Black-owned
Women-led
Purpose-driven
How We Do It...
Highway Distillery, Texas’ first Black-owned distillery, set out to inject distinct character into vodka. What started as a hobby became a world-class spirit—a vodka as smooth, nuanced, and sip-worthy as a bourbon or tequila…Trust us, it hits different.
The magic lies in Highway’s distinct mash, which consists of a unique strain of hemp seed, corn, and pure water. All are naturally free of gluten, CBD, and THC. The entire mash is cooked and transferred to the fermentation phase, during which period the hemp oil forms — This is our secret sauce.
At Highway, we’re all hearts, no tails. This means we only keep the purest parts of the batch. Our proprietary process preserves the flavors of the grain, yielding a natural kiss of sweetness with a unique, luscious mouthfeel.
“The finished bottle is a result of our proprietary slow filtration process, which is one-of-a-kind in the craft spirits industry. We created Highway’s distillation method and equipment after years of research, so everything we’re doing is truly from scratch, just like the vodka.” – Ben Williams.
Proudly located in Houston, Highway Distillery made history as Texas’ first Black-owned distillery and our flagship offering, Highway Vodka is the only hemp-based spirit in the country with mainstream distribution. The brainchild of Texas natives and childhood friends Ben Williams & Wendell Robbins, Highway marks the duo’s first foray into the craft spirits distilling game — a feat that was more than seven years in the making. The venture comes after various professional triumphs for both founders, including a number of years on Houston’s hospitality scene where Wendell & Ben owned former Third Ward bar Scrappy Brown’s, and Ben worked with his brother, James Beard Award Finalist Chris Williams to open Lucille’s, a nationally acclaimed Southern restaurant in the heart of the city’s Museum District. Their transition from bites to booze follows years of experimental distilling, propelled by the goal of injecting distinct character back into vodka by highlighting the natural flavors of Highway’s unique mash bill, which is comprised of just three key ingredients — a unique strain of hemp, Texas corn and pure water locally-sourced from an artesian aquifer. “All of this kind of started off as a hobby. As time progressed, we really got into changing up the mash and eventually settled on using hemp seed as part of the distillation process. It took a while, but we eventually perfected the blend to yield an insanely smooth product with a unique flavor profile. We really believe it’s one of the best vodkas on the market,” explains Williams. Highway Vodka is Black-owned, woman-led and purpose driven. It just hits different…in every way.
Meet the Visionaries
Ben Williams is the CEO of Highway Vodka, Texas’ pioneering hemp seed-distilled vodka, and founder of the first Black-owned distillery in the state. Hailing from Houston, Williams nurtured his passion for business at Howard University, later managing enterprises and spearheading a live events promotion company that worked with Grammy-winning artists.
Returning to Houston, he made his mark in private education before co-establishing the acclaimed restaurant Lucille’s with his brother and Chef Chris Williams. Inspired by their great-grandmother’s legacy, Lucille B. Smith, the restaurant paid homage to her legacy as Texas’ first African-American businesswoman.
Williams’ hospitality ventures eventually sparked his interest in spirits. This led to the creation of Highway Vodka, co-founded with Wendell Robbins. Since its commercial launch in 2019, the Houston-based distillery has expanded throughout Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina, with national expansion on the horizon for 2023.
Additionally, Williams is a founding board member of the non-profit Lucille’s 1913, initiated by his brother Chris. The foundation mirrors its namesake’s values by addressing food insecurity and community and cultural empowerment. Having already provided over 1,000,000 meals to those in need, the foundation remains dedicated to building self-sustainable livelihoods in underserved neighborhoods.
Dr. Wendell Robbins III, Co-Founder and COO of Highway Vodka draws from a rich background rooted in entrepreneurship. Raised in Houston, he gained early insights from his family’s construction business, WA Robbins Construction. After graduating from Episcopal High School in 1990, he pursued football at Davidson College and earned a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Prairie View A&M University. Further educational achievements include a Master’s in industrial technology from Texas Southern University and a Doctorate in business from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Combining academia with business, Robbins managed his family’s construction enterprise while teaching at the University of Houston-San Jacinto. He also co-founded BC Smoke Shop and Scrappy Brown’s sports bar. Collaborating with childhood friend Ben Williams, he established Highway Vodka, leveraging his expertise to perfect the recipe. Located on his family’s property, The Highway Distillery evolved from Robbin’s horse barn to the expanded enterprise you see today.
Outside of work, Robbins indulges his love for the outdoors, horseback riding, and shooting. He’s a dedicated African art collector and continues to oversee his construction business. With a family deeply ingrained in education, his three children are making their mark at Episcopal High School and Prairie View A&M University. Mary Fontanoe Robbins, his wife of over 20 years, also contributes to Highway Vodka’s daily operations.
Our Process
Infinitey Smooth. Remarkably Innovative.
Our process took nearly 8 years to perfect (plus an additional 3.5 years to get approved by regulators). Hundreds of experimental batches, tens of recipe iterations and infinite taste testing resulted in the unparalleled product you taste today.
A unique strain of hemp seed, locally sourced corn, and water from our artesian aquifer comprise our mash bill.
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After mashing, it is transferred to the fermentation stage, where it will sit for about a week and a half.
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During that time, the hemp seed acts as a super fuel to the yeast, converting sugars to alcohol. At the same time, a thick layer of hemp oil forms at the top of the fermenter, creating the first layer of filtration. We distill on the grain, meaning that we throw everything from the fermenter into the still.
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Finally, we distill the liquid through six copper plates, preserving the nuances of the grain and the remaining oils. We only keeping the hearts of the run, so we only bottle the best of of the best.
This process yields a smoother product with a noticeably different viscosity and mouth feel than other vodkas. Highway is bringing sippin’ back to vodka…just add ice.
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Awards
Highway Vodka was named the Best Vodka in the 2023 International Women’s Spirit Competition! Highway received a Double Gold medal and the Best of Class designation and was noted for its unique aroma, long dry finish, nuttiness, and softness. See our other awards below.
