Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Forman.
Hi Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Johnny Pickles Distillery, established in 2019, is a small craft whiskey distillery in Seguin, Texas. We are grain to glass, small batch, family owned and operated. We specialize in using small casks and specialty wood finishes.
We are a husband and wife team with a small team helping us grow. We began as many do, in a garage in Austin, TX and by experimenting with kombucha, infusions, tinctures, bitters and then whiskey. Being artists, we wanted to share our experiments and creations with everyone. We found an old firehouse in Seguin, Texas and began the long road of renovating it for production and a cocktail lounge. After a couple of difficult years through Covid, we finally began production in the summer of 2022 and a year later opened our cocktail bar to the public. We have since bottled 6 spirits, 5 of which we distribute throughout Texas. We are hoping to expand this year in additional states and exporting into Mexico and South America.
We are very proud we have won several awards for our spirits, which is certainly validating.
Gold Medal, Best Flavored Whiskey, Red Stinger Hibiscus Whiskey, Miami Global Spirit Awards 2025
Silver Medal with 93 Points, Red Stinger Hibiscus Whiskey, NY International Spirit Competition 2025
Gold Medal, Texas Flavored Whiskey Distillery of the Year, NY International Spirit Competition 2025
Bronze Medal, Breakfast Whiskey, American Distilling Institute 2024
Bronze Medal, Jubilee Whiskey, American Distilling Institute 2024
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
How much time do you have? Ha! No it has not been a smooth road.
I could probably write a book about our challenges but at this point, I try to look back on them and be grateful to have made it this far and to have learned a lot along the way. Our challenges began with getting plans approved by the city, difficulties with contractors, shipping equipment, production issues, unforeseen costs, physical restraints and so on. And even today, we have challenges constantly which could be equipment failure or hiring for sales and marketing. We try our best to look at each issue with practicality and remain calm, even when it’s hard. As small business owners, we are tested financially, mentally, physically and emotionally. Today, I can honestly look back and know, we did our best, we did everything we possibly could to make our business successful. We have a lot to be proud of, which I think is what keeps us going week after week.
Additionally the alcohol industry in general is very complex and competitive, it’s been a challenge to understand how it works and how to play the game. Being tiny producers in a world with giant manufacturers it’s tough to survive. We always have to be creative, stay on top of advertising and use our budget very strategically.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Before becoming a distiller, I was a construction project manager. Working for several design build firms over the years, I was lucky to have been part of a team that built many museum and trade show exhibits; including the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. That part of my career definitely helped when we were renovating our building and developing the property. That piece of my history was helpful.
My husband Nate has had a long and successful career in software management, working for many companies over an almost 30 year span. Working in everything from retail to defense. His knowledge of science was detrimental to our distilling process success.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I grew up in a blended family; so one of my favorite memories was with all my siblings, making up songs and dances and performing them for our parents.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.johnnypicklesdistillery.com
- Instagram: johnnypicklestx
- Facebook: Johnny Pickles Distillery
- Other: https://redstinger.johnnypicklesdistillery.com/
