Distilling icon Lincoln Henderson dies

The late Lincoln Henderson

LOUISVILLE, KY -- Lincoln Henderson, a master distiller who helped create the Woodford Reserve brand, has died.

A statement from Angel's Envy, which Henderson came out of retirement in 2006 to help launch for Brown-Forman, said Henderson had died. It did not mention a cause of death.

A statement from Brown-Forman said Henderson worked for the company nearly 40 years and was a "titan of the Kentucky bourbon industry." It said he tasted more than 430,000 barrels of bourbon to determine whether they were ready for bottling.

Henderson was an inaugural member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.