Please Join us at the YMBL Speaker Series on Thursday, June 20th with Chris Seals, CEO and Founder of Still Austin. Still is Austin's first whiskey distillery since prohibition and proudly uses only Texas-grown grains in their product.
Taking a departure from our regular Luncheon Series, we're holding this event on location and every ticket will include whiskey tasting (for those 21+), paired with a curated tasting menu in addition to learning this local entrepreneur's journey.
About Chris:
FOUNDER + CEO After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin and earning an MBA from the University of Houston, Chris Seals spent 15 years working as an economist, working in the fields of sustainable development, regional planning and the environmental sector. Seals has worked in all 50 states and has worked in more than 40 countries helping regions plan to be sustainable and reduce their carbon footprints.
What ultimately called him back to Austin and into the world of distilling was the thing that serves as the root of Still Austin Whiskey Co.: his family. In 2013, Seals’ father presented the idea of opening a whiskey distillery together as co-founders and partners. Seals moved back to Austin that year to start Still Austin Whiskey Co. Although he had noexperience in spirits production, he saw an opportunity to build a closer relationship with his dad and decided to take a leap of faith into a new career. Seals’ biggest mentor in the distillery business has undoubtedly been his father, followed by Mike Delevante, one of the oldest and most experienced distillers alive. After a lot of research, planning, and construction, Seals and his co-founders opened Still Austin Whiskey Co. in 2017.
Seals never thought he would one day create a distillery, but he did know he had an appreciation for hard work and creating products with his own two hands. Growing up, Seals spent a lot of time on his great grandfather’s farm north of Kansas City. The homestead has been in his family for 125 years and it has produced tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat and vegetables.
Seals makes it a priority to protect the environment and support local agriculture through everything he does at Still Austin Whiskey Co. This task requires a lot of time and thoughtful, long-term planning, but Seals wouldn’t have it any other way. This dedication started with the build out of the distillery, which was engineered to reuse water and maximize energy efficiency. In addition, the distillery sources 100% of all grains used to make whiskey from Texas farmers and then donates the spent grains back to farmers to feed their cattle.
When he’s not busy making whiskey, Seals trains for marathons and enjoys beekeeping. He and his partner Jay have five children together – Tressa, Eliora, Ridge, Andrew and Gabe. As a family, they try to visit a new country every year.
