Louisville-based Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. has announced the promotion of Brandon O’Daniel to master distiller.

O’Daniel had served as head distiller of Copper & Kings since February 2014.

O’Daniel is a “Kentucky-distilling thoroughbred with a bloodline that goes back four generations,” the company says. His great-grandfather was distilling in the 1920’s. Brandon’s grandfather started in the Kentucky wine business in the 80’s and his family remain in the Kentucky wine business today.

O’Daniel is a wine-maker and viticulturist, and this experience and heritage has helped him excel in distilling American-style brandy in Louisville. “His experience as a vintner enables a pedigreed palate and a deep knowledge of fermentation, fruit varietal nuance, blending, quality management and taste profiling,” the company says.

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture and Master’s Degree in Plant and Soil Science with an emphasis in viticulture and oenology from the University of Kentucky.

“Brandon has mastered his craft,” says Copper & Kings founder Joe Heron. “This is not an empty honorific, but reflects the skills and leadership of someone who is amongst the finest distillers of brandy in the world, and we can’t discount his excellent palate, his leadership of a full production team through example and education. We would be remiss in not recognizing him as an inventive alchemist when it comes to innovation – gin, Destillaré cordials, absinthe, bitters, and more to come, we certainly breathe rare air when it comes to relentless innovation, with Brandon making the complex, and arcane, come to life in spirit form.”