Whiskey Chemist or Chemical Engineer

Job Title: Whiskey Chemist or Chemical Engineer

Responsibilities

• Perform experiments & maturation trials for a variety of new business development projects
• Collaborate on innovative methods for distilling and maturing spirits
• Record and maintain detailed and accurate documentation of all experiments run and all data collected
• Work with a team of other employees and consultants (both scientific and cross-functional) 
• Maintain constant communication with management, staff, and vendors to ensure proper operations of the organization
• Actively pursues strategic and operational objectives
• Ensures research activities & projects remain on time and within a defined budget
• Planning and execution of experiments & sample matrices, both independently and with input from the broader team
• Follow and improve SOPs for experiments and all lab equipment
• Maintain the lab in excellent condition, including organization and cleaning
• Attends regular chemistry meetings with our team & panel of consultants, and can create and manage meeting agendas and take detailed meeting notes

Requirements

• BS or MS in chemistry, engineering, science, or related field
• Keen nose & pallet, and genuine love for all things spirits and whiskey
• This is an on-site job with production and R&D facilities in Lexington, KY
• Eligible to work in the United States

Preferred Qualifications

• Solid foundation in organic chemistry
• Knowledge and experience running GC-MS & GC-FID
• University and/or industry experience in a chemistry lab 
• Fundamental knowledge of distillation
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Driven by results and oriented towards experimentation & proper planning to ensure quality outcomes and accuracy of data generated
• Intelligent, hard-working, and dedicated to the craft
• Basic understanding of statistics and modeling is a plus
• Experience using an ODP and identifying key aromatic compounds is a plus

About Us

Bespoken Spirits, based in Lexington, KY, is a privately owned, groundbreaking spirits start-up, founded in 2019. Bespoken Spirits is revolutionizing the industry through its precise finishing process, using all-natural elements of wood, toast and char. Bespoken experts introduce meticulously crafted, proprietary micro-staves into any spirit, and employ a process capable of producing a myriad of precisely calibrated natural aroma and flavor profiles. To date, Bespoken has created over 8,000 unique whiskey trials, all using less wood, water and energy. The best of these whiskies have earned over 200 awards, including ASCOT awards and medals from the American Distilling Institute, Double Golds from San Francisco World Spirits Competition, World Whiskies, New York World Wine & Spirits and many others.