When Kaylin Pulley walked into Weldon Mills Distillery, becoming a distiller was the farthest thing from her mind.
In summer 2019, she would go with her friends to the distillery to listen to live music on the weekends. She didn’t realize those visits would soon change the course of her life and eventually lead to her being named the 2026 Best Woman Distiller at the International Women’s Spirit Competition.
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The Roanoke Rapids native was 22 years old and finishing her degree in child development at East Carolina University when she began working at Weldon Mills. The COVID-19 pandemic hit during her senior year of college, and she returned home to finish her degree online.
She took a job at Weldon Mills Distillery as a weekend bartender.
Soon, general manager Bruce Tyler offered her another opportunity: working inside the distillery’s production room.
“I made it clear to everybody that it was only temporary,” Pulley said. “They knew that I wasn’t going to stay. They knew I had a plan for the future of what I wanted to do.”
She continued to bartend on the weekends but began studying under the late master distiller and moonshiner Mike Norman and lead distiller Andrew Daniel.
“The knowledge of distilling was passed down from Mike to Kaylin, and other folks. It is passed down generation to generation,” Tyler said.
They knew Pulley didn’t intend to stay for the long haul, so initially they weren’t interested in investing years in teaching her the craft. However, the more time she spent in the distillery, the more she began to see it as her future.
“The more I learned, the more interested I got,” she said.
Pulley said the hands-on aspect of the work inspired her to stay.
Within a year, Pulley became a distiller. Shortly afterward, she took on another major responsibility as production manager.
Tyler suggested Pulley enter her bourbon into the International Women’s Spirit Competition. She was hesitant at first.
“What stood out to me about Kaylin initially was her humility. In the first year, we learned she is capable of taking on anything,” Tyler said. “We watched her blossom, and she continues to grow.”
Weldon Mills submitted two whiskeys to the all-female judging panel: a wheated bourbon and Norman’s 53. They were evaluated in a blind taste test, and then Pulley got the call.
“I paced my kitchen for at least an hour and a half,” Pulley said. “This isn’t just an award for me though, it is a testament to everyone who helped get me to where I am today.”
Distilling remains a male-dominated industry, but women hold several key roles at Weldon Mills. In addition to Pulley overseeing production and distribution, the tasting rooms are also managed by women.
Pulley said Norman and Daniel never treated her differently and always made her feel capable of excellence.
“They always treated me like I was capable of the job,” Pulley said. “Don’t let the fact that it’s male-dominated intimidate you. You don’t have to know everything.”
Pulley’s next chapter is already aging inside a barrel.
“When Bruce told me it was time to make my own mashbill, my own recipe, I spent months chewing on raw grain trying to find the perfect flavor profile,” she said.
Her inspiration came from Golden Grahams cereal, and she said the finished bourbon will have a honey flavor.
The batch marks a new chapter for Weldon Mills Distillery. Until now, Norman had chosen all the grains used in Weldon Mills products. This bourbon is uniquely Pulley’s.
She said it will be ready in a few years, but she has several smaller barrels that she tastes regularly to make sure the flavors are developing the way she wants.
“She’s a great distiller, and I’m confident that as she comes to the time for master distiller, she will become master distiller. She has worked above and beyond as production manager,” Tyler said.