Bethne Stewart: Master of Bourbon

Tucked inside The Fifth Avenue Hotel, The Portrait Bar has quickly become one of New York City’s most distinctive cocktail bars, bringing the spirit of the curious flâneur to all who enter its doors. Just two years since its opening, the bar has already landed on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and Esquire’s Best Bars in America 2024. Each day, The Portrait Bar is raising the bar and showing no signs of slowing down.

That spirit of excellence can be seen in Bethne Stewart, one of The Portrait Bar’s talented bartenders. Earlier this year, Stewart was the first woman in America to pass the Master of Bourbon exam. To celebrate her, we stopped by The Portrait Bar to discuss the certification, how she prepared to pass the exam, and her reflections on how whiskey culture is evolving.  

The Path to Prestige

In the intricate realm of spirits, one of the best indicators of an expert is their certification. When it comes to bourbon, the designation of Master of Bourbon means the best of the best. Offered through The Council of Whiskey Masters, this certification is one of the most difficult to achieve. The requirements include a combination of both practical and theoretical knowledge, including, but not limited to, history, production processes, laws and regulations, global styles, and sensory evaluation (i.e., blind tasting). Four individuals were certified in 2025. Stewart was proudly among them. 

She approached this challenge with a great sense of discipline. “I had never truly pursued a goal just because I wanted to,” Stewart explains. “I always had some outside influence guiding me or self-imposed goal posts I felt I needed to hit, but the whiskey exams were something that truly lit a fire within me that felt more genuine than anything I’d ever done.” 

Pure passion and drive can make us move mountains, but few people achieve mastery without support. For Stewart, this was her colleagues at The Portrait Bar. Their generosity of time was an anchor along her path. 

“Practicing my blind tastings with the team at The Portrait Bar […] made the process fun and thought-provoking,” she recalls. “They would ask me questions about the whiskey, how production made it taste a certain way, or how I could tell the different types of mashbills apart. I’ll never forget those late-night tastings.” 

A Sense of Place 

While every bourbon is whiskey, not every whiskey is bourbon. Bourbon is a whiskey made with at least 51% corn, and only in the United States. The connection to place is explicitly tied to a label’s flavor profile and identity. When most people think of bourbon, they think of Kentucky, which is home to about 95% of bourbon production. However, there are many distilleries across the United States that are producing successful labels that have established themselves through innovation and regional character.

Stewart, who is originally from Arizona, has a special place in her heart (and palate) for Whiskey Del Bac by Hamilton Distillers in Tucson. “Their Dorado American Single Malt reminds me so much of the Southwest, and I think it’s a really cool representation of what the category is capable of in the world of whiskey,” she says. 

Another area that has Stewart inspired is the state of New York. “My move to New York has gotten me really excited about the distilleries in the area. I think New York whiskey has its own unique terroir that brings something exciting and distinct, but also classic to American whiskey,” she tells us.  

Expanding the Story

As the first woman to achieve Master of Bourbon, Stewart brings a fresh and welcome perspective to an ever-evolving field, but she reminds us that she is not the first to make an impact. 

Back in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when commercial distilleries began operating in the United States, household names like Evan Williams and Jack Daniel became known across the country, but that’s only a part of the story. There are many women and people of color who have greatly contributed to the culture of spirits we know today. Stewart calls out two inspiring figures whose stories have shaped her own view: Nathan “Nearest” Green, the master distiller who taught his techniques to Jack Daniel, and Mary Dowling, a pioneer among women in distilling. 

Today, more documentaries and emerging brands are beginning to honor the fuller history and “the innovation, dedication, and drive that it takes to get and keep a whiskey operation off the ground.” As Stewart says, “It’s no longer the story of one intrepid landowner fighting the tax man and the rectifier, but how a community of people has come together historically to keep their cottage business alive and share their passion for whiskey through good and bad times.”

An Example to Follow

Each and every flâneur at The Fifth has come together to celebrate Stewart’s achievement. A true example of hard work and determination, she personifies our philosophy of excellence, curiosity, and passion. As Stewart reflects on her journey, she leaves us with a message: “I hope my story encourages other women to pursue a passion that brings them joy, regardless of what others might think or if it’s ever been done before.”