21 Awesome Women-Led Spirits Brands, Including One You Can Pick Up at Target

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It doesn’t exactly come as a surprise that the distillery world has historically been filled with men, but luckily that fact is changing. Over the past few years, more and more women have become Master Blenders and Distillers and founded their own spirits brands. You may know standouts like Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, Casa Dragones and Catoctin Creek, but there's a wide world of women-owned spirits brands out there—and International Women's Day is the perfect time to raise a toast to them!

Whether you're a fan of tequila, whiskey, gin, vodka, bourbon or prefer that the work is done for you in the form of a ready-to-drink cocktail, we've got you covered with this list of 21 women-owned spirits brands that you need to try ASAP.

Related: 9 Black-Owned Whiskey Brands You Need to Try

21 Great Women-Owned Spirits Brands

1. Conniption Gins

Melissa Katrincic co-founded Durham Distillery in 2013 and was the first (and so far, the only) U.S. female distiller inducted into the Gin Guild. Her Conniption Gin brand was born in Durham, North Carolina and Katrincic offers a wide variety of gins.

One that might catch your eye is the Kinship Gin, which includes a blend of spices including coriander, cardamom, licorice root and angelica root. The spiced and citrusy spirit is also infused with butterfly pea flowers, which give it a gorgeous indigo hue. If you're looking for something a bit more classic for your next gin and tonic, the company also has American dry gin, Navy strength gin and a barrel-aged gin.

2. Via Carota Craft Cocktails

Via Carota Craft Cocktails were the brainchild of award-winning chefs Jody Williams and Rita Sodi in 2021. The line of ready-to-pour cocktails were inspired by Via Carota, the women’s award-winning Italian restaurant in New York City's West Village. The cocktails come in beautiful cut glass bottles that will look great on your bar cart. Choose from a range of 6 drinks, including the iconic Via Carota negroni.

3. The Macklowe American Single Malt Whiskey

Julie Macklowe is the creator of the first American single-malt whiskey. Macklowe is a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur and was a rare whiskey collector before founding her spirits brand. She is one of 200 registered whiskey ambassadors worldwide and was certified with a perfect score, so you know she knows her stuff. Her award-winning luxury whiskeys include the Kentucky Gold Edition, which is aged for 44 months and the Black Edition, which is aged for 9 years, won the San Francisco World Spirits Competition Double Gold in 2023—and costs $1,500 a bottle. If that's a bit out of your price range, the Gold Edition is a little over $250.

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4. 21 Seeds Infused Tequila

21 Seeds was founded in 2019 by not one, but three women who promote the hashtag #girlscalltheshots. Founders Kat Hantas, Nicole Hantas-Emanuael, and Sarika Singh created fruit-infused tequila to focus on natural flavors: cucumber jalapeño, valencia orange, and grapefruit hibiscus.

The idea started when Hantas began infusing tequila with citrus, jalapeños and cucumber in her home kitchen. She would bring her DIY infused tequilas to parties and they were a bit hit. She began making bottles for her friends and one thing led to another and 21Seeds was born. The company currently has a line of three infused tequilas—cucumber jalapeño, Valencia orange and grapefruit hibiscus that are great for jazzing up your cocktails. What's even more fun? They're available at Target, so you don't even have to make an extra stop at the liquor store.

5. Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey

This premium whiskey brand from Tennessee made history five years in a row (2019-2023) as the most-awarded bourbon and American whisky. This Black and women-owned company was founded in 2016 by Fawn Weaver, who was inspired by the story of Nearest Green, the world's first-known African American master distiller. Victoria Eady Butler, who went from a successful career in the Department of Justice to breaking records as the first Black female master blender, became the Master Distiller of the Uncle Nearest Distillery in 2019. Butler also happens to be Green’s great-great-granddaughter, which really brings this incredible story full circle.

6. Southbound Tequila

Southbound founder Ivey Childers started out in baking—and ended up in bottling. She founded IveyCake, her Nashville-based bakery, in 2007 and quickly became a baking sensation in Nashville and beyond. She was a go-to for celebs and made Carrie Underwood’s wedding cake and Katy Perry's birthday cake on American Idol. In 2019, Childers sold IveyCake to one of her employees, Whitney Opalek, and leaned into another passion: tequila. Childers was a big fan of tequila cocktails and spent years trying to find the ideal spirit for sipping and mixing. When she couldn't find exactly what she was looking for, she headed to Jalisco, Mexico, and with the help of a Master Distiller, she created her own. The company currently has three tequilas—blanco, reposado and añejo. The first two are ideal for cocktails and the añejo is best for sipping straight so you can appreciate the vanilla, chocolate and spice notes that happen when the spirit sits in a Tennessee whiskey barrel for a year or so.

7. Veranda Cocktails

Veranda Cocktails is an up-and-coming canned cocktail brand that was founded just last year by Jordana Hazel. The brand is currently only available at select retailers in Los Angeles, but keep an eye on the brand's website for wider distribution details. The company currently has two flavors, Good Day, a mix of vodka, blackberry puree and thyme and Fresh Air, a combo of vodka, lemon, basil and grapefruit. Long Weekend, a bourbon-based option, is in the works.

Related: 12 Best Wines at Trader Joe's

8. Catoctin Creek

Founded in 2009 by Becky and Scott Harris, Catoctin Creek features authentic Virginia rye whiskey. Becky, who studied chemical engineering, serves as the brand's Master Distiller. What sets the brand apart is the fact that Beck cooks the distillate for the spirits for nine hours, which is more than twice as long as other distilleries. That extra time creates the depth of flavor that Catoctin Creek rye is known for.

The brand's Roundstone Rye has been called Virginia’s most-awarded whisky, but the brand has a wide range of bottles, including single-barrel malt whisky, single-barrel rye whisky, pear brandy, hot honey rye (rye whisky infused with honey and chiles), and more.

9. Crooked Water Spirits

Heather Manley founded Crooked Water Spirits in 2013 based on "her infatuation for spirits." That passion has grown into this Minnesota-based brand that's known for Kings Point, a bourbon whiskey that's finished in port wine barrels. The brand’s success has allowed for the launch of vodka, gin, brandy, liqueur and ready-to-pour cocktails, including a bourbon old-fashioned and the fan-favorite negroni. Call us superficial, but we also have to give the cool label design a shout out, especially the vibrant citrus explosion on the gin that makes it clear that the spirit is grapefruit and orange-forward.

10. Casa Dragones Tequila

Casa Dragones is known for making tequila so smooth you'll want to sip it straight. The company was co-founded by Bertha González Nieves, who is the first female Maestra Tequilera (the first female tequila maker) certified by the Mexican Academy of Tequila Tasters Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila (Mexican Academy of Tequila Tasters). The company's name was inspired by the Dragones cavalry from San Miguel de Allende who helped spark the Mexican independence movement. "We were very inspired by their rebellious and independent spirit," Nieves told Reserve Bar.

If you want to get rebellious with your tequila, you can choose from the brand's joven, añejo, reposado and blanco varieties. Sip them straight or use them to create a next-level happy hour margarita.

Related: 8 Great Tequila Cocktails

11. Horton Ready-to-Drink Cocktails

We would never forget about rum, which is the spirit featured in the super-fun Horton canned cocktails. The brand was founded by blogger Krista Horton and inspired by her love for coconut rum mixed with diet soda. The ready-to-drink cans weigh in at 7% ABV and have a cute retro vibe, complete with a pastel, party-ready cartoon coconuts on each can. You can choose from three flavors: diet kola, pineapple soda, and lime soda. We think these would be right at home in your beach day cooler and are perfect for picnics or backyard barbecues.

12. Future Gin

Future Gin, a women and queer-owned and operated brand, focuses on making a spirit that represents Southern California. The dry gin has a spicy juniper base that's layered with a trio of SoCal flavors: Meyer lemon, honeysuckle and grape leaf. If you dig down into the ingredients list, you'll find even more intriguing things, like fennel, grains of paradise and avocado leaves. The spirit is great in a gin and tonic and also holds its own in a gin Martini.

Related: 33 Best Wines at Costco

13. Two Chicks Cocktails

The girl power is in the name for this one! Two Chicks Cocktails are sparkling canned cocktails made with tequila, vodka, whiskey and gin. In the summer of 2018, Meghan Hanna and Linda Cash teamed up to promote connection, empowerment and inclusivity in the form of tasty canned drinks. The line has grown to eight flavors, including Sparkling Apple Gimlet, Sparkling Paloma and the punny Sparkling Vodka CuTea. Bonus: the cute cans look great in an ice bucket (as you can see above).

14. Casa del Sol

This luxury sipping Tequila has a big name attached to it. Co-founder Eva Longoria launched Casa del Sol with tequileras Mariana Padilla and Alejandra Pelayo in 2021. The brand aims to pay homage to Mexican heritage through sustainable practices using 7-year-old 100% Blue Weber agave. Unlike many tequila brands, who age their spirits in whiskey barrels, Cas del Sol ages its tequila in French Cognac barrels, which gives it a slightly softer flavor profile than other tequilas. The brand offers blanco, añejo and reposado tequila, as well as Angel's Reserve, a blend of añejo and extra añejo.

15. Thomas Ashbourne

We’ll never get sick of premium crafted cocktails, especially if they're from a female-owned brand. Thomas Ashbourne was launched by CEO Cara Kamenev in 2022, with celeb backers like Sarah Jessica Parker, John Cena, Ashley Benson, and Vanessa Hudgens. Kamenev was the previous vice president for consumer engagement at L’Oréal, and is now in the world of ready-to-sip spirits with all-natural ingredients. If you're a fan of espresso martinis, margaritas, or the perfect cosmo, you’ll definitely want to check these cocktails out. Oh, and who is Thomas Ashbourne? He was a mixologist in the prohibition era known for his potent drinks.

16. SIA Scotch Whisky

Cuban-American creator Carin Luna-Ostasesi is one of the first Hispanic founders of a scotch whisky company. Luna-Ostasesi began her journey at a hosted whisky tasting—from there she sampled more than 300 bottles of whiskies and scotches. That infatuation led to SIA Scotch Whisky, which won double gold in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2014, and 96 points at the 2016 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. The name of the company comes from the Scottish Gaelic word for six. Why six? Because that's the number of malt and grain whiskies used to make this blended spirit.

Related: 45 Best Whiskey Cocktails

17. Harridan Vodka

Harvard Business School graduate Bridgette Taylor founded Harridan Vodka in 2020. The spirit is 88-proof and made with 100% New York-grown corn, so it packs a punch. The brand's name comes from the word harridan, which means a bossy and/or belligerent old woman. From the name to the spirit to the packaging, Harridan aims to be memorable. Each bottle is blown from recycled glass in Mexico, the labels are letterpress and each bottle is dipped in wax, which adds drama and intrigue to your vodka sodas.

18. Yobo Spirits

In 2015, Carolyn Kim saw a gap in the spirits industry and decided to create the first American-made soju using local grapes from New York's Finger Lakes region. Soju, a Korean distilled alcohol, is usually made from wheat, barley or rice, so Kim's creation was a new expression of the spirit. Over the years the formula has changed and evolve and the current Yobo Soju Luxe is made from Northern California grapes, California rice and organic wheat.

The Yobo line of products now also includes flavored sojus, Hunni canned sparkling soju and Kish Apéritif, a collab with Top Chef alum and host Kristen Kish. Kim chose yobo, a term of endearment in Korean, for the brand because she wanted the brand to stand for unity and to also elevate the Korean American spirit.

19. Montanya Distillers

Female-founded and female-owned, Montanya Distillers remains a growing competitor in the world of premium-aged rum. After having her first taste of aged rum in Goa, India, Karen Hoskin decided to start her own distillery in the Rocky Mountains 20 years later in 2008. Hoskin has Celiac disease, so she made it her mission to find a high-quality alcohol worth drinking. It’s won several spirits awards, including USA Rum of the Year and Craft Distillery of the Year. The brand offers four options: a white rum that's perfect for daiquiris, a 1-year aged dark rum that would be great in a Manhattan, and 3- and 4- year aged rums, which are perfect for sipping.

20. Catan Pisco

In 2018, Catan Pisco shook up the spirits industry as the first female-owned Pisco brand in the history of Chile. Founder Catalina Bentz was born in Chile but grew up in the US, so Catan also became the first-ever American Pisco brand. Piso, which you might know from the pisco sour cocktail, is a spirit made from grapes. To be called pisco, it can only be made in Peru or Chile, which is where Catan is made. Pisco is smooth and versatile like vodka but it has a floral, herbaceous aroma.

21. King St. Vodka

You may have heard of King St. Vodka, due to a particularly famous name attached to it. Kate Hudson founded the spirit in 2019 to celebrate all occasions of life—cocktails with a friend, to a big promotion, to an exciting move. The vodka has hints of vanilla and is distilled seven times and then filtered for a clean and smooth vodka that’s ideal for a cocktail (we’re thinking martinis).

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