“It doesn’t matter who owns the brand…”

A comment popped up recently, “It doesn’t matter who owns the brand…” To which I REALLY wanted to reply, “Bless your heart.” 

Instead we’re going to revisit, in a significantly more blatant manner, why it matters that New Dawn is Black-woman owned. 

I have already opined on the topic that it matters who’s making your whiskey because palates differ. Just look at the hilarious, and sometimes contentious, discussions over who can bring the potato salad to the cookout. You might not want Viola to bring hers because she’s heavy handed with the salt, possibly because she has a sodium deficiency. Maybe no one lets Maya bring hers because she’s always experimenting with the newest spice she picked up on her latest travels, and nobody has time for that. And maybe Anne’s Grandma taught her to put raisins in hers (#ifykyk)...

The point is that our palates are shaped by so many things including our background, culture, and experiences. Did you know women are more likely to be supertasters? Which means that DIVERSITY in who’s picking what to bottle can mean more interesting, unique, or just plain different expressions so we’re not always drinking the same old thing.

But perhaps a more definitive response to “it doesn’t matter” would be the announcement of Beyonce’s Sir David whisky. Would you like to stand up to the Beyhive and pronounce it doesn’t matter who owns the brand? The whiskey industry? Because Sir David isn’t even out yet and the significance of Beyonce producing a whiskey is being shouted from the mountain tops. The energy and potential to bring more women to the table, younger drinkers to the table, diversity to the table and make whiskey more inclusive and approachable is palpable. And it’s not just because it’s Beyonce, it’s also because she is a Black-woman and representation matters!

Finally, to address the addendum that usually follows, “it doesn’t matter who owns the brand, that’s so divisive” I would like to point out that I, Dawn O’Neal, Founder & CEO of New Dawn Distilling, am Black and a woman. Those are facts, undeniable in their truth, but more importantly if you want to put “[insert your race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.]-owned” on your bottle no one is stopping you! And if you feel a certain way about claiming your identifiers perhaps you need a sit down with a good therapist on why that makes you feel uncomfortable.

The whiskey industry has been dominated by white men for a while, but increasingly distilleries and brands are bringing in women and other diverse palates to keep drinkers interested. Perhaps everyone doesn’t put it on the label that they are produced as such. Sometimes you’re Beyonce and it's already well known. In other cases, it’s kind of a shame since there are some who are looking to diversify their purchases and are not inclined to dig through a website in the middle of the liquor store. 

I thought, “Let’s make it easy for people to find a diverse brand and try out a Black palate. Let’s signal to curious women that there are women producing and drinking whiskey and bring them into the community. Make the Black-folks proud.”

Presenting:  New Dawn Distilling’s 6-year old Bourbon Whiskey, Black-woman owned.