Remembering WILLIE

Talk to anyone who knew Willie Pratt and you’ll hear the same words used to describe him: dedicated, passionate, uncompromising (in a good way!), a perfectionist, a treasure trove of knowledge, a character. Pratt, distiller emeritus at Michter’s Distillery and a member of the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame, died in late December 2020 in Louisville. His health had been in decline for several years, but he never let it get in the way of his work and his love for the Bourbon industry. Andrea Wilson, Michter’s master of maturation, said that just days before he passed away, he sent her a several binders of complicated charts and graphs.

“He really was working up until the end. And he was doing what he loved to do. He was committed to it with a passion that I try to emulate in my own life,” said Wilson, who started at Michter’s in 2014. “I’ve been blessed throughout my whole career to have access to people like him, people with such incredible knowledge. It