KY ‘Mother of Bourbon’ Mary Dowling was first woman to operate a major distillery
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- Mary Dowling became the first woman to run a major distillery in 1903.
- Dowling rebuilt her bourbon empire after fire, financial loss and Prohibition.
- Her legacy includes founding a bank, aiding rights causes and reviving her brand.
One of the newest inductees into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame is a woman who became the first to operate a major distillery in 1903.
Born in 1859, “Mother of Bourbon” Mary Murphy was just 15 when she married John Dowling, who was more than twice her age. Both Irish Catholic, they overcame societal prejudice and great odds to create a family and a distilling empire.
John Dowling was an investor in the Waterfill & Frazier Distillery and a cooperage in Lawrenceburg when they married. Eventually they would own three distilleries together and multiple cooperages, according to Kaveh Zamanian, who researched Mary Dowling for his book with Eric Goodman called “Mother of Bourbon.”
“They created a real dynasty and were full partners. John recognized Mary’s business acumen,” Zamanian said.
John died in 1903, leaving 44-year-old Mary to raise eight children and run a major business in an industry that was not especially friendly to women.
Her lines of credit were shut down and her distributor dropped her. One of her distilleries burned down. She was offered pennies on the dollar for the rest but she dug in and rebuilt. Over the next 20 years, she built Waterfill & Frazier and Dowling Brothers into powerhouses of bourbon in Kentucky.
When Prohibition came along, Dowling’s operations were shut down but she sold much of her inventory in anticipation, including some to Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, who had a license to sell medicinal whiskey.
She became the target of prosecutors who accused Dowling and her family of bootlegging. Fed up, Mary Dowling hired Joseph L. Beam and his sons to dismantle her Kentucky distillery and move it down to Juarez, Mexico, where the distillery became such a success that Van Winkle complained of Mexican competition for his Kentucky-made Dowling whiskey.
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Beyond the spirits industry, Dowling used her influence to found a bank, build churches, champion immigrant, Black and women’s rights and open a free hospital.
Mary Dowling died 1930 and is buried in Lawrenceburg. The Juarez distillery operated until the 1960s.
Now a line of bourbon and whiskey bearing her name is again on the market from Zamanian’s Rabbit Hole Distillery.
“She was an incredibly talented and capable woman in a man’s industry at a time where women had no right to vote or own property,” Zamanian said, “and she was over able to overcome all those obstacles and raise a family, have a business, and again, make her mark in our industry.”
Mary Dowling will be inducted into Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in September.
Other inductees for 2025 include Chris Morris, Brown-Forman master distiller emeritus, who will receive the prestigious Parker Beam Lifetime achievement Award; Craig Beam, master distiller at Jackson Purchase Distillery; Larry Ebersold, industry consultant who has helped shape 31 distilleries, including New Riff, Rabbit Hole and Bardstown Bourbon; and Damon Thayer, former Kentucky state senator.
This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
