If you are asked to imagine bourbon, then it is easy to think of a circle of men in top hats smoking pipes and sipping some whiskey by the fire. However, there is a group that is seeking to challenge the stereotype that only men are into bourbon whiskeys.

The Bourbon Women Association is a group that simply celebrates ‘beautiful women drinking bourbon’. However, this group is a lot more than that. They also specialize in creating events and helping women gain a foothold in what has been generally regarded as a male-centric brewing industry.

So what is the Bourbon Women Association all about exactly? Well, we have an in-depth study of this organization, examining the membership, the history, and the laws and licensing around this group. So if you’re a woman and you like your whiskey, you might want to keep reading.

Who Are The Bourbon Women Association?

This is a group that was made to empower women, helping them to connect to both the distilling industry and their own communities in general. They are always staging events that promote inclusion and diversity within their industry. The Bourbon Women Association reaches thousands of women monthly.

This includes women of color, LGBT women and women who have disabilities.

Bourbon is simply a medium through which to bring all these different types of women together in one place. They seek to make every member a strong voice within the association.

They organize plenty of events up and down the country that bring people together in each state. This can be events such as books and bourbon, which helps fuse a love of literature with a love of sitting by the fire with a glass of whiskey.

There are also events such as food tasting and bourbon sampling, as well as sponsorships from Goodfellas pizza for their special pizza-eating events.

The History Of The Bourbon Women Association

This group was started way back in 2011 by Peggy Noe Stevens, who wanted to bridge the gap between whiskey companies and female consumers of whiskey. The Bourbon Women Association is designed to facilitate good communication between themselves and whiskey providers.

The aim of this group was also to support women in general, helping women who might feel marginalized to connect with their community and forge meaningful relationships through a mutual love of spirits.

They do not reveal their list of members, but the association reaches over 39 states, with 16 branches overall. It also has a presence overseas in countries such as Australia. They also have digital sessions, which has helped their membership grow in the last few years by 40%.

What Does The Bourbon Women Association Do?

This company has branches from Atlanta to Florida to Michigan, all of which are dedicated to helping women up and down the country, organizing events between local distillers and bringing women together through a mutual love of bourbon.

No two branches are the same and a lot of the events are based on local whiskies and partnerships with various companies. You can simply turn up to these events with the plan to drink lots of bourbons, or you can help in the planning of events, they have an open-door policy.

Here are some examples of some of the events that the Women’s Bourbon Association puts on:

• Celebrating Books And Booze – this was a virtual book club event meeting for women across the country. It featured the author Camper English, who has written about the use of alcohol in medicinal therapy.
• Bourbon Women California – This is called a ‘Meet and Neat’, where women can come together and talk about everything whiskey. This is centered in California and features Redwood Empire Whiskey which has a selection of their finest whiskey expressions.
• An Artful Meet And Neat – This event calls itself the Distillery Of Modern Art and mixes a love of paintings and all things artistic. This takes place in a gallery where the art and the booze are carefully curated by the organizers.
• March Madness – This is to celebrate the arrival of spring with some amazing Goodfella’s pizza, as well as some light bites and a few curated cocktails for the pleasure of members, who also get a discount on tickets. This features the Wild Turkey brand of whiskey.

This is just a small slice of what BWA has to offer. There are plenty of events going on all the time, you just need to check the website for all the latest news and events.

What Is The Membership Of The Bourbon Women Association?

The Bourbon Women Association is cagey about how many members it exactly has. During an interview with the president Maggie Kimberl in 2021, she stated that their membership increased by 40% during the pandemic, mainly due to their opening up of virtual events.

The numbers of members increase daily, and Bourbon Women currently has around 16 branches dotted across the country. They are always expanding and they hope to have a branch in each different state.

Here are some of the states that Bourbon Women currently operate in:

• Atlanta
• California
• Chicago
• Colorado
• Florida
• Indianapolis
• Kentucky
• Michigan
• Missouri
• New York City
• Ohio
• Cincinnati
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Washington D.C.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Bourbon Women Operate In My Area?

Bourbon Women operate only in the areas listed above. If you live near these areas then you can enquire about any events that are coming up. However, Bourbon Women offer plenty of virtual events that will be more beneficial for people not in close proximity.

Do I Have To Be A Woman To Attend The Bourbon Women Events?

Bourbon Women does focus on women, but it does exclude men from joining in on events. For events, “BWA curates highly experiential education events across the country, from casual events to food pairings, cocktail classes, and bourbon seminars. Every event is education and experiential,” said, Heather Wibbels from Bourbon Women Association.

The Bourbon Women Association’s annual National Conference, SIPosium is August 24-27 in 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s a four day conference of over 400 attendees. It’s an amazing fun-packed weekend- Learn more here.

Conclusion

We hope that this guide to the Bourbon Women Association has helped you to understand this amazing and utterly unique organization. If you enjoy bourbon and you agree with this association’s mission statement, we recommend that you go along to an event to see what they are all about.