Nicole Young: The Trailblazing CEO Behind Frisky Whiskey, the Highest-Rated Premium Flavored Whiskey Ever

Being a Black woman in the industry has been positively impactful from a timing perspective. With the industry making more of an effort to be inclusive, especially of Black women, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the open arms I’ve been welcomed with.  I have also not been surprised by many of the glass-like doors that appear open from afar but are revealed to actually be locked when I’ve approached them.  Having professional experience in some of the most competitive, cutthroat industries in the business landscape has taught me some invaluable lessons in perseverance that I tap into every single day.   Weathering storms is a way of life in the spirits industry and day-to-day drama is par for the course.   From a supply chain-related disaster with the bottle’s cork that delayed our initial launch to the inevitable growing pains of an independent start-up -  running and expanding a Whiskey Brand is definitely not for the faint of heart.  But in life,  nothing good ever comes easy so I’m up for all the challenges. 

As a recipe developer, I’ve always loved using flavor to expand people’s palates. We created a flavored whiskey brand with the intent of transforming people’s preconceived notions about whiskey and what it should taste like. When the opportunity presented itself to launch a flavored whiskey brand, I jumped at the chance to help expand the whiskey audience and bust myths about this iconic spirit. 

The advice that I would give is to work your hardest to finetune what it is you’re trying to do, then find the money to make it happen.  You need to have a clear vision of what it is you hope to accomplish and how much it’s going to cost (then triple that amount, LOL)  then do whatever you can within reason to secure that funding. 

A great idea, perseverance, and dedication - all of those are necessary, but they need to be backed with financing and in the best-case scenario, enough funding to finance the concept’s survival during unprofitable seasons. I would also advise that you keep an open mind about how you achieve your goals. Just because something doesn’t happen in the timeframe that you thought or in the exact context you imagined, doesn’t mean you’ve failed.  Revision can lead to reward, flexibility in your thinking matters!  

Thank you so much for the Kudos!  I am deeply committed to flavoring what we eat and drink with quality ingredients.  I take great pride in Frisky’s palatability and the absence of artificial ingredients in our blend and the level of excitement culinary experts have shown towards creating with Frisky has been truly heartwarming.   Renowned chefs like Katie Chin and Master Chef season 10 winner Dorian Hunter have created beautiful dishes and desserts with Frisky and I’m currently collaborating with condiments visionary Larry Crocket of Lorraine’s Premium BBQ Sauce on the development of a limited edition release.

What team Frisky and I prioritize above all is growing and satisfying our core audience.  As a lifestyle journalist, I’m accustomed to staying informed of what’s forecasted in the food and beverage spaces so implementing my investigative research skills has been a key tool for me when strategizing for Frisky.  With that said, I firmly believe in LEADING trends so as the owner of the highest-rated flavored whiskey ever - and Frisky truly being in a category of its own -  my most important goal is to create crave-worthy experiences that potential Frisky fans didn’t even realize they were missing and will not want to be without moving forward.

Frisky is built on being a game-changing whiskey. We set out to create an unprecedented premium whiskey that would serve as a welcoming gateway for non-whiskey drinkers and a playful departure for whiskey purists.  Currently, we are focused on expanding deeper into the 8 markets the brand is currently distributed in NY, NJ, SC, TX, GA, MI, FL, IL.  We recently launched our online store at drinkfrisky.com and are committed to strengthening that leg of the business as well.  National expansion is our ultimate goal.  Seeing Frisky on the shelves at every location nationwide that stocks wine and spirits is something that I am very keen on achieving.  In the meantime, we are very excited to be available at major retailers like Meijer and Total Wine as well as cult favorite liquor stores like Happy Cork Wines and Spirits in Brooklyn and Prohibition Liquors in Atlanta.

One of my favorite recipes is the Frisky Peach Sparkler.  It’s one of the first recipes I created with Frisky, and it’s the ultimate crowd-pleaser!