Lisa Wicker, Formerly of Widow Jane, Takes on New Role at a Major New Kentucky Distillery

When entrepreneur Ray Franklin unveiled news of his brand-new distillery, Garrard County Distilling Co., in once-dry Garrard County, Kentucky, back in January, he wasn’t yet ready to reveal the name of the master distiller behind the whiskey. Instead, he teased that it would be “big news, and very unexpected.” That name has finally come to light, with Lisa Wicker being announced as Garrard County Distilling Co.’s master distiller.

In her new role, Wicker’s first priority will be the distillery’s existing All Nations brand; as the distillery’s own whiskey matures, Wicker has over 17,000 barrels of sourced whiskey at her fingertips. But her experience makes her particularly well-suited to the blending tasks at Garrard County, given that she previously worked with deep wells of aged stock, in addition to own-make whiskey. Garrard County has yet to announce any new brands, but Franklin says a handful are set to come on stream later this year. No matter the brand, the focus will be on high-rye and wheated bourbons, two styles that are near and dear to Franklin’s heart.

Wicker’s name will be familiar to many whiskey lovers, as she’s been in the business for two-plus decades. Her whiskey career kicked off as a side gig—while she was building a winery in Kentucky by day, her nights were spent learning the whiskey trade at Limestone Branch, following a chance encounter with distillery co-owner Steve Beam. Soon enough, she discovered her passion for whiskey-making far outweighed that for wine, and she took on a full-time distilling role at Limestone Branch in 2013.

The next decade would see Wicker honing her craft at a variety of distilleries. After Limestone Branch, where she oversaw bourbon, moonshine mash, and brandy fermentations for just over two and half years, she moved to Indiana and spent a year at Starlight Distillery as its distiller. In 2016, she departed Starlight and returned to Kentucky to take up the distiller and general manager roles at Preservation Distillery, also staying there for a year. (At this time, Wicker also started working as a consulting distiller at George Washington’s Distillery in Mount Vernon, Virginia, a role she’d stay in until 2023.) By 2017, Wicker had landed at Samson & Surrey as a distiller and vice president of distilling and product development; the company owns a number of distilleries, among them Brooklyn, New York’s Widow Jane, and that’s where Wicker found a longer-term home. She started as the distiller and distillery manager in 2018, and one year later she was named master distiller and president, titles she’d keep for four more years.

While at Widow Jane, Wicker was responsible for building the craft distillery’s profile, ushering in top-shelf whiskeys like The Vaults and Decadence. She also oversaw the growth of the distillery’s heirloom corn—a cross between Bloody Butcher and Wapsie Valley—which became a prominent heirloom corn crop for whiskey in the U.S. under her charge. Wicker’s eventual departure from Widow Jane in November 2022 came as a surprise, but she was ready for her next venture: CEO and master distiller of Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co., known for American whiskey Town Branch and its barrel-aged beers, as well as the Pearse and Ha’Penny Irish whiskeys.

Garrard County's whisky range is in its infancy, but that scenario represents fertile terrain for a distiller like Wicker. Certainly, there was no shortage of creative outpourings from Widow Jane, whose whiskeys ranged far and wide in styles and varieties. While there, she made the most of the resources at hand, and it's expected that whiskey fans will be treated to similar results here.