50 States of Whiskey About Us

We are a small media team traveling the United States in search of the finest craft whiskey, craft distilleries, and craft cocktails that the country can provide.

The Grigsby Brothers

The middle two children in the Grigsby family, Chris and Madison shared a room together growing up. So, it is no wonder they ended up as drinking buddies. Chris is the elder and thus should be blamed for any and all mishaps. Madison makes the craft cocktails and thus should be praised for how delicious they are. We have no idea why we are so obsessed with craft whiskey, but ours is not to ask why. Ours is to sip our beverages and convince you to do the same.

Madison Grigsby

I remember the very first time I tried whiskey. We were on a family vacation in Mexico and, surprise surprise, the one who snuck me my very first sip of that pure brown Tennessee gold was my older brother and partner in crime, Chris. I don't know if it was because my father raised us on John Wayne and war movies or if I just came by my positive predisposition towards American whiskey naturally, but when I took that first sip as a fresh faced 16 year old, I knew that Mr. Daniel's and I would become dear friends in the future.

Years later, at Texas Christian University, I started bartending at a small dive bar that was literally right across the street from my freshman year dorm. My nights at the University Pub were some of the best of college, not because they were always filled with the wonders and excitement that comes with dealing with drunk 21yr olds, but because I got to learn a trade that I loved under the guidance of a great man who shared his wisdom with me on a nightly basis. It was at the Pub that my love for whiskey really began, because through making cocktails I began to understand the differences between liquors and whiskeys and could really appreciate the nuances of that caramel colored cowboy fuel.

Throughout my time in college I was also taken under the wing of a professional business coach who frequently reminded me that if I could make a living doing what I loved, then I would never work a day in my life. As my time in school came to a close my two loves in this world (bourbon and exploration) began to merge into an idea that would eventually turn into 50 States of Whiskey.

I needed to take a chance on something that I truly loved to see if I could make it work. So that is what I did, I began to create an idea where I would travel the country, drink whiskey, and try to create authentic and honest content that viewers could hopefully enjoy for the sake of enjoying something that we all love.

Cheers,
Madison

Chris Grigsby

Like a lot of people, I began something of a journey after I left high school. It can be a little bit hard to understand what you want at that age, and figuring that out caused me to trek around and go to three different colleges. I would say that's probably when I learned I really wanted to learn about different parts of the world. When you move around a lot even just learning mundane things like how to get to the grocery store can become something of an adventure, and adventure is very important to all of us. I wound up finishing my psychology at the University of Texas with no real job prospects but the whole world to explore.

During a search to find something I do, I realized it was pretty easy to find jobs outside the country teaching English. Not having any reason to stay in Austin, I decided to take a massive leap outside my comfort zone and accepted a position teaching English in the Republic of Georgia. It was easily the best major decision of my life, and the experience really cemented my love of travel. It is a tangible, surreal experience to realize I was just walking in places no one I know would ever go – be it dipping my toes in the Black Sea, staring across the river to a Russian occupied state, or wandering around an art museum in Armenia. When I returned I realized I wanted to chase those feelings forever. Within a month Madison and I had left in the middle of the night to drive to the Grand Canyon and camp in the snow.

Since then I've begun to focus more on seeking life experiences as a collection in lieu of stacking them to reach some ambiguous goal. This fueled my willingness to risk my future picking a new city out of a hat with Madison and attempting to make the most of any situation we got into. I think Tampa wasn't really a perfect situation for either of us, but we collected some unique, life-building experiences, something of an example for every state we hope to visit on this trip. It wasn't perfect, but for the most part we experienced the place we were in, and we hope to do the same everywhere. We now live in between Texas and North Carolina. Fortunately, we have a sizeable whiskey collection in both states.

Cheers,
Chris