By admin 
“I started at the bottom and went to the top.”
That’s Jason Wooler’s capsule autobiography. A veteran of the beverage industry, Wooler started in his 20s in 1993 with a part-time job with Southern Wine and Spirits as a merchandiser loading shelves in Pasadena. Over the next three decades, he climbed the ladder, jumping to positions at Jim Bean, Pacific Wines, American Wine Company and finally as executive vice president of Client Services for Young’s Market Company.
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Looking to make a mark of his own, he created Wooler Brands in 2018. Then, his life changed dramatically.
Only three years into his new venture, Wooler suffered a debilitating stroke. For many, that would have been a career-ending blow, but not for him.
It took years for Wooler to learn to walk and talk again. But once he regained his strength, he turned to his family and asked if they would be interested in building something new together. They said yes. Retaining the Wooler Brands name, they began distilling spirits in 2025.
In a way, the family of five was a ready-made team with complementary skills. Wooler’s wife Amy Wooler, ever the bedrock of the family, was well-equipped to take on the role of operations manager.
“The kids were all of age, and we were ready to build something. We didn’t choose the timing; the timing chose us. We know it’s different out there, but we’re willing to give it a go. It’s given us new focus,” she said.
The couple’s eldest son, Chuck Wooler, was also established in the beverage industry at that time, managing one of the largest on-premise beer routes in Las Vegas. It was a natural fit for him to come on board as business development manager, overseeing product strategy and exploring expansion opportunities.
“The best things come out of the hardest times. No one is investing in vodka or bourbon, so we thought it was a good opportunity to fight through adversity. We know the products won’t go away,” he said.
Younger son, Patrick Wooler, had just graduated from University of the Pacific with a degree in business, so he stepped in as sales and marketing manager. He worked with his sister Betsy Wooler, the company’s creative director, to craft the brand’s logo, a sheep with a crown perched askew on its head. The family doesn’t want to take itself too seriously.
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“It represents the brand ethos as a whole. The sheep references our family’s English shepherding heritage. The crown nods to Jason Wooler’s high standards. But it’s crooked to acknowledge flaws,” he said.
Wooler Brands produces two spirits, a Kentucky straight bourbon called Wooler Whiskey, distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky, and JP Vodka, distilled from 100 percent corn mash in Texas. Deciding on the complexion of the brand’s spirits involved extensive experimentation.
“We tried a wheated mash, and we tried a mixed grain (for the vodka). Nothing was what we wanted. Then we got a corn sample from our distributor, and we were like, this is it. America produces high-quality corn. If we’re going to be doing something American made, corn made sense. We use reverse osmosis water in deproofing, which allows the spirit to shine through and doesn’t add any minerality,” Chuck Wooler said.
“The bourbon took a while to develop. Hanging with the sommeliers in Beverly Hills (Jason) developed his palate. It took about five months to find the right mash bill, barrel sample, age. We’re trying to be straightforward, easy to understand,” he said.
The final product is made with a mash recipe of 72 percent corn, 18 percent rye, 5 percent malted barley, and 5 percent wheat. So why call it Wooler Whiskey and not Wooler Bourbon?
“It rolls off the tongue better. We kept coming back to it,” Amy Wooler said. The JP in JP vodka is Jason Wooler’s nickname, short for Jason Peter.
In California, Wooler Brands spirits are available at Young’s Payless Market in Lockeford, Podesto’s Market in Stockton and High-Time in Costa Mesa. The spirits can also be ordered online at woolerbrands.us and can be shipped to most states and Washington, D.C. Exceptions are Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana and Utah.
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