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Adding A Craft Spirit to Your Bar or Store

This is another one of our thought process pieces we wrote in response to ongoing problems and issues with craft spirits’ entry into the retail market.

This list is designed to help facilitate the decision-making process as to whether or not to carry a particular craft spirit in your establishment.

It is also designed to give producers, distillers, and marketeers of craft spirits some guidance on what to think about in terms of making and supporting your spirits in the market and how you can make them more attractive to buyers (wholesale and retail) by thinking about these points ( and letting your customers know how you follow them).

This is not an exhaustive list, but I will try to identify some best practices and practical considerations.

Quality: Does it taste good? Does it taste better than more commercial products?

Price: Is it priced so you can still make a decent profit? ( see the app pourcost here).
One yardstick for this decision is most people will pay about 20% above the standard market price for local, organic, farm-to-table, etc., etc., and the percentage declines above that. The product may be higher-end, but there is a limit, especially for an unknown brand.

What Makes The Spirit Distinctive: Local?, Organic?, Environmentally friendly?, Craft?
For an exhaustive list of such things, see our previous article, ” A Modest Proposal on How To Define Craft Distilling Through Information

Label and Bottling – Is it attractive, interesting, and/or easy to spot? Can it attract consumers’ attention and curiosity? Does it look like an attractive and premium product, or at least not made in an alley somewhere?

Handling– Does the bottle handle well? Can it be fitted with a standard speed pour? Is it easy to open?

Delivery – is it easy to get or be delivered? Do they answer the phone and take orders? Can you be reasonably sure that if you need more product, they can get it to you in a timely manner? Do they have a local distributor or self distribute in a business-like and timely manner?

Information – Are the labels clear and informative, interesting stories/history, and ingredients? Does it give you some good reasons why you should buy it or why your customers should drink it?

Support -Do they support the brand or do tastings? Do they supply sample bottles or samples so you can pour for staff or customers to familiarize them? Can you reach someone to ask questions? Can the person trying to sell it to you communicate what you and your consumers may want to know about the brand and what makes it special/preferred over others? Particularly name brands?
Does the brand have hangtags or cheat sheets listing cocktails you can make or ways to serve?
Do they hold cocktail competitions ( a great way for brands to get new recipe ideas and PR – especially among bartenders in exchange for prizes).

Web/Social Media-Do they have an easy-to-remember and at least slightly informative website or social media presence where people can learn more or interact about the brand? Do they advertise or have a social presence?

If they have a Public Relations company representing them, is the company competent and responsive?
Do they do a good job of representing the brand and handling all of the above questions?

A Double Scotch Book Launch Party

Dateline March 30, 2014  NYC.
Went to NYC for Paul Pacults Book Launch party for his new book A double Scotch how Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet Became Global Icons.
The party was held at Keens Steakhouse on 36th St. . For those who are not familiar with it Keens is to New York what Bookbinders was to Philadelphia the landmark restaurant that has been around since slightly less than forever as far as the citizens are concerned.
It also house the largest collection of long stem clay pipes in the world – around 50,000 or so.
Now sadly smoking is now banned in NYC so they have all beeen retired and are currently used only for decoration.
But to ge back to my original subject, the book launch was upstairs in the Lamb Room and attended by what I would guess to be about 100 people.
David Talbot of the Wine Enthusiast magazine was the MC and Jim Crile the Master Distiller of The Glemlivet along with Colin Scott the Master Blender of Chivas Brothers were on hand to guide us through a tasting of some of their finest.

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Last Shot Distillery Wins Multiple Medals and Acclaim

Chris Uyehara at Last Shot Distilling in Skaneatles, New York has been racking up the medals along with his booze lately.

Mentioned in Wine Enthusiast Magazine in their top 100 Spirits List for his Chocolate Creme Brûlée and Orange Moonshine Creamsicle recently, we decided to list his other accomplishments lately:

Last Shot Distillery Awards

2018 Great American international Spirits Competition

Lightning Whiskey      Gold Medial

Gin          Silver Medal

Moonshine      Silver Medal

2019 Camp Good Days international 

Skaneateles Distillers Reserve Whiskey    Gold Medal

Bourbon 2 yrs.                                   Silver Medal

Lightning Whiskey                            Silver Medal

Vodka                                                   Bronze Medal

Sweet Maple Spirit                             Bronze Medal

50 Best Moonshine   Competition NY   

Moonshine Gold Medal

 2020   Great American Spirits international 

Chocolate Crème Brulee Bourbon   Gold Medal

Orange Crème Lightning                      Gold Medal

2020 John Barley Corn Award

Skaneateles Distillers Reserve Whiskey   Gold Medal

2020 Seatle Internațional Spirits Competition

Distillers Reserve Best Of Class

Chocolate Crème Brulee Bourbon   Double Gold Medal

Bourbon Gold Medal

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Putting The Geek Back Into Spirits Geek

As some of you may have noticed we have done a major reboot of Spirits Review lately with the help of Lee Hurst at HelpfulLee.

Part of our massive effort to tune up and refine Spirits Review and make it more enjoyable for our readers was an in-depth analysis of what was popular with our readers. The Cobra Whiskey Review was by far the most popular review, followed by the Vine Snake Whiskey Review, and a fair amount of interest in our Absinthe Beetle Review, and the whole range of Scorpion Mezcals with, of course, a scorpion in each bottle….

So despite my trepidation at being known as the Andrew Zimmern of booze, I have decided to put the geek ( in the older, if not more classical sense of the word) back into Spirits Geek and embark on more exotic spirits containing various animals so the rest of you don’t have to and you can indulge your curiosity with a little more remove – or at least know what you are getting into if you try some of this stuff. We drink it so you don’t have to!

Our latest review is Habushu – A Habu Pit Viper Whiskey and Spirit of The Month for May 2018

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Jim Beam Single Barrel

RATING: 8
VALUE: 7
Type: Single Barrel
Classification: Bourbon
Distillery: Jim Beam Global Spirits and Wine, Clermont , Kentucky
Importer: Domestic – No Importer
Age: Selected by flavor profile rather than age. Best guess for most is between 5 and 7 years old
Price: $34.99 750 ML
Price Range: $30 – $40 (more…)

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First Night in Paris or the 2000 Euro Ramos Gin Fizz

We are on a trip to France and stopped in Paris for a few days.
We contacted Forest of 52 Martinis (http://www.52martinis.blogspot.com )and made a date to go to Curio Parlor on Bernadins St. (more…)

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Fathers Day Ideas from Spirits Review

A couple of quick suggestions for good spirits for Fathers Day.

If he likes tequila especially for margaritas,palms and such  I highly recommend Avion Blanco  a fairly new tequila on the market so he probably doesn’t have a bottle yet. Another great one is Siembra Azul but it is proving to be much harder to find these days.
For Pisco hands down I recommend Macchu Pisco  an all natural, organic and more importantly ( to me ) a lovely tasting pisco (yes, they do exist) (more…)

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52 Martinis: One-handed Cocktail Adventures: le 47 at Chateau Fontenac

52 Martinis: One-handed Cocktail Adventures: le 47 at Chateau Fontenac
An excellent review of the Bar where the 2000 Euro Ramos Gin Fizz was born by Forest of 52 Martinis who was there at the time.

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The 2000 Euro Ramos Gin Fizz Part 2

We got to the Bar 47 @ Hotel Chateau Frontenac around 10 PM or so. Lovely Bar on the corner and attached to the hotel. Nice selection of spirits, very nice drinks menu and wonderful little bar set in this 4-star hotel. Ugo Frabbeti is the bartender there- an excellent, world class bartender and outstanding host. Ugo will do anything and will meet your most demanding and elastic desires in order to make sure you have exactly what you want.
It is because of this that the title is what it is.
Joan ordered a Ramos Gin Fizz- both because she loves them and it was on the menu…

What they neglect to mention on the menu is that the hotel does not supple Ugo with eggs.
So… (more…)

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