Lisa Sawyer Derman | Legal Spirits: How One Lawyer Turned a Legal Career into a Bourbon Brand

Lisa Sawyer Derman is the Founder and CEO of Five Springs Infused Bourbon, a bourbon brand that blends Kentucky roots with modern, mixable flavor. Before launching Five Springs, Lisa spent more than 30 years in the global spirits industry, building and leading some of the world’s top alcohol brands. Her career includes serving as Chief Operating Officer at Stoli Group, Head of Legal at Absolut, and the Head of the North Division at The Macallan.

Drawing on her legal background and executive leadership experience, Lisa launched Five Springs in 2024 with three distinctive expressions—Vanilla Maple, Honey Sage, and Blood Orange—crafted to be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or in cocktails. Five Springs is designed to make bourbon more approachable and inclusive for a wider range of drinkers and is currently available online nationwide and at retail in multiple states.

WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT BUILDING A BOURBON BRAND

Launching a spirits brand is nothing like selling a typical consumer product. The industry is heavily regulated, the three-tier system slows everything down, and it can take years before a product reaches a shelf. After spending more than 30 years as a lawyer and senior executive in the global spirits industry, Lisa Sawyer Derman knew the legal, operational, and financial pieces she would need to get right.

Instead of starting with a big marketing push, she tested the product at home, refined the formulas with her family, and proved the concept in two markets before expanding. Her background in deals, regulation, branding, and operations helped her avoid costly mistakes and build a bourbon brand designed to be more approachable and mixable.

In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge, Elise talks with Lisa about moving from legal roles into business leadership, launching in a highly regulated industry, learning from founders she worked with along the way, and how she used three decades of industry experience to shortcut the hardest parts of alcohol startups and launch a bourbon brand built for today’s drinkers.

2:26 — How a summer mentor pulled her into alcohol beverage law

6:36 — Moving in-house and shifting from legal to deals and operations

11:39 — Using regulatory experience to reduce startup risk (labels, formulas, distributors)

15:05 — Kitchen experiments lead to the infused-bourbon concept for cocktails

18:59 — Testing before investing: launching first in New Jersey and Kentucky

23:35 — From behind-the-scenes lawyer to founder as the face of the brand

26:13 — Handling skepticism in a crowded category and staying with the strategy

29:33 — Advice to younger lawyers: training, mentors, specialization

33:26 — What she tells lawyers who want to start a business

35:49 — Trust your instincts instead of assuming anyone else knows better than you

Mentioned In Legal Spirits: How One Lawyer Turned a Legal Career into a Bourbon Brand

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Today's episode is brought to you by the Ignite Women's Business Development Accelerator, a 9-month business development program created BY women lawyers for women lawyers. Ignite is a carefully designed business development program containing content, coaching, and a community of like-minded women who are committed to becoming rainmakers AND supporting the retention and advancement of other women in the profession.

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