Meet Israel & Brenna Hendricks | Digital Content Creators

We had the good fortune of connecting with Israel & Brenna Hendricks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Israel & Brenna, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
My wife Brenna has a passion for writing screenplays, art, filming, and poetry, while my passion is in writing and expressing myself creatively. My wife has written multiple screen plays and is constantly creating artistically. Most folks don’t know I used to write and produce hip-hop albums decades ago as a way to express myself through music. Although we are both professionally in very different fields for our 9 to 5’s our digital content is a way for us to spread our wings and continue to express ourselves through art. In our case through YouTube videos and whiskey reviews.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Our biggest contribution has been speaking about whiskey through our YouTube and social media platforms, and our biggest challenge has always been navigating how to work with and excel with digital media. Neither of us are techies but we quickly realized just how quick we’re gonna have to change that if we wanted to stay in the game. Personally, I have never edited a video or worked with cameras before so it was a bit painful to have to figure everything out on our own (with the help of Google and YouTube of course) ! Brenna is the brains behind the camera while I ramble about whiskey and things. Besides the technical side of creating content, everything else feels very natural and spontaneous, and I really enjoy writing reviews. I have the most fun sitting down, reviewing whiskey and sharing my perspective with the world. Some of my favorite reviews are those in which the whiskey is so good, it does all the talking for me. That’s when you know you’ve found something special! I don’t consider myself a photographer, but I have had a lot of fun capturing some cool shots for our social media posts. Brenna, has also learned a lot with using various camera lenses, gear, and lighting equipment, and of course still learning. In this line of work, you just have to get your feet wet, it’s sink or swim. I’d say what sets us apart from others is our style, we try to speak to the whiskey novice, curious and connoisseur. Our goal is to help elevate everyone’s understanding of whiskey and enjoy the journey.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
New Mexico’s biggest assets are it’s beauty and culture. I would show off Albuquerque’s views by taking my friends on a ride up the Tram so they’d get to see the entire landscape from the Sandia mountains, the city, and as far as the Three Sisters volcanoes to the west. I’d have to take them on the various hiking trails throughout central and northern NM as well as Red River. There wouldn’t be enough time to show em all, but we’d save the rest for another time. NM is also known for it’s art so Santa Fe would be a must along with a visit to Meow Wolf, especially if they have kids. That place is a lot of fun, even for adults. I’m big into craft beer and spirits, so a few local breweries such as Marble, La Cumbre, Bow & Arrow, Santa Fe Brewing, and of course Hollow Spirits, Albuquerque Distilling and Santa Fe Spirits would be must sees distilleries. Then there’s the food! NM has the best authentic cuisine, anywhere, bar none. Ask anyone who’s ever visited and they will likely tell you the food is amazing. I’d be remised if I didn’t share some great food with my friends at Sadie’s, Garcia’s, Los Cuates, The Frontier, Golden Pride, Weck’s, or Dion’s Pizza. I really could go on and on, but this would just be the start.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout has to first go to my wife, Brenna Hendricks, who oftentimes gives me feedback and keeps me from going too long in our interviews or reviews. I can really get going when I talk whiskey! I also have to give shout outs to all of our supporters over the years. It was tough at first, but it’s been very rewarding to see our work extending beyond our small circle of friends and family. Meeting new people in the whiskey world, whether a fan or actually making whiskey has been truly inspirational, and can only imagine what the next few years will be like.

Website: whiskeyonechannel.com

Instagram: @whiskeyonechannel

Facebook: fb.me/whiskeyonechannel

Youtube: youtube/c/WHISKEYONE

Image Credits
Israel Hendricks and Brenna Hendricks