Nicole Young, Founder of Frisky Whiskey
Name: Nicole Young
Founder: Friskey Whiskey
Who is Nicole Young?
Nicole Young is the CEO and Co-Founder of Frisky Whiskey, the ONLY Black-woman-owned flavored whiskey brand. She is also a TV host, author and entrepreneur with a highly respected persona in the lifestyle and pop culture spaces. A lauded voice of authority in the lifestyle space, she hosts and produces broadcast content for the likes of: E! News, ABC World News Now and The Morning Blend franchise, and contributes engaging articles on food, style and wellness for popular print and digital publications including: HuffPost, The NY Post and USA Weekend.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
Frisky Whiskey is the highest-rated flavored whiskey ever. Proudly produced in Charleston, South Carolina, Frisky's breakthrough formula uses pure caramel and natural vanilla to accentuate and enhance these naturally occurring whiskey notes
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
I believe an empowering woman is someone who not only shines naturally but inspires those around her to tap into their inner spark and use that spark to do big things. As a Black female entrepreneur, I know how common it is for people to doubt you and your ability to succeed. You just have to let your work and your product speak for themselves. I am incredibly thankful to my female-led team and am genuinely humbled by their hard work in ensuring Frisky Whiskey's great start. I make it my business to surround myself with individuals who I can inspire but also inspire me. I think that combination is one of the most important keys to operating and growing a business.
What lesson or skill did you take with you from a prior job to help you succeed in your role today?
My interest in whiskey came from my love of creating flavor. As a recipe developer in the food space, I'd always used flavor to transform and expand people's views as well as their palates, so creating a whiskey with the intent to transform preconceived notions about whiskey and expand the whiskey audience was something I jumped at the chance to do.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
Unlike typically flavored whiskeys – which attempt to mask whiskey’s true flavor and tend to skew fruity and overly sweet – our whiskey formula uses pure caramel and natural vanilla to accentuate and enhance these naturally occurring whiskey notes. We position whiskey’s most recognizable flavor notes at the forefront, pairing natural ingredients with a traditional distilling process.
What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?
I’m happy with the road we’ve taken so far. Hindsight is 20/20, and I hate to second-guess myself. I’m happy with the path we’ve taken.
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today? Please share the story behind it.
It’s almost impossible not to have challenges. I had everything from packaging delays to distribution shake-ups, you name it. The best way to keep going, in my opinion, is to build the right team and surround yourself with people who know more than you.
Challenges will happen, but for every challenge I’ve faced, I’ve been fortunate to have the right team by my side to find solutions.
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