Pernod-Ricard Whiskey Founders
Includes large North American craft brands Jeffersons, Rabbit Hole, Smooth Amber, and TX Whiskey
(NOTE: FOUNDERS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
1
Leonard Firestone
F&R/ TX Whiskey
Leonard Firestone subsequently held a position with the PGA Tour before returning to Washington, D.C. These varied assignments gave him experience in public presentation, media, and business development—skills that would later become central to building a brand in an industry he had never previously entered.
2
John Little
Smooth Ambler
John Little moved to West Virginia where he and his father-in-law developed a goal of creating a world class product that makes West Virginians proud. He became the CEO of Smooth Ambler Spirits, where his years of operational management experience in the beverage alcohol industry was invaluable
3
Ale Ochoa
TX Whiskey
Ale’s role was to build and run a formal sensory program: training panels, quantifying aroma and flavor, and ensuring quality and consistency from new-make through maturation to the bottled whiskey. She described the day-to-day work as “sampling and quantifying the aromas and flavors of whiskey.”
4
Troy Robertson
F&R / TX Whiskey
Troy Robertson arranged to visit an operating craft distillery, but was surprised to learn that another prospective distiller was also scheduled to arrive. That visitor turned out to be his friend Leonard Firestone. Their independent plans quickly became a common enterprise and soon, Firestone & Robertson Distilling was established.
5
Kaveh Zamanian
Rabbit Hole
Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame inductee (2022). Kaveh Zamanian’s route to founding one of America’s fastest-growing whiskey brands is uncommon. Born in Iran in 1964, Zamanian emigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of 14. His family settled near San Francisco, where the youngster finished his formative high scho
6
Chet Zoeller
Jefferson’s
Charles “Chet” Franklin Zoeller was born February 24, 1941, in Louisville, Kentucky. Chet lived within the shadows of Churchill Downs and just a few short blocks from the premier distilleries of the day: Yellowstone, Seagram’s, Hill & Hill, and Stitzel-Weller, all within distance of inhaling vanilla, caramel, and smoke aromas.
7
Trey Zoeller
Jefferson’s
Trey “Mad Scientist” Zoeller and his father Charles ‘Chet’ Zoeller founded Jefferson’s Bourbon in 1997. Their family whiskey tradition can be traced to Zoeller’s 8th generation grandmother Marian McLain who was arrested in 1799 for the ‘production and sales of spirituous liquors.’