Anna Axster and Wendelin von Schroder, the founders of female-owned and operated brand, Lodestar Whiskey, wondered the same thing. Now, they have set about changing the perception of women in whiskey through their “all flavor, no fuss” approach. I sat down with Anna and Wendelin to discuss their entrance into the whiskey category, the ethos of Lodestar, and why women can enjoy whiskey just as much as anyone.
How Lodestar Whiskey Began
Anna Axster and Wendelin von Schroder are cousins living in Los Angeles, California but both have dual citizenship in the US and Germany. Like many before them, the two found themselves working in the entertainment industry, where they spent over a decade before the Covid-19 pandemic saw everything grind to a halt. It was then that Anna and Wendelin decided, it was time to enter the whiskey world.
“Whiskey was really the drink of choice in the world of music and entertainment that we were in, and that’s how we developed a love for it. We drank a lot of whiskey,” says Wendelin, the morning LA sun blazing through the windows behind her. “After a while, we realized that, as two millennial women, we didn’t feel super represented in that space. We felt like that was something we wanted to change.”
The onset of the pandemic gave them the opportunity to make the pivot from the entertainment industry to the whiskey industry. The two had no prior experience in the industry, but they had passion in droves.
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What’s In A Name?
One of the first steps to creating a recognizable brand is choosing a name. For Anna and Wendelin, the brand name should reflect the brand’s core ethos. The name ‘Lodestar’ was Anna’s idea.
“During the pandemic, one thing that we missed, and I think the world missed as well, was community,” explains Anna. “Wendelin and I are cousins, and we grew up in a big family, so that loss of interaction with others was something that we felt very deeply. So, the idea that our brand would bring people together over a shared experience was something that was very important to us.
“It was all about inclusivity, gender equity, and cultivating joy. These are the core values that we navigate by, and that is how the term ‘Lodestar’ came into the picture. It’s the navigational star that serves as a guide, and it can also be an idea or a person or philosophy that inspires you.”
Diageo’s Distill Ventures Pre-Accelerator Program
The next step for the cousins was to establish their brand, easier said than done. However, Wendelin explains, it was a chance encounter with another woman in whiskey that helped kickstart the Lodestar Whiskey brand.
Diageo’s Pre-Accelerator Program offers funding, education, and support to underrepresented founders in the spirit space when setting up a new company or brand. “As a fully female-owned and operated brand, we were eligible to apply. So we did!”
I asked Anna and Wendelin what the support they received from Diageo meant to them in the early days of Lodestar. “It was really great. They were super supportive,” says Anna.
“We obviously came into this as spirit industry novices,” adds Wendelin. “We found it really helpful that we had somebody that we could call if we had questions, and also receive feedback on our work.”
Wendelin also shared with me that she is one of the current mentees in the OurWhisky Foundation mentorship program, launched by Becky Paskin to support women finding their way in the whisky industry. Should I apply? I ask. “Do it,” says Wendelin.
A Flavor-Driven Approach To Lodestar
“We didn’t know that we were bucking tradition a little with that blend!” laughs Anna, when I ask what led to this decision. “Lodestar is all flavor-driven. We came at it as consumers. We had a really clear understanding of what we enjoyed and what we didn’t. More than that, we started out knowing that we had to learn.”
It was this learning process, involving lots of traveling and tasting, that taught Anna and Wendelin that blending was the best way to achieve what they set out to create. “It was all driven by our initial flavor brief,” says Anna. “And that is what brought us to the blend of high-rye bourbon and American single malt.”
Blended whiskey is (sometimes) seen as inferior to single malt whiskey. I ask Anna and Wendelin what they think about this. Is there more intricacy to blending than people realize?
“Oh my gosh. So much more,” says Wendelin. “It’s exciting and creative and you need to know so much about what can affect the profile of a whiskey in order to achieve the flavor you are looking for. You know, every barrel is different. Even if they are stored in the same place in the rickhouse with a similar barrel proof, there are still going to be differences. It is all about figuring out how those components fit together.”
Much like Dewar’s Master Blender, Stephanie Macleod, who compares whisky blending to conducting an orchestra, Wendelin describes it as “expanding your color palette. Oh, look! I have more colors to play with!”
Women In A ‘Man’s’ World
By virtue of the fact that Anna and Wendelin qualified for the Diageo Distill Ventures Program the two understood from the beginning that they were entering a traditionally male-dominated space. I asked them what, if anything, surprised them when they entered this typically patriarchal industry.
“We were very aware that we were two women doing something that still very much perceived as male,” says Wendelin. “We were positively surprised by the reception of Lodestar!”
“I am sure you have had this too,” von Schroder continues, “but we still get asked sometimes ‘Do you even like whiskey?’ You know, if you order whiskey at a bar as a woman, it always elicits some kind of response. And that is something we would like to change. We want people not to see whiskey as a man’s drink, but as a drink that is for everyone.”
As a woman in the whiskey industry myself, I have experienced such reactions. However, I agree with Wendelin when she says that the perception is changing. Perhaps, one day soon, a woman who likes whiskey will elicit no response from a bartender or other whiskey lover.
This is something that Anna would love to see. “I would like to see it be normalized for women to be in the whiskey space, and enjoy whiskey. It would be great if it became less gendered from producer, founder, industry, and consumer perspectives. It shouldn’t be that ‘there’s whiskey for women’. There’s just whiskey, and anybody should be able to enjoy it.”
Like Whiskey? Enjoy Whiskey!
Of course, I completely agree with Anna and Wendelin’s assessment. Anybody who wants to enjoy whiskey should be able to do so. However, I am certain that there are women out there who have not tried whiskey because of the longstanding perception of it as a man’s drink (I speak from personal experience). So, I asked Anna and Wendelin what they would say to any woman who wants to explore whiskey.
“I think a lot of people are intimidated by whiskey as a category because of its perception as a male drink. However, I also feel that they might be intimidated because there is this idea that you have to know a lot about whiskey to enjoy it,” says Wendelin. “If you love learning about whiskey, that is great. But you should also be able to enjoy it just because you like the flavor.”
Wendelin leads nicely into one of my last questions, here, which is all to do with how they like to enjoy Lodestar Whiskey. Anna prefers a classic neat pour of Lodestar. Wendelin, however, loves Lodestar in a cocktail. This in itself challenges a longstanding, almost unwritten rule that whiskey must be enjoyed neat. Says who?
“When you go out to drink and you see a whiskey cocktail on the menu, it can be very spirit-forward, and I understand why. Whiskey is delicious in an Old Fashioned or in a Manhattan,” says Wendelin.
“But I think if you are somebody who’s newer to whiskey – and maybe especially here in Southern California, your drink of choice is a Margarita, which is a very refreshing and light drink – then you would automatically steer away from something that is spirit-forward. Whiskey, especially Lodestar, is delicious as a light and refreshing drink, and it can be consumed in the summer. There is no right way to enjoy it. Drink it any way you like!”
If you would like to try Lodestar Whiskey in a cocktail, Anna and Wendelin have shared some of their favorite cocktail recipes on their website. After all, Lodestar Whiskey “plays well with others.”
Buy Lodestar Whiskey
Lodestar Whiskey (45% ABV) is currently available in 34 states across the United States for $44.99. Expect notes of caramel, citrus, warm baking spice, and a smooth malted finish.
A huge thank you to Anna and Wendelin for their time, and for discussing with me an issue that is so close to all of our hearts. I can’t wait for Lodestar Whiskey to hit shelves in the UK!
