Somewhere Between Legacy and the Living Work
French whisky, Brenne, and the question that made me rethink legacy.
👉 The audio version of this article will drop Thursday, Sept 18 (subscribe to get it delivered straight to your in-box for free)
As Sam & I run the race to the start line in entrepreneurship land — building the best possible foundation to support wild growth, steady growth, and anything in between — my focus this month is also pulled in two other professional directions.
First, a big client project in the U.S. (wrapped by the time this piece goes live).
And second: next week, I’ll be time-traveling a little as I fly back to Paris for Brenne Whisky (via Heaven Hill), the first company I founded. I’ll be representing Brenne once again at one of the biggest whisky shows in the world: WhiskyLive Paris. Three days of pouring, storytelling, and connecting.
If you’ve ever worked a trade show, you know the drill: long hours on concrete floors, bright lights, the same story told hundreds of times in multiple languages. The physical demand is real. But so is the magic — the dinners afterward with fellow industry mates, the reunions with friends across continents, the joy of pouring someone their very first sip of your whisky. And to do all of that while waking up in Paris? It’s always been one of my favorite weekends of the year — and I feel deeply honored every time I’m invited back.
This year, though, I’m arriving with a different kind of knowing. Since I sold Brenne in 2022 to Heaven Hill, I’ve trusted that “one day” I would build [another company] again. But for a long while, I didn’t know what. My answers to “what are you doing now?” were short, vague, and always pivoting the spotlight elsewhere. Now, though, my next professional focus is clear, exciting, and close to launching. I may not be announcing yet what we’re building, but I’ll be walking in with a slightly straighter back and a whole lot of anticipation for what’s soon to come.
Two years ago, I was standing at WhiskyLive when one of the most respected spirits journalists, Dave Broom, came over. After a warm reunion, some laughs and a quick photo (above), he asked me a question that’s lived rent-free in my head ever since:
“Allison — you, essentially, were the first to put French Whisky on the international map. You made the world take notice and see that this is a category worth being open to trying. Doing that showed the French that the world could be open to whiskies from their country. That was all down to you.
But looking over there [gesturing to the well built French Whisky Pavilion], and speaking to writers and whisky lovers, it seems that your pioneering work has been a little forgotten. What’s that like - and is it sadly, the inevitable fate of the pioneer?”
That is not a question you answer quickly. But the silence waited to be filled.
I took a breath and said something like: “I haven’t forgotten my role in helping launch an entire category — not just a brand. Legacy? Perhaps. But that will be for others to record and recount. I can only tell my story as I remember it and hopefully, without sounding like an egomaniac. And truly, this was never about acclaim. My mission was simple: answer whether terroir could exist in single malts made outside traditional regions, using local grains, yeast, oak, and techniques. Brenne was born. And while it may never be a household name, it grew enough for me to see if I could also build a brand worthy of acquisition. I did. And for that, I’m grateful. The rest…” (gesturing toward the French Whisky Pavilion) “…is for history to decide.”
My heart was pounding through that exchange. Dave wasn’t wrong — it’s just hard to face when someone asks, essentially — and with great flattery, if you (and other pioneers) are obsolete.
Over time, I’ve sat with it. Rolled the question around like a crystal, examining it from different angles. And what I’ve come to is this: my attachment to being remembered in the industry was never my goal! My goal was to build a company (with authenticity, meaning, and value) from scratch and sell it. Anything else that happened, like helping establish an entirely new category of whisky, was truly a bi-product of my personal goal and what I was doing. I’m intentional with laser-sharp focus once I figure out the direction I’m moving. I trust myself that whatever my goal is, I’ll figure out how to get there (or at least get very close!). So, as I was laughing with a dear friend about this last night, if I had been standing over in the then-very-busy French Whisky pavilion trying to personally be the center of this great category, something would have gone very wrong in my plan! 😂
I wasn’t trying to be recognized for building a category, or to be seen as a leader for the French. What I wanted was simple: to birth Brenne and see if I could launch her into “adulthood” — to sell her, and find out if she had what it takes to survive in the world without me. That was always the mission. If I tether myself to whether I am remembered, instead of whether the brand continues, I feel instantly overwhelmed. Because that has never been my purpose. But the goal I set out to do? I did it! Mission accomplished – check!
What does feel like my purpose is to keep making beautiful things with integrity, thoughtfulness, and innovation — things that bring people great delight when they experience them.
So, I’m somewhere between building my next new company and preparing to “time travel” back to France — to stand once again with Brenne, alongside our global community and the team at Heaven Hill – in the American whisky pavilion! LOL
It’ll be a wonderful journey no matter what. Those who want to find me somehow always do – and I look forward to the many reunions that are hopefully about to occur.
I’m also curious to see if any new questions will find me this time — the kind that linger for months, even years. Dave and I have already been chatting in WhatsApp and hugs and hellos are certainly in order (he also gave me his blessing to share his question with you all here).
Here’s what I’m currently thinking about legacy: maybe the world forgets my role in French whisky. Maybe not. What matters to me is this – personal legacy isn’t decided by industries or history books. It’s shaped in the daily choices to live and create things that are worth loving with kindness, authenticity, integrity, and FUN!
That’s the work I’m here for.
And maybe, that’s what you’re here to do too.
If you have any thoughts on legacy (your own, or legacy as a general conversation), I would love to hear them. Please add your comments below — I read every single one.
