Q&A With Jackson McCrea Rye Founders Natasha McCrea And Sheila Jackson

By Richard Thomas

Despite the growing, dark clouds of a probable sales slump and market correction for whiskey generally, newcomers are still entering the game–and there is still room for them. For folks with a nose for a quality whiskey, an eye on the market and a good sense for business, there will always be that room. Likewise, the other prevailing trend in the whiskey trade is for women and people of color to increasingly make the whiskey or develop their own brands, something I commented on most recently in my upcoming book Whiskey Stories.

That trend for new and different types of faces to enter the business is exemplified now by Jackson McCrea, named for their founders, Natasha McCrea and Sheila Jackson. This pair of African-American women came at the idea of starting their own rye brand from the best foundation of all: their own taste for a good whiskey cocktail. I explored their interests and new business with them towards the end of last year:

RT: Everyone seems to have a story they like to tell about their introduction to whiskey, even if it is just “boilermakers with Jameson at a college bar.” Please, do tell about yours.

Sheila:  My introduction to whiskey was through my family. I grew up in Tennessee. On the weekends Aunts, Uncles and cousins would come together to play cards, enjoy good food and Jack Daniels was always on the table.

Natasha: My whiskey journey began as an executive assistant to the CFO of a film finance company, where I was introduced to Glenlivet. Years later, feeling adventurous, I ordered a 30-year-old Scotch neat at a bar—quickly learning what “neat” meant after asking for a rock. That experience opened the door to whiskey for me, and ever since, my go-to drink has been an Old Fashioned.

RT: You’ve written to how the whole conversation between the two of your got started over discovering you were both fond of Old Fashioneds one evening. How do you feel about cocktail culture as an entry point into drinking spirits?

Natasha: I love cocktail culture, especially the advent of mixology and the use of natural ingredients, herbs, and global ingredients.

Sheila: I love thoughtfully tasting whiskey neat. I love that as an entry point to truly understand and appreciate the unique flavor profile of the spirit. Then, I’m ready to have fun experimenting with new ways to enjoy and elevate the experience.

RT: What drew you to Tennessee for sourcing your rye? Why not Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania or Colorado? There are plenty of folks out there making rye or willing to contract out their equipment.

Sheila: We want our whiskey to be great tasting and to reflect our history. I have a special love for Tennessee whiskey, which gets its flavor from the limestone filtered water and its unique terroir. There’s nothing like it!

RT: How did you hit upon using Syrah casks for your finishing? And I read that you bring the whiskey to California for that final step of secondary maturation — what’s the climate like where you’re keeping the casks for that part?

Natasha: The other part of our history is my California roots. I was born and raised in Northern California. And we share a mutual love for wine. We knew the tight grain of the French oak would give our whiskey the smoothness we desired. We arrived at Syrah barrels, as a hunch, through testing and sampling.

RT: The whiskey business is still a very white, male dominated space. But women have made some notable headway in recent years in taking prominent roles in the making it side, and there are certainly more African-American-owned craft distilleries and whiskey brands than there were just several years ago. Coming at it from your own perspective, where does the growth need to happen for the business to look more like the people drinking it?

Sheila: The growth needs to happen in the narrative around whiskey – the stories we tell and the faces and imagery we see attached to the world of whiskey. Whiskey has never solely been a man’s drink. We’re here unapologetically to create space for and engage women consumers.

RT: You’re Old Fashioned fans, but I think of that as a very bourbon-friendly cocktail, and you make a rye. Can you suggest a classic rye cocktail to use your whiskey as a foundation for?

The Jackson McCrea Perfect Manhattan

2 oz Jackson McCrea Rye
.75 oz Dry Vermouth
.25 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 dash of orange bitters
1 Luxardo cherry, and a little of its juice

Pour ingredients into a cocktail mixing glass with ice, and stir. Use cocktail strainer to pour into a martini or low ball glass.