{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"MAFFEO DRINKS: The Lab","title":"124 | More Than Blending: Social Terroir, No Playbook, Consumer Intention and the Making of Milam & Greene with Heather Greene","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3275,"description":"In this episode, Heather Greene shares her journey from Scotland’s Scotch Malt Whisky Society and William Grant & Sons to founding Milam & Greene in Texas, drawn by the chance to explore how the Texas climate shapes bourbon and rye.She discusses what’s changed in whiskey: broader, newer audiences and the need to keep “Whiskey 101” welcoming despite online gatekeeping and rigid rules. We talk about blending as a once-taboo trend, climate-driven aging experiments, and a new Provisions bourbon designed for easy, social drinking.Heather Greene recently stepped back from her role as CEO and now sits on the board while consulting for brands as a strategist and Master Blender. The conversation covers the shrinking playbook for craft spirits, the pivot from local-first to national-first out of necessity, how press access becomes survival, and why new consumer waves keep asking the same questions the industry is tired of answering. It's a field-level account of what the drinks ecosystem actually looks like when the wolves come back.Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:26 Heather’s Whiskey Journey01:18 Why Texas Whiskey03:12 Whiskey Industry Shifts06:29 Keeping Whiskey Welcoming10:37 Local vs National Strategy19:29 Pandemic Pivot Playbook24:00 No Playbook for Survival26:16 Leading Through Uncertainty27:19 Humility and Curiosity Win27:50 Stepping Down as CEO29:28 Whiskey Planning Horizons31:08 Betting on Blends32:50 Climate-Driven Whiskey34:47 Market Boots On36:58 Social Terroir Explained41:33 Tradition Versus Creativity46:22 House of Whiskeys Strategy47:48 Provisions","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/EEVeqPnCSO50vcTEwCGi8EsKVAfckKW1Ma9V9k_f5cM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mNjQy/ZWFiZWJiOTRmMTBm/YmUxYWFmNTA2MjI4/M2ViNC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}