Honoured to Introduce
Liz Rhoades
Director, Whiskey Operations and R&D WhistlePig Whiskey
Global Wines, Spirits & Cigars Community
New York Chapter
Liz Rhoades is a technical distiller who has over a decades experience within beverage alcohol, working across a variety substrates, spirits, and sites spanning Europe and the Americas. Having spent the majority of her career at Diageo, Liz’s Crop to Cask technical and practical expertise was developed through some key focus areas: Research, development, and production of new-make whiskeys to support innovation pipelines Technical process optimization to mitigate risk, enhance yields, and improve quality Process and production support for whiskey, rum, and vodka manufacturing sites Spirit sensory analysis for whiskey, rum, and vodka During her tenure, she had the privilege of working with some fantastic distilling teams and brands: Whiskey: Crown Royal, Bulleit, George Dickel Rum: Captain Morgan (USVI) Vodka: Smirnoff (US, Mexico, Brazil) As a passionate educator, Liz has presented at several industry conferences and on occasion, pens technical articles for the Whiskey Wash ©. In addition, she’s served on the Technical and Executive Committees for the American Malting Barley Association, where she helped guide the future of barley breeding in the US.? Liz holds a Master’s degree in Food Science from North Carolina State University and her Diploma Distiller from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.
A highly ambitious and motivated, right-brained scientist; driven by curiosity, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. Proven track record within the innovation space from bench to commercial scale. An effective communicator with strong relationship-building skills enabling interdepartmental collaboration and process improvement.
Passionate thought-leader and practical R&D specialist with a personal interest in creating novel solutions to unique and challenging problems.
A constant learner who thrives in dynamic, fast-paced environments.
Expertise
Sensory Evaluation
Distillation
Brewing
FMCG
Experience
-
Quality Intern
Conagra Brands
2008 . -
Research Assistant
North Carolina State University
2010-2011 . 1 Years 5 Months -
Brewing Scientist
Big Boss Brewing Co
2010-2011 . 1 Years 5 Months -
Sr. Research Scientist
Diageo
2012-2019 . 7 Years 10 Months -
Freelance Writer
The Whiskey Wash
2018- Present . -
Member of Board of Advisors
Verstill
2020- Present . -
Founder
Spirit Safe Consulting LLC
2019- Present .
Academic details
University:
North Carolina State University
Degree:
MS
Specialization:
Food Science
Year:
2011
University:
Dominican University
Degree:
BS
Specialization:
Food Science
Year:
2009
University:
Institute of Brewing and Distilling
Degree:
Diploma
Specialization:
Distilling
Year:
2018
University:
Institute of Brewing and Distilling
Certification:
General
Year:
2014
University:
Rochester Institute of Technology
Specialization:
Project Mangement Life Cylce
Year:
2020