About Us
The Austin St Fire Station
Our facility was originally Seguin, Texas's Austin Street Fire Station, constructed in 1978. It was in service until it was decommissioned in the early 2010's. The firehouse sat empty until it was purchased for our distillery in 2020. Property improvements were a labor of love. Our current facility now has an operational bar, production area, outdoor stage, and plenty of parking.
You can see a bunch of before/after pictures here.
What's with the name?
"Forman's Whiskey" would be such a boring name. Most of what we thought of was that bad. When Johnny Pickles Distillery first came up, one of us thought it was ridiculous. However, it's not exactly a name you forget. Here's the story:
Years ago, we were hanging out one night and decided it would be a great idea to make up mob names for our family. (This is what you get when you drink whiskey after listening to comedy podcasts.) Well... They were all terrible, except for one.
Johnny Pickles became our nickname for Jen's stepdad, John Kelly. John is a great guy: humble, family-focused, a great listener, generous with his time. He also has done a lot, tells great stories, and enjoys a good whiskey. He's exactly what we want to emulate as a business.
He also doesn't naturally seek out attention... So we put his name on a building š¤£
These days, John and Anise are retired and live in the area. He helps us with mashes and projects like building the stage and the giant checkerboard. If you come on by at the right moment, you might even get to meet him.
Kraft Farms / Geronimo Grain
We're privileged to have a great relationship with family farmers right here in the Seguin / New Braunfels area. Jeff Kraft and his family are awesome people, and their grain is great for what we do. It also just makes so much sense to get our grain locally rather than having shipped from farther away. All our spent grain goes back to their very happy cows.
The Team
Jen Forman: Owner
From running the business to distilling the product, Jen does it all. Her title should really just be The Whiskey Lady.
Nate Forman: Owner
Everyone's got their hobbies: Nate's is being our mad scientist and tech guy. Some guys do 12 ounce curls... Nate does 6 gallon deadlifts.
John "Johnny Pickles" Kelly: Mascot
YES--he's real, and he lives close by. Jen's stepdad is a hell of a guy and a pleasure to be with. He also mills, wrenches, and builds like a champ.
Jules Forman: Public Relations
Crushing it at such a young age. Jules is the friendly face around here. She gives great tours and is lots of help. She just can't taste the product yet.
Values
Grain-To-Glass
We make our own spirits from the mill to the mash, from fermentation to distillation and aging. Doing things this way makes our products authentically ours, consistent with our vision and standards.
Flavor
This is what it's all about--having enjoyable, interesting spirits and cocktails!
Experimenting
We're here to try new things. It's all part of the journey. We'll definitely share the experience.
Inspiration
Anything can inspire: travel, cooking, desserts, literature, or just life. Applying that to spirits is a big part of the fun.Ā
Love
It's part of everything we do, from respecting all people, to improving our craft.