Co-Founders of Still Austin Whiskey Co.
Photo by Courtney Runn
Five years ago, Still Austin Whiskey Co. Co-founders Lisa Braunberg and Joanna Salinas were working in respective careers in technology and law. Today, along with head of R & D/distiller Ali Block and brand director Cassidy Mora, they’re part of the rare but growing ranks of women working in whiskey in the United States. Still Austin opened its doors in September 2017 as the first legal grain-to-glass whiskey distillery located in Austin since Prohibition. The spirits are 100 percent scratch-made using grains provided by Texas farmers. Twenty years ago, a very small percentage of whiskey drinkers were female. Today, according to Fred Minnick, author of Whiskey Women, women are 37 percent of whiskey drinkers. It’s an exciting time to be on the ground floor of the craft-distilling movement in Austin.