Marlene Holmes, Ben Milam Whiskey Distillery’s master distiller, has an interesting tale on how she entered the whiskey world.

“Well it’s a fish story,” said Holmes.

The spent grain, which is the leftover malt and adjuncts after the mash has extracted most of the sugars, proteins, and nutrients, was typically given to livestock.

The head distiller at Jim Beam at the time, wondered if fish would also enjoy eating the spent grain and began implementing the experiment at the distillery. However, somebody was needed to document the weight of the food and feed the fish. Holmes lived close to the distillery and knew the ag official who was working on the project with Jim Beam. He told her about the fish feeding job.

Holmes began feeding fish late in the afternoons and became friends with some of the Jim Beam workers.

It was a laid-back atmosphere so when Holmes heard they were hiring, she applied.

“It was like the whiskey, you know, you can’t hurry the whiskey in that barrel, and it was kind of the whole culture,” Holmes mentioned.

Her first job was lifting and stacking empty barrels that weighed 100 to 110 pounds each on a big box trailer. It entailed lots of physical work. She was in that position for 10 months before moving to the distillery.

There were not many women working at Jim Beam and most worked in the bottle department, which required less physical labor. In fact, Holmes said that there were a few jobs in the 1990s that women were still not allowed to apply for.

Holmes decided to learn as much as possible about whiskey to be the best distiller she could be.

After years of working at Jim Beam in Kentucky, Holmes decided she was ready for a change of pace. When she first started working at Jim Beam, it was much more hands-on, but as technology advanced, so did the equipment.

Demand picked up and automation came in. The automation was slowly introduced throughout the 1990s but today most of it is automated. Jim Beam produces 1,400 barrels a day; (by comparison Ben Milam Distillery produces two barrels a week.) Holmes spent a majority of her time during her last years there in a dark room looking at computer screens to make sure production moved smoothly.

She said it was interesting to learn the automation technology but felt the art of distilling was left behind. The job that she once loved became very repetitive and too routine. Holmes was ready for a change and started looking for a new opportunity by sending out resumes to smaller craft distilleries.

A friend who had retired as the maintenance manager at Jim Beam had started consulting work and worked with people at the Ben Milam Distillery. He knew they were searching for a distiller, so he told Holmes about the opportunity. Holmes was a bit unsure about moving to Texas but came down one weekend to meet everyone at Ben Milam.

She said it was just what she was looking for and it was a lot smaller scale. After the weekend visit, Holmes gave her two-week notice to Jim Beam, retired and moved to Texas.

Holmes drove 11,000 miles from Kentucky to Texas late April 2018 to begin her new job as the master distiller at Ben Milam.

There has been a slight learning curve for Holmes since moving down. Most of her experience at Jim Beam was in the distillery running the equipment that made the new-make which goes in the barrel at the beginning.

At Ben Milam, she’s on the side of what comes out of the barrel and is having to learn the different tastes of the aged products.

“Trust me, I’ve learned a lot about whiskey in the year I’ve lived here,” Holmes said.

Ben Milam is much more hands on, according to Holmes, who is able to taste the whiskey throughout the whole process. She also has enjoyed being able to voice her opinion at meetings because there are only 10 employees, so everyone is heard.

Holmes said everyone who works at Ben Milam has something they bring to the table. Holmes is also excited about Ben Milam’s new CEO Heather Greene, who will help grow the business and who has been in the business for more than 20 years.

New changes are coming for the company as well; Holmes has hopes of having special limited-release bottles throughout the year. In April, during Derby days, Marlene’s Limited Edition Springtime Sipper, which is a blend of two bourbons and a great whiskey for mint juleps, was released.

The springtime sipper was 80 proof. She is hoping to have another release around July 4. Another change coming, is the future expansion of the building to add more equipment. Holmes also said that new labels will be coming soon.

The Chanel-like bottles, designed by owner Marsha Milam, are hand labeled by two employees which takes around five hours a day to complete.

Another new addition to Ben Milam will be the whiskey lab program, a program that will provide an opportunity for people to learn how to blend products. It will be on Saturdays for adults 21 and over.

A Hill Country Whiskey Trail has recently been established and Ben Milam is on the trail. Other distilleries include Blanco’s Andalusia Whiskey Co. and Real Spirits, Crowded Barrel Whiskey Company, Garrison Brothers Distillery, Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling, Still Austin Whiskey Company and Treaty Oaks Distilling. A discount on t-shirts and merchandise will be given to trail members.

There have been a few adjustments in Holmes’s personal life since moving to Texas as well. Her two-year-old German Shepard misses the 30 acres to roam around and is learning how to live in a much smaller yard. The deer are not afraid to approach the dog even with him barking. In Kentucky the deer would not wander in yards and tended to scamper off when barked at by a dog. Another difference is that a common speed limit in Kentucky is 55 mph, whereas in Texas the speed limit can reach up to 85 mph. Traveling is a hobby of Holmes and she’s traveled to New Orleans three times since moving to Texas and has plans to explore Big Bend National Park in the future. Holmes has also traveled around the Hill Country including Gruene for music concerts. She also has enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers this past spring and recently visited Blanco State Park for fishing, another hobby.

As far as her move, Holmes does not regret it.

“Everyone in general has been nice,” she said. “I’ve had good vibes from people the whole time down here.”

Holmes has purchased a lot to build a house and will be here for the long run.