Shaken, Stirred: Meet Jack and Henry Perkins, the Brothers behind Waymar Gin House

(Image: Reid Mitchell)

“Gin was the first thing we stole from our parents’ liquor cabinet in high school,” said Jack Perkins, who found Waymar Gin House with his brother, Henry.

Beyond the high school hijinks, the story of Waymar Gin House is a pandemic story.

The brothers were in college when the pandemic struck - told to go off for spring break but not come back.

“The world’s ending before we had a chance to start our careers or anything,” recalled Jack. “We had a lot of time on our hands.

So, they made martinis.

One day, the brothers were sitting on the couch drinking martinis when a thought floated up like bubbles in a gin fizz. They felt like they could make a better tasting gin. So, they bought some copper and made a still in their backyard. Jack said they figured out how to make the still by Googling, going on YouTube, and consulting welder friends and online forums.

They started with grain neutral spirits - effectively Everclear, they said - and did roughly 100 runs of the still, adding various botanicals purchased from Maggie’s Pharm in Midtown.

“We didn’t really know what to expect, but we knew that we wouldn’t go blind,” Jack said.

Henry said that gin comes down to the juniper. It can be overpowering or not, its mix of botanicals can vary from gin to gin.

“People don’t understand that gin doesn’t have to taste like Christmas tree,” Henry said. “I never understood why people drink vodka over gin. It’s flavorless and boring. Gin has some soul to it.”

They are aiming for a gin that “embodies old world aesthetic and new world flavor.” This means not leaning so hard on the juniper and making it sweeter with citrus and spice.

“We’re trying to make a gin that is light bodied and rich in flavor, that’s super versatile in cocktails that are easy to drink,” Henry said. “People call it new world. I like to call it American contemporary.”

(Image: Reid Mitchell)

In essence, they want to make gin cool again - like James Bond cool.

After they had a few jars made to their satisfaction, they had to figure out their next step. They knew that no one would give two guys in their 20s the millions needed to build a distillery. Jack, as it turns out, had a mutual friend of McCauley Williams on Facebook. Six weeks later, Williams agreed to meet with them.

Williams is the co-founder of Morningside Brands, a spirits-based parent company over such brands as Alma Del Jaguar Tequila. Williams had hobbyists reach out to him before, but none were serious. Williams felt like it was a waste of time. But, he did finally meet the Perkins brothers over a beer.

“What really impressed me was the astounding amount of research and development they have done. They’re committed to this. There’s entrepreneurialism,” Williams said. He saw himself in them.

At the time, however, Williams was working on his own gin concept, and it didn’t make sense to do two ins. Later, Williams reconsidered, thinking about all the work the brothers had done.

It took about two years to get Waymar Gin House launched. Under Morningside’s wing, the fledgling brand got guidance in marketing, distribution, packaging, and sales.

Among the Waymar products are its Signature Dry Gin and the Ambrosial Series featuring four additional gins, which will be available later this week.

The gin entered the Arkansas market first, quickly followed by Memphis. They are reaching out to local distributors and introducing themselves. The gin is now in about 27 bars and restaurants in Memphis. The aim is to be in every major liquor store in West Tennessee by May 1 and to develop relationships with the most prominent restaurant groups. Next in the plans is a six-state rollout by mid-summer.

“Then we’ll build from there. We want to grow smart,” Williams said. “The goal is, give us a year or two, and we’ll be nationwide.”