Our Team

W. L. Lyons Brown, III

CEO / Founder

W.L. LYONS BROWN III is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Altamar Brands, LLC, a distiller and importer of artisanal spirits brands. Prior to starting Altamar, Lyons spent fifteen years in his family business at Brown-Forman Corporation serving as Marketing Director for Europe and Director of Sales for the United States. Since moving to Charlottesville in 2012, he has founded two more companies: The Elysium Honey Company, a social impact firm focused on the plight the honey bee and Mad Buffalo, LLC, a company managing a portfolio of investments focused on sustainable agriculture.

He is a Trustee of the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Virginia and the current Chair of the Board. He is also a Trustee of The Darden School of Business where he is the Senior Entrepreneur-in-Residence and a Visiting Executive Lecturer. Previous Board service includes The Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, CA; Lenox China in Lawrenceville, NJ; National City Bank and the J. B. Speed Art Museum in Louisville, KY and St. Margaret’s Episcopal School and The Laguna Beach Community Foundation in Orange County, CA. He was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business from 2003-2005. Mr. Brown holds a BA (1982) and an MBA (1987) from the University of Virginia. He is married with three children and lives in Batesville, Virginia.