Chris Morris bio

Master Distiller Emeritus for Brown-Forman

His career began in 1976 working for Brown-Forman and was promoted to Master Distiller in 2000. In 2002 he developed the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon expression and more recently the brand’s Single Barrel, Whiskey Row and 117 Series. 

At the Woodford Reserve Distillery, he developed the Masters Collection, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, Rye, Wheat, Malt, and Distillery Series products.

Additionally, he led the return of the Old Forester President’s Choice and King of Kentucky products.

Morris is former Board member of Farmington, past Chairman of the Kentucky Distillers Association, serves on the Kentucky Bourbon Festival’s Board of Directors, is Governor of the Order of the Writ Society, is aKeeper of the Quaich, the first Kentucky distiller inducted into the Worshipful Company of Distillers and has served as a judge at the IWSC and ISC competitions and was Co-chair of the DISCUS Mt. Vernon Master Distillers Committee. In 2016 he was inducted into the Whisky Magazine’s Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame the following year. In 2023 he was named the first Master Distiller Emeritus in Brown-Forman’s 155-year history.  In 2025 Morris was only the eighth person to receive the industry’s Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award.