Use as an attributed interpretation of Jimmy Russell's account, not as a universal job definition.
Master-distiller authority can derive from experience across production stages and the ability to diagnose why a spirit tastes wrong, rather than merely from title, lineage, or preference.
The excerpt and PDF-sheet locator are verified. The broader organizational claim remains In Review pending independent practitioner or company-training evidence.
Supported here by one senior practitioner's recollection in a celebratory consumer guide. Training structures and the master-distiller role vary across firms and eras; broader use should be corroborated with additional practitioner or organizational evidence.
Jimmy Russell's account connects work across grain intake, equipment, distillation, aging, and bottling to the ability to identify the process or warehouse condition behind a sensory defect. The claim converts that testimony into a general but qualified interpretation of expertise.
Created only after a duplicate search returned no claim addressing cross-process sensory diagnosis. Linked to the existing ZET-109 rather than creating a parallel Zettel.
Reigler 2020 — bounded source audit
Reigler PDF166,168–169 illustrates mentorship and sensory evaluation, but not a complete account of cross-process diagnosis. The controlling support remains the attributed Jimmy Russell interview in Givens. Reigler's association with the apprenticeship Zettel does not independently validate every diagnostic claim.
Existing claim status and other-source evidence retained.