Women-founded spirits brands to toast to on Mother's Day

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Cheers to these leading ladies in spirits.

Woman-owned spirits brands continue to shake up the historically male-dominated alcohol industry with refreshing takes on gin, vodka and bourbon.

Constellation Brands in 2018 launched the first-ever venture fund devoted to investing in female-founded alcohol companies. The glass is less than half empty in the industry with just 16% of C-suite level executives in the food and beverage manufacturing industry are women, according to a 2019 report by McKinsey & Company.

Here are some female-helmed spirits to sip and support ahead of Mother’s Day.

Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur

This Los Angeles-based gin liquor brand is reinventing the botanical-forward spirit that’s been nicknamed Mother Gin. Founder Dr. Nicola Nice was determined to reclaim the spirit --  that was advertised as "Mother's Ruin" during the gin craze in the 1700s. Back in the colonial period, the spirit was blamed for higher crime, lower birth rates and associating women gin drinkers with neglecting their children. This brand is a celebration of women who love the spirit. 

Pomp & Whimsy (750 ml/30% ) infuses classically distilled gin with a flavorful botanical liqueur that’s infused twice and re-distilled with a blend of 16 natural and whole botanicals like juniper, coriander, grapefruit, orange, lychee and other bright ingredients. The flavor profile is described as light citrus evolving into a warm spice finish with a hint of juniper.

Pomp & Whimsy Gin. (Courtesy of Pomp & Whimsy)

"For us, Mother’s Day is the holiday to celebrate because we’re bringing gin back from ‘mother’s ruin’ to mother gin and writing women back into the story of the spirit," Dr. Nicola Nice, founder of Pomp & Whimsy told Fox News, adding that the gin liqueur can be sipped by itself or topped with champagne, soda, tonic or to use in place of gin in classic cocktails.

Dr. Nicola Nice, founder of Pomp & Whimsy. (Courtesy of Pomp & Whimsy)

Tipperary Boutique Distillery

Co-founder and director of Tipperary Boutique Distillery Jennifer Nickerson told us it's "It's interesting being a woman in whiskey."

"On a day-to-day basis, being a woman in the whiskey industry is great. At worst I’m treated with good-humored amusement, and while I might be talked over or condescended to (or asked if I drink whiskey – that one is surprisingly regular), its normally something to be laughed off," Nickerson shared.

"I doubt I would have been able to found a distillery in Ireland 50 years ago: back then women in the public sector had to give up their roles if they got married. Progress is always happening, and in founding a distillery, hopefully I’m helping that in a small way."    

She added that all of the difficulties running your own distillery is "all worthwhile when you are holding something in your hand that you created yourself, that’s really yours from your own land."

Happenstance Bourbon Whisky

This Nashville-based whisky company with founder Paige Parker at the helm launched its Founder’s Edition straight bourbon whiskey on May 3. The double-distilled, barrel-aged spirit features notes of vanilla, hazelnut, toasted oak, honey and toffee.

"We wanted to create a product that pays homage to the tradition of American bourbons that have come before us, but with an unexpected punch of today’s most sought out flavors," Parker, founder of Happenstance, said in a statement about the bourbon.

Harridan Vodka

Cheers to the spirit of defiance. That’s how Bridget Taylor, founder of Harridan Vodka describes the silky spirit. It's triple distilled in Upstate New York from locally-grown organic corn (750ml/44% ABV).  Imbibers will be immediately attracted by the brand’s handblown glass bottle from artisans in Mexico, Harridan describes on its website.

Yola Mezcal

Flavors of agave shine in this all-women run mezcal brand made in Mexico. It follows a family recipe passed down from 1971, and promotes economic independence for its partners in Oaxaca and across borders, according to its website.