Brendan Cook began his career in brewing at Driftwood in British Columbia, and it was there that he gained an early appreciation for fermentation and the complexity of grain. From that appreciation grew a desire to evolve his work and he moved into the world of Scotch whisky, with Brown-Forman, working across GlenDronach, Benriach, and Glenglassaugh. With that experience came a deep understanding of maturation and blending, as well as the impact of diverse cask types.
Cook first encountered Wyoming Whiskey when back home in Canada, during his search for a wheated bourbon. He was captivated from the first sip, struck by the character of the whiskey and also the people behind it. So, when the opportunity arose to join the team and eventually step into the role of master blender, it felt like a truly natural evolution in his career.
It's time to find out more from the man himself.
American Whiskey Magazine (AWM): What does your role as master blender encompass?
Brendan Cook (BC): My role centers around ensuring that every bottle of Wyoming Whiskey reflects both the integrity of our distillery character and the unique conditions of Wyoming itself. On one side, I’m responsible for safeguarding the character of Wyoming Whiskey by ensuring consistency and quality across every expression. That means being deeply involved in the day-to-day; monitoring barrels throughout the year, sampling regularly, and tracking how the spirit evolves in our extreme climate. Living here in Kirby gives me the opportunity to see those changes firsthand and make timely decisions, whether it’s moving a barrel to a different warehouse zone or selecting it for a blend.
Beyond maintaining consistency, I also focus on shaping the future of our portfolio. That includes developing new releases, experimenting with cask types, and collaborating closely with our blending team to explore ideas that expand what Wyoming Whiskey can be. For me, it’s about honoring the foundation laid by Nancy Fraley and the team before me, while adding my own perspective — particularly around cask influence and how we can continue to showcase Wyoming’s unique terroir in every bottle.
AWM: What are your focus points moving forward for growth and experimentation?
BC: For me, growth starts in the glass. I want to continue refining our three flavor pillars — Caramel Orange Vanilla, Dark Dried Fruits, and Spice — because they’re the lens through which people experience Wyoming Whiskey. They give us a framework for consistency while also allowing room to highlight different facets of our distillery character. I’m also eager to lean into my background with diverse cask types. We have access to some of the finest oak in the world, and that opens up incredible opportunities to layer in new dimensions of flavor, whether that’s through sherry, wine, or other specialty casks. Lastly, I see storytelling through place as central to our future. Wyoming’s landscape is at the heart of everything we do, and projects like the National Parks Series allow us to capture the essence of a specific place in a bottle. That sense of terroir, of whiskey shaped by its environment, is something I’ll continue to build on.
AWM: Could you walk through the influence of climate and terroir on whiskey, as well as how you’re incorporating that into Wyoming Whiskey’s creation?
BC: Everything about our whiskey begins and ends in Wyoming. Our grains are grown locally in Byron, our limestone-filtered water comes from a mile-deep aquifer beneath the Madison Formation, and every step — distilling, aging, blending, and bottling — happens right here in Kirby.
What makes our environment so distinctive is how it shapes maturation. At high elevation, with dry air and dramatic swings between scorching summers and freezing winters, Wyoming creates one of the most unique aging conditions in the whiskey world. In summer, our warehouses can hit 115°F at the top while staying almost 50°F cooler at the bottom, which produces very different flavor profiles depending on a barrel’s location. In winter, the whiskey essentially goes dormant, pulling back from the oak. That’s why we don’t count age just in years, we count in summers. Every Wyoming Whiskey barrel sees at least five full summers of expansion and contraction with the wood, and that cycle is what drives integration and complexity. As a blender, my role is to harness these natural conditions to highlight the character of each barrel and craft whiskey that is expressive and balanced. Some barrels are bottled as single-barrel releases, where their unique caramel, orange, vanilla, or spice notes can shine on their own. Others are selected and blended to achieve a signature profile that balances consistency with individuality.
Our whiskey isn’t just made in Wyoming, it’s made of Wyoming, shaped by its rugged climate, open landscapes, and the natural resources that define this place.
