The Distilled Spirits Council named long-time, Washington, D.C., not-for-profit financial executive Kevin Smith as senior vice president of finance and administration.
Smith most recently served as chief financial officer of the United Way of the National Capital Area for three years, where he received the Washington Business Journal’s 2016 CFO of the Year Award. Prior to United Way, Smith spent more than 20 years in financial roles at the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Fannie Mae Foundation.
“We look forward to drawing on Kevin’s experience to help guide our administrative, financial and strategic efforts as we grow our membership,” DISCUS President and CEO Kraig R. Naasz said.
Wilby To Retire From Brown-Forman
Brown-Forman Corporation said Andrew Wilby, vice president and area director of Brown-Forman Northern Europe, will retire at the end of January 2018. Wilby joined Brown-Forman in 2000 as vice president, managing director for the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands. Under his leadership, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey volume has nearly tripled in the U.K., where it is now the top-selling whiskey.
During his tenure, Wilby introduced a number of Jack Daniel’s products including Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel (2006), Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire (2015), and most recently, Lynchburg Lemonade and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Cider (2017).
“I feel incredibly lucky to have worked for so much of my career with fantastic people and great brands,” Wilby said.
Dimitri Tchelistcheff Dies At 87
Longtime Napa Valley winemaker Dimitri Tchelistcheff died at his home in Hawaii on July 5, Jarvis Estate said. He was 87 years old.
The French-born winemaker was the son of legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff. He came to Napa with his family as a six-year-old in 1936. As a teenager, he worked as a lab assistant for his father and later earned an enology degree at the University of California at Davis, while continuing to work summers at the historic Buena Vista Winery.
It was then that he began making a name for himself as a winemaker in his own right and was responsible for pioneering groundbreaking techniques in winemaking including barrel fermentation and cold stabilization.
A graduate of UC Davis and an Army veteran, he returned home to start at Schramsberg Vineyards in 1955. Over the years, he worked at Gallo, Bodegas de Santo Tomas, the oldest winery in Baja, Mexico, and finally at Jarvis Estate, where he became winemaker in 1993.
He is survived by his wife, Hisako “Marti,” his son, Glen, his daughter-in-law Laureen and his granddaughter, Nicole. Messages of condolence and remembrance can be sent to Jarvis Estate and will be forwarded to his family in Hawaii.
Last Updated: May 4, 2023
