Meet Timothy Irving Jr., the founder of The Original Irving Whiskey, who was motivated to launch his own spirit brand after learning about his family’s moonshine-making background (illicit whiskey).
His family grew raised in rural Georgia, where Black people had little options. Once his grandfather died, his uncle began manufacturing and selling moonshine to support the family.
“I wanted to create a spirit brand that pays homage to my family’s name which is why the brand is called The Original Irving Whiskey. It took a lot of sacrifice, failures, and money to get to where I am at today. Though it has been a tedious and challenging process, I am happy that I did not allow self-doubt to hold me back,” Irving told Voyage ATL.
For his first product, Irving released a straight bourbon whiskey that was aged for a little over two years using traditional bourbon barreling methods. According to him, what sets his brand apart from others is what it does just before bottling its products.
“We use a special filtration process that places emphasis on the sweet notes of vanilla and caramel to create a truly enjoyable experience. A compliment that we have consistently heard from our customers is how tasty and smooth it is despite it being bottled at 90 proof,” he noted.
Recently, black-owned liquor businesses and distilleries have made a splash. This was nearly impossible a decade ago because there were few Black-owned booze brands. According to the America Craft Spirits Association, there were less than 100 craft distilleries in 2010 according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There are currently roughly 2,300, but just about 50 are minority-owned, according to the report.
Irving’s path in the wine industry has not been easy. Considering his heritage and the battle of Blacks in general to keep their enterprises, he was well aware of the difficulties that lay ahead.
“I haven’t had anyone to guide me in the process. Because of this, I have had to learn along the way, and there have been times I have made mistakes,” he told Voyage ATL.
In his recent interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he also noted that trying to break into the big distributors and gaining their respect has been challenging. And Irving is convinced the color of his skin plays a big part in these challenges. “It’s a little bit of a challenge to prove ourselves. We just want the opportunity,” said Irving.
He attributes how far he has progressed in his entrepreneurial adventure to his wife. He told ShoutoutAtlanta that his wife has been supportive along the process and even serves as his advertising consultant because that is her business.
On the brand’s website, The Original Irving Straight Bourbon Whiskey is described as providing “an easy and enjoyable drink experience.” It continues, “The nose is cherries and dark chocolate followed with a taste of caramel, oak and vanilla with a warm and slightly sweet finish.”