San Antonio’s Rebecca Creek Distillery, one of the largest craft distilleries in North America, has appointed former Pernod Ricard executive and 30-year industry veteran, Howard Jeffery, as its new chief operating officer (COO).
“The appointment of Howard Jeffery reinforces our commitment to continue to grow the Rebecca Creek brand the right way and achieve our vision of establishing Rebecca Creek Whiskey and Enchanted Rock Vodka as leading craft American-made spirits,” said Steve Ison, CEO and founder of Rebecca Creek Distillery. “With Howard’s vast experience working with two of the world’s largest spirit companies, strong U.S. wholesaler relationships, and industry expertise with domestic and international brands, he will no-doubt play an integral role in facilitating the long-term growth of Rebecca Creek Distillery.”
Jeffery has spent 30 years working with several of the world’s largest suppliers of wine, beer and spirits. Before joining Rebecca Creek, he served as a general manager and vice president for Pernod Ricard, the world’s second largest wine and spirits supplier. There he managed the Continental Division covering a large portion of the U.S., including 48 distributors and brokers, and was responsible for the sales and marketing of Pernod Ricard’s extensive U.S. spirits portfolio, including Absolut Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky, and other major brands.
Jeffery also spent 12 years working for Allied Domecq, one of the world’s largest spirit companies, before Pernod Ricard acquired it in 2005. He held senior positions in both the U.S. and the U.K., including vice president of sales and vice president of commercial best practices in the U.S., and business group director and trade marketing director in the U.K.
Prior to that, Jeffery held several sales and marketing roles in the U.K. beer industry with Grand Metropolitan Brewing and Bass Brewers, in which he played a major role in launching Budweiser in the U.K.
Founded in 2009, Rebecca Creek Distillery’s case sales have grown exponentially year-after-year since inception. By the end of 2018, the distillery plans to produce more than 100,000 annual cases of its flagship, award-winning Rebecca Creek Fine Texas Spirit Whiskey, as well as Enchanted Rock Vodka, Texas Ranger Whiskey, and other limited-edition, single-batch spirits. The distillery’s spirits lineup has received numerous medals and awards, including platinum and gold medals from the SIP Awards International Spirits Competition, double-gold medals in The Fifty Best Spirits Competition, and a rating of 93 points from the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.
Rebecca Creek Distillery also recently announced it has raised $15 million in new capital to boost production, increase capacity, enhance marketing, and move forward with plans to build a brand-new, state-of-the-art distillery that will quadruple its current production capability.
