After a decade in show business*, cousins and whiskey enthusiasts Anna Axster and Wendelin von Schröder decided they were ready for a career shift. Naming their brand after the concept of a guiding star, the duo launched Lodestar American Whiskey online in late 2023, rolling out more fully into the greater Los Angeles area at the start of this year.

“We really doubled down on the idea to create Lodestar during the pandemic when everything in entertainment had come to a stop,” the pair says. “That time made us realize how much we all need community and ways to share life’s small and big moments with friends and family. All of that made the transition fairly easy because we had a clear vision of what we wanted to do.”

Aiming to dispel the notion that whiskey is only for men to drink, Axster and von Schroder set out to craft a product with a wide-ranging appeal by blending American single malt whiskey with straight high-rye bourbon. The result is a 90-proof release sophisticated enough to please discerning palates but still approachable for newbies.

“We want to follow the things that inspire us most, namely inclusivity, community, joy,” they describe. “California is known for wine, and Los Angeles is more of a tequila town, but we believe that there are consumers here who have not been exposed to the whiskey category yet and we would like to invite them in.”

Blended and bottled at Cardinal Spirits in Bloomington, Ind., Lodestar pours out of the bottle with a heady nose of floral and citrus notes. Call me crazy, but I picked up on tangy lemon drops and orange Tic Tacs (!) at first whiff. The mouthfeel’s thin, but there’s still enough of an edge to make you sit up and take notice before the burnished honey flavor kicks in. It’s definitely rye-forward and more spicy than sweet, with a medium-long finish that coats the palate and the back of the throat.

This sipper’s easy to drink with an ice cube or a splash of water, but I liked it best in an Old Fashioned with simple syrup and muddled orange to echo the inherent citrus and lure out its sweeter side. (The brand also offers an intriguing signature cocktail recipe for a signature Lodestar Iced Tea as a tribute to Anna’s dad). Axster and von Schroder are currently working on ideas for another expression to come.

You can purchase Lodestar online or find a list of Southern California outlets where you can find the product.

* Anna is a writer, producer, and director of music-related movies and music videos. You can check her out on IMDB, here. Wendeling retured from show business, but you can se her previois work here!