A Kentucky woman is breaking new ground in the bourbon industry after becoming the first Black woman to become a CEO of a bourbon brand in the state.
Brittany Penny founded 2 Cents Inc., an IX Bourbon Whiskey “that is carefully selected from nine barrels all possessing unique characteristics that are blended to perfection. The Charter Line, our first small batch, presents a sweet flavor of buttery caramel, with undertones of chocolate, and a hint of spice,” according to its website.
The company was started in 2020 while Penny was pregnant with her daughter during the pandemic. Her husband was sipping on a bourbon and figured she might like to get a whiff.
“He was like ‘smell this, you can’t drink it, but you can smell it,'” Penny told WHAS11. “And all these different aromas and flavors came up and I was like ‘we should start our own.'”
She then got to work and created their first small batch of bourbon ‘The IX,’ blended from barrels the couple carefully selected. The goal was to produce a sweeter flavor profile with the intent to embolden women to consider consuming bourbon.
“It doesn’t have the big old Kentucky hug. Normally bourbon is known for its burn going down,” she said. “Women who are new to bourbon love it, they absolutely love it.”
The bourbon has since taken off and has now made Penny the first Black woman to head a bourbon brand in Kentucky.
“For me being the first is truly inspiring and I don’t take it lightly at all. I definitely want to be the first but I don’t want to be the last,” she said. “It really hits home with my girls, my oldest every time she sees in magazine or thinks like that she just lights up.”
Her husband, the entrepreneur added, has been such an integral part of the business, so she decided to incorporate his help in the company’s name.
“Penny and Penny, so 2 Cents,” Penny said with a chuckle.
Now that she is running a successful business, she hopes to keep the traction going for the generations in her lineage to come.
“Kind of like Brown-Forman does, Jack Daniels does, Heaven Hill, they have family-owned companies and that’s what I was going for too,” Penny concluded. “To build that generational wealth.”
