Why are we called Thoroughbred?

A fifth-generation distiller, Scott has over 25 years’ experience in the distilling business. Having owned two of his own distilleries, overseen the development of twenty others, and helped develop more than 50 brands, he provides invaluable overall experience to any spirits project. Scott is an expert in creating strategies to mitigate risks in startup and emerging spirits businesses and managing brand portfolios of all sizes, including long-established internationally distributed brands.

Ann joins the Thoroughbred team with 17+ years of marketing, brand development, and business operations experience. After spending the bulk of her career with a nationally-recognized, full-service advertising agency, she moved on to be part of the senior management team for several start-up liquor brands and general manager for a craft distillery in Nashville, TN. Her diverse background across brand development, brand building, and operations, allows her to work closely and seamlessly with our clients and our internal team to bring concepts to life.

Amanda is a seasoned brand and marketing executive with brand strategy and operations expertise in consumer goods, healthcare, and entertainment. After 10 years in aesthetic sales & marketing strategy, Amanda’s eye was caught by a growing field in the artisan spirits arena and decided to make the jump. For the past six years, she has been helping clients see the brands from a women’s point of view. “It’s not always just about the liquid.” Further, Amanda provides leadership to the marketing team with a focus on innovation and strategic marketing initiatives.

Having been in and around the spirits business for over a decade, both as an entrepreneur and on the buy-side, David has been involved with dynamic start-ups as well as large Wall Street firms. Drawing from this experience, he helps clients advance strategy, facilitate product development, improve operational costs and quality, and provide guidance for exit strategies. In addition, David runs Thoroughbred Spirits Partners Fund, one of the first private equity funds focused on the spirits industry.

Liz brings over 14 years of project management, business operations, human resources, and marketing experience. Spending a large part of her career in the music and hospitality industries, Liz developed a passion for the spirits industry when she joined a startup liquor brand and became the senior lead for company culture and human resources. As Project Director, Liz uses her keen attention to detail and enthusiasm for the industry to assist the Thoroughbred team in providing elite service to all clients.

Shannon spent 13 years in the not-for-profit/fundraising arena before transitioning fully into the spirits space as the Retail & Events Director for a local craft distillery in Nashville, TN, where she developed her love for the spirits industry. As Executive Assistant at Thoroughbred, Shannon uses her supportive role to assist with internal communications as well as help provide superior, specialized service to all of our clients.

From international gin brands to boutique craft bourbons, Benjamin has had an impeccable career dedicated to craft spirits and luxury goods space, and is widely known for his expertise in beverage branding. Having begun his career working on multinational spirit brands, he quickly began dedicating his time to the craft sector. Over the last 7 years as Creative Director for Thoroughbred, Benjamin’s work has been defined by a strong handcrafted feel and an excellent attention to detail, with brand development and design that is both aesthetically pleasing and strategically sound.

Kristin joins the Thoroughbred team with over 17 years of marketing experience in the wine & spirits industry. Her diverse background includes brand innovation & development, strategy, packaging design, trade marketing, advertising and sponsorship. Her passion lies in new brand development and she has helped develop over 10 brands during her tenure. Kristin works closely with the design team to create innovative concepts and turn them into reality.

Jamie joins us with nearly 20 years of artwork production under his belt – working with both large Wines & Spirits owners and specialist packaging agencies in the UK & US. His passion is for getting it right first time; on-time. He really tries to get to the soul of the brands he works with; both the long-established names and those exciting, up-and-coming ventures we all love. With a positive and fun outlook, he believes ‘every day is a school day’. As such, he has made his packed lunch and is ready for the next test!

Lucy joins Thoroughbred Spirits as the Director of Brand Development. Specializing in brand strategy, and drawing from her experience of developing and marketing brands in a variety of industries, Lucy works closely with clients and our design team to help meld goals and vision into tangible products. Lucy is ultimately focused on executing authentic brands that succeed by connecting visually and emotionally with their audiences.

For over 20 years, Sam has excelled in the liquor industry. She was the Managing Director for Angel’s Envy responsible for company development, branding, marketing, PR development, as well as strategic and local market execution plans for Angel’s Envy. She earned her title of “Whiskey Chick” through a personal passion for whiskey (and spirits in general) learning her CSS. Before Angel’s Envy, she served as Senior VP for Altamar Brands, where she was directly accountable for brand development and strategy on the portfolio of brands - including the launch of Tequila Ocho. Prior to that, she worked as Senior Marketing Director for the Whiskey Portfolio at Beam Global North America, Regional Marketing Director for Super Premium Spirits at Brown-Forman, and Brand Manager at Schefflin and Somerset.

Jen has over 15 years of Field Marketing experience, moving up from the ground level to field marketing direction. After many years in market and regional event management and recruiting/staffing, she moved brand side with a specialty of developing educational trade ambassador programs fueled by true brand connection and loyalty. Her passion is for growing emerging brands, focusing on savvy trade and event strategies for the field.

Entering the world of spirits manufacturing as a process research associate at McGuinness Distillers, Steve went on to become a research scientist at Hiram Walker. There he worked for the next nineteen years and became a process development manager and supported all manufacturing and distillation processes. At Allied Domecq, Steve was the Global Liquid Innovation Director, where he focused on driving liquid development. Steve specializes in technical processes and product development.

Beginning his career in Distillery Operations at McGuiness Distillers Ltd, Rick has more than 38 years experience in the production of distilled spirits including distillation, maturation, packaging, process optimization as well as safety, energy, and efficiency improvements. Rick eventually became production superintendent (The Distiller) at Alberta Distillers. Rick is a Certified Power Engineer and a proud recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Canadian Whisky Awards.

Beginning his career, as a distiller process engineer at Hiram Walker Distillery, Dan's 23 years of experience in operations & plant management led him to serve in multiple roles as a vice president, as well as, technical director. With a degree in Chemical Engineering, Dan has extensive knowledge in spirits manufacturing, operations, and technical management, providing his expertise for both multinationals and craft distilleries alike.

As the Founder and Master Distiller at Tailwinds Distilling for 10 years, Toby has amassed knowledge and experience in batch distillery operations, equipment and techniques. Toby’s study has placed special emphasis on sugar and agave distillates with his spirits having won acclaim both nationally and internationally. Toby has been invited to speak regularly on panels with the Independent Spirits Expo and The American Distilling Institute helping entrepreneurs avoid common and hidden pitfalls of the distilling industry.

Mike brings over 25+ years of successful sales experience in Spirits, Wine, and Beer. Throughout his career, Mike has managed teams at the distributor level, built a team in a 13-state region for a national importing company, and led the charge to focus the national team specifically on spirits. His diverse background and experience allow him to provide seamless client interaction and distributor management, all of which is rooted in strong mentoring.

Jamie has an extensive background in distilling, brand management, and importing for various craft spirit brands. Jamie started out apprenticing as a distiller and has a deep understanding of the ins and outs of the business, from product development to sales. Her experience enables her to build strong relationships by identifying needs and opportunities.

Kristi joined the Thoroughbred team with more than 10 years of experience assisting businesses with their full-charge bookkeeping needs. With a background in the spirits industry, small business, restaurant, and additional markets, her expertise plays a crucial role in keeping a pulse on the company by providing Thoroughbred and all clients with accurate, up-to-date financial information.