Admit it. When you first heard about peanut butter whiskey you made a funny face. Then you actually tried the peanut butter whiskey and you made a yummy face. It happens to all of us!

Meet one half of the married couple who came up with the peanut butter whiskey that everyone loves, Skrewball Whiskey.

BW: What is your favorite cocktail with Skrewball? 

BMY: My favorite part of Skrewball is the endless cocktail options. I love experimenting with what’s in the kitchen (which is mostly seltzer waters). And, I love going to restaurants and trying twists on classic cocktails.

BW: What was the most surprising thing you learned when building the Skrewball brand?

BMY: It’s shocking how quickly you can integrate into the industry. We started as practically outsiders.

Now, we’ve not only built an incredible brand, but we’re seeing our influence in other products. We were able to create a category—not just a product.

It’s a weird feeling to know that your product is in the development rooms of other companies and shaping the industry as a whole. It was always the hope; I just didn’t expect it to happen so fast.

BW: You have a background both in chemistry and law. How have those helped you with your brand?

BMY: My background has been invaluable. I could not have picked a better path if I had planned it from the beginning.

When you are starting a brand, you wear all hats until you can build out an organization. Both fields gave me not only a wealth of base knowledge, but the thought process and critical thinking skills to figure out what I do not know.

I’m a big believer in developing that depth of specialty knowledge and critical thinking. You’ll pick up the rudimentary of business on the job soon enough.

BW: What advice do you have for women wanting to start a brand in the whiskey space?

BMY: Just start. All that energy that you’re putting into thinking how things could go wrong is better spent planning to make them go right (and learning from your mistakes). The difference between people who have dreams and those that achieve them is action. So, get moving. Yes, you’ll face challenges. But, you’ll grow. And, you cannot do that on the sideline.

BW: Tell me about your perfect whiskey weekend in San Diego.

BMY: We have two little ones, so brunch and a lazy day are the ultimate weekend plans.

Steven Yeng and Brittany Merrill Yeng, Skrewball Whiskey Founders

Photos Courtesy of Skrewball Whiskey/Walking Eagle Photography