February 21, 2023

Breaking Barriers: Celebrating the Legacy of African American Pioneers in the Distilled Spirits Industry

Black distillers, blenders, and business owners have contributed greatly to the spirits industry. We have highlighted ten distilleries founded by Black pioneers to commemorate Black history.

Nathan Green, among enslaved African-Americans, was the first documented evidence of black involvement in the spirit industry. He was also instrumental in the initial days of said American whiskey business. He was born in Maryland during the early 1800s and afterward enslaved in Tennessee, and Nathan Green started working as a distiller. 


He is mainly remembered because he taught young Jack Daniel how to make whiskey, a little-known tale until recently. Green was a professional in the craft of distilling, as per historical documents, and he was instrumental in refining the strategies that continue to be employed today. He was also recognized for mentoring other distillers, which included his son, who ended up going ahead and becoming a successful distiller himself.


Even with his contributions, Green's story was largely ignored for many years. Only in the early twenty-first century was his contribution to the whiskey sector recognized. Green Foundation carries his legacy today, which further seeks to honor his contributions while supporting the next young generation of Black distillers.

10 Black-Owned Distillers Producing Premium Products

Getting the best quality is what everybody wants. Below distillers ensure they produce the best quality for their clients. Please keep reading to understand their distilling process.

The Highway Distillery

The Highway Distillery, located in Austin, Texas, is a distiller that produced Texas' initial hemp-infused vodka. It is additionally the first wholly African- American owned distillery in Texas, an important achievement in the industry. Great friends Ben Williams and Wendell Robbins III worked hard for eight years to create the vodka.


Highway Vodka is manufactured with water from an aquifer, fresh local corn, and an exceptional strain of hemp. The mash's mixture of components results in a truly distinct and exceptional vodka. The outcome is a soft spirit with an organic spiciness from the hemp infusion.


Ben Williams, a local of Houston, has a private education and event background. Williams became active in the spirits industry after collaborating with his brother to start Lucille's restaurant in 2016. He oversaw the company's massive development and ensured Highway Vodka was available across Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, and other states.


The Highway Distillery's achievement narrative is inspirational, especially considering its origins in Black entrepreneurship. The distillery has had a massive effect on the spirits business, both nationally and internationally, by producing an innovative and distinctive product. As Texas' initial fully Black-owned whisky, the endeavor is an important symbol of industry inclusivity and diversity.

Shadow Ridge Spirits Co.

Shadow Ridge Spirits is a mini, veteran-owned business run by Lisa Ireland and Sean Hallman, a husband and wife team.


Shadow Ridge Distillers Company is involved in handcrafted top-quality small-batch spirits. Each whisky has a different grain bill, including specialized malted barley and grains. They are matured in sear oak barrels, which enhances grain tastes and aids in the maturation process.

Shadow Ridge also offers silver rums and barrel-aged, emphasizing the sweetness and flavors of high-quality molasses and sugars. Shadow Ridge is in the research and development stage for their Spirits Gin, which will utilize clean foundation alcohol to enable the selected herbal products to shine.


Small-batch distillation allows them to test out novel recipes and bring to light the numerous yeast and grain flavor profiles, bringing an additional layer of richness to Shadow Ridge whiskies. As an outcome, I trust Shadow Ridge Distillers Company can offer distinct flavor to create the spirit of customers looking for something distinct from the big brands.

Whiskey Wright

In 2015, Edwin Wright was inspired to incorporate alcohol like he smoked pork shoulder or brisket. In 2016, Wright invented a method for infusing smoke flavor into whiskey. Wright tried out several smoke infusion techniques, and shortly after conducting some taste tests, numerous people asked how to buy the whiskey. After numerous trials, Whiskey Wright arrived at the ideal method through error and trial.


It enabled Wright to make several combinations with alcohol acquired from a retail outlet, including Applewood, Cherrywood, Mesquite, Hickory, and Pecan. Each flavor he used was depicted in various liquors, including Vodka, Whiskey, Rum, Tequila, and Gin. He then presented the blends at a guesthouse event and polled attendees.


Many people who were overjoyed to have tasted something so unusual expressed their gratitude. That's when he realized that there was more to this. His enthusiasm and boldness empowered him to take the plunge and start a business. The shift from a Chef to Distiller started. As a Cook, he saw the shift to whiskey as natural.

Rising Sun Distillery

Rising Sun Distillery is a Denver-based craft distiller specializing in making high natural spirits. Dawn Nudell, a longstanding businessman and liquor industry expert, established the distillery in 2013 to produce tasty and environmentally sustainable spirits.


Rising Sun Distillery makes its spirits with only local produce, using non-GMO substances and producing small batches to guarantee the best quality. Their product line comprises vodka, rum, gin, and numerous flavored liqueurs.

Rising Sun Distillery's dedication to environmental sustainability is among its distinguishing features. They power the distillery with renewable power and have adopted various green initiatives, including recycling wastewater and using recycled products in their packaging.



Rising Sun Distillery is dedicated to helping the local people and creating excellent spirits. They frequently collaborate with local companies and hold events to fundraise for charities and encourage community engagement.


Rising Sun Distillery is a high-quality art distillery that produces good, environmentally conscious products while supporting local charities.

Fresh Bourbon Distilling Co.

Fresh Bourbon Distilling Co. is located in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. The company was established in 2017 to produce top-notch products in small-batch bourbons employing traditional techniques and ingredients produced locally. The distillery's centerpiece bourbon is a four-grain, high-rye mash bill aged in freshly burnt oak barrels for over two years.


Fresh Bourbon Distilling Co. manufactures an array of spirits, such as rye whiskey, vodka, and gin, concerning its premier bourbon. The distillery's spirits are sold throughout Kentucky and can be purchased online.


The company also offers tours of its tasting room and distillery, where visitors can learn about whiskey-making and test their spirits. Fresh Bourbon Distilling Co. has established itself as one of Kentucky's prestigious craft distilleries, receiving many accolades and honors for its spirits.

Matugga Distillers

Matugga Distillers is a self-governing craft distillery in Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland, and was founded in 2015 by Jacine Rutasikwa and paul, a wife and husband team. The distillery has been named after Paul's hometown of Matugga in East Africa, Uganda, and the aromas and flavors of the region influence their distilled spirits. They produce various rum styles: white, flavored, spiced, and cask-aged golden and dark rums. Their spirits are filtered completely from scratch in Scotland, granting them a true regional flavor.


Matugga Distillers makes several kinds of gin, vodka, and liqueurs, all imbued with distinct spices and botanicals. Their flagship variety of top-quality spiced and golden rums has won multiple prestigious recognition and is now available in Europe and the UK. Its delicately distinct, smooth and complex personality has contributed to its reputation as a major manufacturer of handcrafted rums, which can be sipped pretty cool or on ice and used to make delectable cocktails.

Loft and Bear

Loft and Bear's founder is Paul Ryan Elliott, an East Coast resident and one of the state's several Black distillery stockholders. When his family's building company failed, Elliott acquired the skill of distilling wine. Elliott was jobless and residing in Silver Spring when he had to decide whether to attend college again or proceed with his distillery hobby. After much thought, he postponed his preparations for the school of business and dedicated a few years to concentrate on business planning.


Loft & Bear handcrafted vodka was founded in a loft in the heart of downtown LA in the summer of 2014—hence the name. Loft & Bear distillery is a significant part of spirits and wine history.


Elliott keeps pushing toward lengthy, sustained development and is motivated by chance to bring inclusion, participation, and broad perspectives to the wine and spirits sector. Loft & Bear's cultural consciousness is evident in their "Distill.Drink.Donate" initiative, wherein about 5% of Loft & Bear's net profit is pledged to Trail, a dedicated charity. Preventing homelessness and offering aid to disturbed families, veterans benefits, and social work in Southern California.

Brough Brothers Distillery

Brough Brothers Distillery was established in 2018. The Three brothers who started the distillery, Christian, victor and Bryson Yarbrough, were interested in developing a brand that honored their adoration of whiskey and their family's heritage. The Yarbrough family has been involved in the bourbon sector since the 1950s. Their granddad was employed as a janitor at a wine distillery in Louisville.


The brothers were raised in Louisville, where the town's thriving bourbon culture influenced them. They were interested in building a brand representing their love of whiskey and dedication to excellence while paying homage to their family's history in the business. Their grandpa's middle name prompted the name "Brough," which they also felt was a nice tribute to their family heritage.


The refinery is in Louisville's Shelby Park area, a traditionally African American residential area. The brothers decided on this spot to start contributing to the area's redevelopment and to provide chances to nearby citizens. They have additionally been vigorously involved with neighborhood initiatives and collaborations, such as offering food for families affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and assisting local social equality organizations.

Toast Distillers

Toast Distillers, Inc is a spirits corporation centered in Florida and established in 2013 by Dieuveny "DJ" Jean Louis. The business has its headquarters in Miami and is better known for ToastTM and ultra-premium vodka. Other spirits products produced by Toast Distillers include Amazing BrandsTM, TMDC GinTM and Voka Vodka, all manufactured at the Miami Distilling. Co.


Toast Distillers is unique because it is a major supplier of several spirits brands. MIAMI CLUB RUM, E11EVEN VODKA, and Pitbull's VOLI VODKA are among these brands. It demonstrates that the business has a great reputation and knowledge of the sector, and other brands rely on them to produce high-quality products. Toast VodkaTM, the company's best-selling brand, is distilled six times from a wheat and corn blend. The company says the vodka is "exceedingly silky and smooth" with a " crisp, clean finish." Toast Distillers employs a novel filtration technique that entails passing the vodka via crushed lava rock and coconut husk, which they allege imparts a distinct texture and flavor to the vodka.


Toast Distillers, Inc is a fast-expanding spirits company that focuses on producing premium, high-quality spirits. The company is able to keep growing its client base and delivering unique spirits to clients, thanks to the Miami-based distillery and collective bargaining agreement manufacturing capabilities.

Anteel Tequila

Ferguson founded Anteel in 2018 with the help of her hubby, Don, the CEO and co-founder, after conquering breast and pancreatic cancer. "I still wished to have a drink now and then," she says, adding that she was attracted to tequila due to its reputation as nothing more than a "clean" spirit.


According to Ferguson, Tequila is instinctually gluten-free, low in calories and sugar, and has no carbs since it uses agave plants. It doesn't increase the drinker's glycemic load, as with vodka, bourbon and whiskey, which is essential to Ferguson since she is a pancreatic cancer survivor; it's manageable for people who are allergic to such types of grains and wheat.


Despite the above health advantages, she claims buyers often ignore tequila since they've only had unpleasant outcomes. Ferguson believes people might enjoy a higher-quality tequila more if they drank it. Some tequilas, she claims, are "harsh," presumably because of the grade of the soil where the agave has been grown, the distilling process of whiskey, and many other elements that influence the softness of the spirit. Drinkers would also try to hide the flavors with a substantial amount of sugar, which could also result in hangovers.


African-American pioneers have contributed significantly to the distillers' business; their tales are acknowledged and widely celebrated. The ten Black-owned distilleries outlined in this article are just a few examples of Black individuals' creativity and entrepreneurial spirit in the spirits industry. Not only are the above distilleries making high products, but they are also promoting diversity and inclusivity in the industry.

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