Julian Giraldo, Giant Texas Head Distiller

With a Bachelor of Computer Science and Systems Engineering and a 6 Sigma Green Belt, Julian brings 13 years of food manufacturing, production, and development experience to the distillery.

He joined the organization in 2007 and has been part of several development projects including the startup of the distillery and also overseeing the coffee side operation.

He was mentored by David Pickerell (Maker’s Mark® and Whistle Pig® former Master Distiller) and Troy Smith (Yellow Rose® former Master Distiller), and during this learning experience he quickly dived in and picked up the insights of the fermentation and distillation universe due to his passion and enthusiasm for wine and spirits. Julian makes sure each step is done in the most efficient way following the highest quality standards.

When Julian is not at the distillery, he can be found enjoying outdoor activities like camping, mountain biking, stunt kite flying, or traveling around the world visiting wineries and other distilleries with his family.