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I’m Maggie and I write the bourbon news. I’m the Content Editor for American Whiskey Magazine and the Chair of the World Whiskies Awards USA. I’m also a Contributing Editor for Whisky Magazine, and I contribute to The Bourbon Review, Alcohol Professor, Imbibe, Distiller Magazine, Covey Rise, Bourbon+, and more. I love Louisville and I love bourbon, but what I really love is telling people all about both.  I write a little bit of everything, but chances are if you are reading this you know me because of bourbon.

I am a professional whiskey taster and judge. In addition to the World Whiskies Awards, I have judged for the Barleycorn Awards, The Las Vegas Global Spirits Awards, and the American Distilling Institute.

I became the President of the Bourbon Women Association in early 2021, where I started the Meet the Makers series featuring women from the global “brown water industry.”

My journey began in a liquor store.  The pivotal moment for me was when Jim Rutledge, the Master Distiller of Four Roses Bourbon, sat down with me in the break room after a Derby Week tasting and taught me how to taste bourbon.  The passion folks in the bourbon industry have is infectious, and I want to be a good steward of Kentucky’s native spirit.

Since then I’ve met all kinds of folks in the bourbon community, and I have to say we’re generally a pretty friendly bunch.  I love listening to Fred Noe, Master Distiller of Jim Beam, tell stories.  I love any event where Bourbon Historian Michael Veach is teaching about bourbon’s rich and colorful history.  I love listening to Fred Minnick ask Bourbon Legends the tough questions at his Legends Series.  I especially love checking out all the wonderful bars and distilleries wherever I travel, even though Louisville bars are my home base.

You can catch me on Twitter @LouGirl502.  I’d love to chat about most anything, but especially about bourbon.  Cheers!

I’m the Editor and Official Sidekick to Bourbon Historian Michael Veach

I’m a regular contributor to Whisky Magazine and the brand-new American Whiskey Magazine

You can also find my work in Distiller Magazine, The Bourbon Review and The Alcohol Professor

Find me on Muckrack

In The Media

I was interviewed for WFPL’s On Track

I’ve been nominated for Spirits Writer of the Year by Bourbon Women (WDRB)

Newsweek interviewed me about sustainability

Episode 454 of the Bourbon Pursuit Podcast

How To Drink Whiskey on HuffPost

My thoughts on rising whiskey prices on Beverage Dynamics Magazine’s Podcast

Featured in the Courier-Journal’s 2023 holiday gift guide

Featured in the Louisville Courier-Journal about Bourbon and cigar pairings for the Kentucky Derby

Quoted about Tennessee Whiskey in USA Today’s Southern Kitchen

I’m interviewed about Bourbon Women’s Not Your Pink Drink Cocktail Compeition in Japan’s Asahi Shimbin Globe Newspaper

My thoughts on “value bourbons” from The Courier-Journal

VinePair says I’m one of 17 Whiskey Experts You Should Know

On Jewish Heritage in American Whiskey on Jewish Drinking

A Reckoning And Revelation via Cocktails With Power

7 Easy Cocktail Recipes For World Cocktail Day via Business Insider

Cigars Part Of The Social Experience At The Kentucky Derby via The Courier-Journal

How To Collect Rare Whiskey On A Budget on Inside Hook

Jim Beam’s massive warehouse fire: Latest in a series of Kentucky bourbon distillery accidents on Salon.com

Do Men and Women Taste Bourbon Differently? Story by Ashlie D. Stevens on WFPL

Here’s an article Michael Veach wrote about our bourbon and cigar pairing philosophy

You can catch my interview on The Local Life on WCHQ here starting at 35:30

You can catch my interview on Bourbon Pursuit here

Whiskey Network‘s Women in Whiskey

Archived Work

I’m a former Contributing Writer for The Whiskey Wash

Find my Louisville.com archives here

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