Other
Lisa Roper Wicker
Master distiller / blender
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Lisa Roper Wicker works in American whiskey through sourcing, proofing, and blending, with the final profile built as much from selection as from distillation. At Widow Jane Distillery in Brooklyn, New York, she serves as president, Head Distiller, and blender, bringing straight bourbon and rye whiskeys in from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee and proofing them with limestone mineral water from New York's Hudson River Valley. The house style comes from that exchange: grain, barrel, and water joined through measured handling rather than ornament.
The Climb
Since 2021, Lisa Roper Wicker has served as president, Head Distiller, and blender of Widow Jane Distillery. The title covers only part of the job. The work is also about setting the whiskey’s shape after it has been sourced, making the cut between what comes in and what goes out with enough precision that provenance remains legible in the glass.
Today
Today, she directs distilling at Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. In Bardstown, Kentucky, while also serving as president, Head Distiller, and blender at Widow Jane Distillery. That puts her in two active whiskey programs at once, one rooted in Bardstown and one in Brooklyn, with responsibilities that move between daily distilling oversight and the more exacting work of blending and proofing. At Widow Jane Distillery, straight bourbon and rye whiskeys arrive from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, then are brought to proof with limestone mineral water from New York's Hudson River Valley. The water is part of the signature, not an accessory: it gives the whiskey its regional anchor while keeping the sourced spirit aligned to a defined house style.
Signature
Lisa's signature dishes include Baby Janes and American Oak-aged Straight Rye Whiskey. Together, those names describe the range of her work: Baby Janes as a distillery expression tied to the house style, and American Oak-aged Straight Rye Whiskey as a whiskey that foregrounds grain and wood. The signature here is less about display than about repetition and control.
Recognition
Her most identifiable work is not a trophy case but a set of bottlings and titles that define her place in American whiskey. Baby Janes names the distillery's own distillates, while American Oak-aged Straight Rye Whiskey sits among the expressions associated with her Brooklyn leadership. Alongside those releases, the combination of sourced bourbon and rye from three states and Hudson Valley limestone water marks the method she uses at Widow Jane Distillery. It is a profile defined less by spectacle than by consistency, where the recognition comes through the bottle and the careful method behind it.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Lisa
What is Lisa Roper Wicker's current role?
As of 2026, Lisa Roper Wicker is Director of Distilling.
What is Lisa Roper Wicker known for?
At Widow Jane Distillery, she sources and blends straight bourbon and rye whiskeys from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, then proofs them with limestone mineral water from New York's Hudson River Valley.
