barrels, cutting to proof and bottling, something tells me she could handle that. The "master" aspect is one that seems to have many sides, I voted yea simply because of points such as yours, like how many posers assume that title and wear it proudly. If someone did as ME has, even excluding that initial bottling, its still light years ahead of several others.  How should the master distiller title be granted and by whom?  Well that's a debate I think I'll sit out.

And that brings up so many questions. What is a master distiller, and what do they do?  I don’t think it’s very cut and dry, but I think it was ETL that said he was a glorified plant manager. And then you have the rockstar Masters’ like Jimmy and Fred who are more ambassadors, but are filled with knowledge and are still used. Then you look at a Dixon Dedman, and who knows his title is/will be (is his still up yet?), but he pushes any notion of being remotely close to the masters. 

 

Now Dixon creates another angle. People discredit blending sometimes, but the Japanese give more esteem to blenders than distillers. 

 

So after hearing perspectives, i’ve come to my conclusion. ME’s is not a master distiller. She has a tremendous amount of experience distilling and promoting her facility. She had a load of experience from BF and a crapload of education. However, she has just 3 years or so running her show and has yet to blend a batch (to my knowledge) or bottle it. Picking barrels and tasting them are a lot different when it’s your butt on the line. Also, listen to Fred, Jimmy, Rutledge, any number of Beams, they have hundreds of stories about their experiences. 

 

So until ME can tell us what profiles each part of the warehouse bring out of her distillate and many other aspects, three years doesn’t make a master. 

 

All that being said, I wish she had stuck it out

[Canarse]

Sounds like we need a Chet Atkins of whiskey distilling.  Someone to hand out the "CGP" for distillers.  Maybe "CMD" or Certified Master Distiller.  I nominate Jimmy Russell for the role of Chet Atkins. 

[BigRich]

Now ^^^THIS^^^ is an interesting proposition! 
I wonder if such a distinction (or some other "title of respect and accomplishment", since the MD has become a title  so easily assumed... even by posers in dinky craft outfits that have yet to sell a drop of their own juice) should indeed be an earned one not a given one, through a process of voting by peers who have bona fides in the industry, maybe?    We already have a 'hall of fame' or some such; but most those folx are looooong-time, and often 'legacy' folx who have gone above and (waaaay?) beyond the usual MD level of respect.        Just a bit of musing on a rainy day.....

Traditional Japanese martial arts used to have the title of Grandmaster bestowed in such a way. I think Kentucky Colonels do too(I know we have some here so I’m not going to pretend I know stuff that I don’t). I was actually thinking of the most recent season of game of thrones where a minor subplot was someone being knighted, which in Westeros is done by other knights as opposed to a regent.