tapster means one whose business is to tap or draw ale or other liquor. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
Why “tapster” is a great word
TAPSTER — [Noun] A person whose business is to draw and serve ale or other liquor from casks. From Middle English tappestere, from Old English tæppestre ("barmaid"), equivalent to tap ("a spigot for drawing liquor") + -ster (a feminine agent suffix). Unlike a bartender, who presides over a curated array of spirits, or a publican, who owns the establishment, a tapster was the specific agent of the spigot. It is the percussive thud of a mallet driving the tap home, the earthy gurgle of ale into a waiting tankard, and the perpetually damp wood of the serving counter—a quiet, essential labor of release, turning stored potential into immediate, communal solace.
noun
- One whose business is to tap or draw ale or other liquor.“[…] A tapster is a good trade: an old cloak makes a new jerkin; a withered serving-man a fresh tapster.”