Whiskey galore at SCSW London.

5 June 2025

A panel at SXSW London asked why women have been erased from the history of whiskey, and provided a framework for ensuring they are no longer excluded.

A panel moderated by American Whiskey editor Phoebe Calver asked why women are not often part of the conversation when it comes to this most revered of drinks. Charismatic Master Bourbon Taster Peggy Noe Stevens was the stand-out panellist, alongside actress-turned-documentary maker Leigha Kingsley, and Maker's Mark Brand Diplomat Charlotte Pederson.

Given that 40% of whiskey (and indeed whisky) is now consumed by women, the panel expressed their frustration at the continuing marginalisation of women when it comes to the history and marketing of the drink.

Filmmaker Leigha Kingsley has made a documentary called 'The Spirit of Women' which tells the story of women in the whiskey industry, but, despite being shortlisted for the Cannes Film Festival's 'Breaking Through The Lens' programme for female directors, is yet to find a distributor... evidence perhaps that the bias against women in the whiskey industry is a mirror of the lack of opportunity for women behind the camera in the film industry.

Leigha Kingsley is looking for a distributor for her whiskey doc.

Kingsley described how she journeyed down a rabbit hole after working on a TV show about whiskey. As a Kentuckian she was already interested (95% of bourbon is made in her home state) but it was only when she began researching that she realised the story of the role played by women in the history of the drink was largely untold.

“

We have tons of male A-List celebrities that you see on the cover of magazines with their own bourbon brands or whiskey brands, but women aren't really given that opportunity.

”

Leigha Kingsley            

Peggy Noe Stevens is a passionate advocate for whiskey, and bourbon in particular. In 2011, she founded Bourbon Women which now has chapter throughout America, but she described how it has been a struggle to persuade the industry to take the organisation seriously, and some of the condescension she has faced, despite her own standing in the industry.

She is an eloquent and charismatic speaker on behalf of her cause, and had clearly been an inspiration to Leigha Kingsley when the latter interviewed her for her film.

Later, her pre-eminent position on this panel was made clear when almost all the audience questions were directed at her, with - it ought to be noted - both Kingsley and Charlotte Pederson seemingly happy to defer to her.

Peggy Noe Stevens - Bourbon queen and girl boss.

As Maker's Mark Brand Diplomat, Charlotte Pederson was largely singing from the same hymn sheet as the other two panellists, and their moderator, as she too described her own experience of marginalisation, but there was a glitch in the matrix when it came to her narrative.

Maker's Mark was co-founded by Bill Samuels Sr and his wife Margie Samuels, and the latter played a pivotal role in the company, designing the distinctive wax seal, as well as the rest of the packaging and coining the name Maker's Mark.

Pederson said that her company had not given much prominence to Margie Samuels's part in the development of the brand to "protect her legacy" and it would have been good to understand exactly what was meant by this, as it appears to be a massive own goal when it comes to ensuring women are given credit for their achievements in the whiskey industry.

Charlotte Pederson protecting the legacy of Margie Samuels.

The collegiate vibe of this event was as important as any other aspect of it, and it was warmly received by a largely female audience, grateful to have a light shone on yet another area of business where their efforts are marginalised.

With the efforts of this quartet of women, led by the redoubtable Peggy Noe Stevens, perhaps it won't be long before they break through the glass tumbler to occupy ever more prominent roles within the industry.