Feature Story: Women in Whiskey

Whiskey or Bourbon?

All bourbons are whiskey, but in order for a whiskey to be considered a true bourbon, the distilled spirit must adhere to three distinct rules:

1. The whiskey MUST be made in the United States.

2. The bourbon must be distilled from at least 51% corn. Other grains may be used to make up the additional 49%, but the recipe must be consistent.

3. The bourbon must be aged in NEW charred oak barrels and cannot include any colorings or additives.

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Changing the Game

By Meredith Kay

Most little girls don’t grow up dreaming of becoming whiskey makers, but sometimes life takes us down a path we could have never imagined to amazing opportunities that change our lives forever. This holds true for three dynamic, ambitious, and passionate local ladies who seized an opportunity to do something different and, in turn, discovered a true calling that has led them on an adventurous journey down a whiskey river.

Deb Pickell

Director of Production & Master Blender at Devils River Whiskey

Photography by Brittany Paul

Born in a small farming community in Northern California, Deb Pickell was the youngest of seven and grew up helping around the farm and selling vegetables at her family’s roadside produce stand. She never dreamed that her life’s path would lead her to San Antonio, Texas, to become a Master Blender for one of the fastest-growing whiskey brands in the country.

Deb was working with her husband resurfacing commercial floors when she met Mike Cameron. Cameron is the co-founder of Rebecca Creek Distillery, and in 2017 he struck out on his own to launch Devils River Whiskey. Deb began working for Cameron doing administrative work, and when Devils River went into production in Dallas, Pickell moved up there to get the business off the ground and worked hard to grow the business, doubling production year over year.

“We put out 15,000 cases the first year, 30,000 cases in the second year, and by year three, we were bottling and distributing 60,000 cases. The enterprise got so big that we had to split production and administration. So, I decided to head up the production team as we made the move to San Antonio,” Pickell explains.

The whiskey is distilled in the ground floor space of the historic Burns Building downtown San Antonio, but when it is ready to be casked, the sacred liquid is moved to the production facility just north on I-35. Here, Pickell and her team transfer the whiskey, and the soon-to-become bourbon, to their new barrel homes. The barrels are stacked in the rickhouse and left to rest, age, and mature. It is here, among her “babies,” that Pickell feels the most peace. She even recalls breaking down during the height of the pandemic as she worried about her staff and the future of everything.

“We were all still here working together as the world stopped around us. I was so worried that one of my guys would catch COVID, and no matter how thoroughly we cleaned, there was no guarantee that we wouldn’t. One day, it all just hit me so hard. So, I climbed the barrels and sat there in the peace and quiet of the rickhouse and had a good, long cry. It was cathartic. I looked around at everything we had accomplished, and I knew that I was where I was meant to be.”

Pickell beams with pride when she describes her team. “I get to set the culture here, and we’ve developed an environment that fosters learning. Nobody is perfect, and mistakes are a part of the learning process, but we pride ourselves on turning those mistakes into teaching moments, and that is reflected in our quality.”

Devils River Whiskey takes its name, and its water, from the Devils River, which runs through some of the roughest and most remote country in South Texas, near Del Rio. The distillery harvests the naturally filtered limestone spring water, considered to be the purest water source in Texas, for their small-batch whiskey and bourbons.

Currently, Devils River Whiskey can be found in 33 states, and Pickell has created several unique flavor profiles that allow her to play with the palate. Their Coffee Bourbon invokes the aroma of Vienna Roasted coffee, and their Agave Bourbon blends their signature bourbon with sweet Blue Agave nectar, creating a smooth finish reminiscent of the land where the Devils River crosses over into Mexico.

Heather Greene

Master Distiller, CEO & Founder at Milam & Greene Whiskey

Photo courtesy by Milam & Green Whiskey

When you first meet Heather Greene, you immediately know that this is a woman in charge. Her confidence is perfectly balanced with her warmth, and you can tell that she absolutely loves what she is doing. Heather is an accomplished author, and her book, Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life, has helped her gain much recognition as a leader in the industry. Currently, Heather is the Master Blender and co-founder of Milam & Greene Whiskey in Blanco.

Greene began her career as a bartender in New York City in 2005. She quickly learned what consumers liked and which spirits they were drawn to, but it was during her years in Edinburgh, Scotland, that she truly began to fall in love with whiskey and dive deeper into the process of how it is made. In fact, she even earned recognition as the first American woman to serve on the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society Tasting Panel.

Upon returning to New York, she became the Director of Whiskey Education at The Flatiron Room, where she worked closely with spirits industry pioneer Tommy Tardie. Her whiskey classes sold out regularly, and she became an expert in whiskey consumer behavior. This led to Greene’s reputation as the “go-to” whiskey expert. In fact, Anthony Bourdain, himself, was quoted saying, “If I had a question about whiskey, she’d be somebody I’d call.”

Greene became a consultant for small distilleries, helping them figure out everything from proper batching techniques, to flavor profiling, to marketing. This led her to Texas, where she met Marsha Milam and Marlene Holmes and saw an opportunity to create her own whiskey utilizing her years of experience to produce something truly special. Milam & Greene produces several different bourbons, and they blur the lines of tradition without deviating from the strict rules of bourbon production. The distillery has become a pioneer in blending whiskeys that cross state lines, and this has allowed them to produce innovative and creative flavor profiles. Several times a year, Heather and Marlene will travel to Kentucky and Tennessee sourcing aged whiskeys to blend with their Hill Country cured whiskeys.

Greene states, “My goal is to make great whiskey, but it’s about being brave. Sometimes we cook in another kitchen, which allows us to get creative within the rules of bourbon. Hill Country weather seasons our whiskey, and when we blend that unique flavor with more traditional flavors found in Kentucky or Tennessee, the result is something truly innovative and interesting.”

Milam & Greene is now in 12 different states and recently took home the title of “Best in Show” out of 550 participants at The American Craft Spirits Association. This amazing growth, and the impressive awards, can all be credited to Heather Greene and her amazing team of whiskey women who are blazing a trail for others to follow with their creativity and authenticity.

Samantha Olvera

Distiller at Garrison Brothers

Photo courtesy by Garrison Brothers

It’s not easy to be the only girl on the team. Women often have to work harder, be smarter, and prove themselves in a unique and singular way that makes us stand out in a male-dominated arena. Samantha Olvera has learned to not only navigate the arena, but she is winning the game and earning the respect of those in the field as the only female distiller at the legendary Texas bourbon maker, Garrison Brothers.

Born in Corpus Christi, Samantha was attending Del Mar College, studying to become a respiratory therapist, when she moved north to San Antonio to help with her family. She worked as a bartender at Albert Icehouse & Dancehall in Stonewall, and she would often serve the employees from Garrison Brothers after their shifts at the distillery. She became intrigued with the stories about how their bourbon was made, and when she heard about an opening in hospitality at the distillery, she applied and was hired immediately.

Garrison Brothers, located in Hye, was the first distillery to acquire a license to make bourbon outside of Kentucky and Tennessee, and they are the oldest bourbon distillery in Texas. They offer several flavor profiles to please even the most discerning whiskey palate.

From the beginning, Samantha knew that she wanted to become a part of the production team. Donnis Todd, Garrison Brothers’ Head Distiller, encouraged her and set out to teach her the bourbon-making process. She learned quickly, and seven years later, Samantha is proud to be the only female distiller on the team.

About her experience, Samantha is grateful to the team that has taught her well. She says, “I’ve learned so much over the years, and I’ve had to become mechanically inclined. I’ve learned how a valve works and how to replace one, and I’ve become pretty good at reversing a trailer.”

When asked what sets Garrison Brothers apart from other Texas whiskey distillers, Samantha will tell you that it’s actually the inconsistency based on the crazy weather here in South Texas. “We don’t bank on making the exact same batch year after year. The heat and the cold really dictate the flavor profiles of each batch.”

During milder seasons, the distillery may practice a method of “zapping” the barrels to intensify the barrel aging process. This entails loading the barrels into a shipping container to force the heat circulation, thus producing a deeper flavor profile. Samantha recalls, “I’ll never forget the first time I went into the shipping container where they were zapping the barrels. I could literally hear the barrels breathing.”

Currently, Garrison Brothers can be found in over 20 states and internationally, and their reputation is growing quickly. Samantha wakes up every day grateful for the opportunity that launched a career that she never expected, but loves dearly.

She says, “I’m blessed to be able to earn a living doing something I love. You have to love what you do, and every day I remind myself where we started and how far we’ve come, and I can’t wait to see how far we will go in the future.”