Diageo Chooses 2 Women-Owned Spirits Brands to Boost With Distill Ventures Program
The founding partners of Jackson McCrea: Sheila Jackson (left) and Natasha McCrea. (Photo: Jackson McCrea Whiskey/Facebook)
On Friday, the Diageo drinks incubator, Distill Ventures, shared on LinkedIn that it is welcoming two women-owned spirits brands into its mentorship program: Jackson McCrea Whiskey and UME Plum Liqueur. Both spirits brands are in their nascent stages.
Distill Ventures shared that in the last year, it received almost 250 applications for its Pre-Accelerator program. The program is meant to champion and support brands founded by those from underrepresented backgrounds. The Spirits Business reported that these brands will receive up to $500,000 in capital and up to a year of mentorship support.
Jackson McCrea is a Black-and women-owned whiskey brand founded by Sheila Jackson and Natasha McCrea. McCrea and Jackson both reside in Los Angeles. Jackson McCrea’s flagship spirit is a 5-year-old rye whiskey finished in French oak Syrah barrels. The whiskey is priced at $78 on the brand’s website.
“Our journey with Jackson McCrea Whiskey has been one of innovation and breaking barriers,” McCrea said, according to The Spirits Business. “As Black women entrepreneurs, we understood the challenges we’d face, especially in fundraising – so being selected for Distill Ventures’ Pre-Accelerator cohort is incredibly rewarding.”
UME Plum Liqueur is a New York-based brand founded by Jen Toyzer and Katy Brandes. The liqueur is described as “the purple potion for a new era” on to the brand’s website. Distill Ventures calls it tart yet “slightly sweet.”
UME is a tart plum liqueur that was selected by Diageo’s Pre-Accelerator program. (Photo: UME Plum Liqueur/Instagram)
“We are thrilled and honored to be a part of Distill Ventures Pre-Accelerator program, which is an incredible testament to our early success and the enormous opportunity for Ume,” Toyzer expressed according to The Spirits Business. “Distill Ventures’ support will help us realize our mission of becoming the new essential on every bar.”
In January, Lodestar Whiskey, the first whiskey to be backed by Diageo’s Pre-Accelerator program, unveiled its first release. The whiskey is a blend of high-rye bourbon and American single malt whiskey. Lodestar is a women-owned brand that celebrates the “laid-back lifestyle” of its home state, California. The whiskey rolled out in California-based specialty stores and online in the U.S. at the end of January.
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