Crystal Wise
Silver Star Spirits is under the helm of its new master distiller, Brett Luchesi, who made the trek from California to the Lone Star State to take part in Trinity River Distillery's new vision.
Just two months shy of being the newbie in the area, Brett is laying down the foundation for Trinity River Distillery to be bigger, better, and stronger than before. With 11 years in the industry, Brett hopes to bring his award-winning success from San Diego to Cowtown.
“I'm always one to ask people how they do things and take in any knowledge that I can,” Brett says. “I'm open with my style and I want everyone around me to know as much as I know and I want them to teach me things. The beer industry in San Diego was so tight that if you needed something, you could ask another distillery or brewery. That is something I want to bring to Fort Worth. We all work together because that's how we build this industry in this area and make connections.”
In San Diego, he climbed the proverbial distillery ladder, moving from the bottling line to becoming head distiller at Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits. In his five-year stint, he managed to expand the five products in the SKU to 18. One of his successes: Starting when there were 20 employees and leaving with 700 people working at the brewery. Ballast Point raised brows nationally and internationally with its spirits. One main focus being on them was being guinea pigs for canned cocktails before everyone else caught on to the flashy trend.
Brett Luchesi
“I would never say I'm a master distiller because that shows I know everything and I’ll never admit I know everything,” Brett shares. “The innovation aspect of distilling is something I always look at to improve efficiency, products, and new avenues of flavors we can incorporate.”
The sudden change of scenery was due to his family wanting to mix things up and after some research and digging, Fort Worth was a solid new venture. Brett and Thomas Ingham (also recently acquired in April 2022 as the distillery’s new president and chief executive officer) shared the vision of bringing the community together and expanding the vision of Trinity River Distillery.
"We are very excited to welcome Brett to the Trinity River Distillery family,” Thomas Ingham states in a press release. “Brett is a creative thinker that brings a wealth of knowledge as a former brewer with Ballast Point Brewing Company, as well as Lead and Head Distiller with craft distilleries in the Southwest and West coast. He understands how to combine artistry and process to make a great product."
