Author: Kenny Coleman

This is a question that has plagued me for quite some time and it was inspired by my wife. Ryan and I continuously evaluate brands as we compare what works and what doesn’t when it comes to consumers. We get caught in this trap of continually pivoting as we see other brands catch fire because of a bottle design or some element. So my wife asked me, Kenny, are you are whiskey company or a marketing company? It caught me off guard and I really had to think about the broader landscape so I wanted to make an episode where we talk about what it takes to be a whiskey company versus a marketing company. There’s probably a lot of brands out there that think of themselves as a whiskey company but in reality they are a marketing company. Here’s the thing, there’s no wrong answer. Marketing plays a crucial role in whiskey and it could be the marketing that’s in your face through point of sale, it could be bottle shapes, or even the lack of marketing to keep the mystique alive. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and it probably requires us to hit this topic again in the future if you send us your feedback.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about Maker’s Mark and their role in bourbon resurgence.
• Where do you spend your first initial investment?
• Does the liquid even matter?
• Does having special distillation, heirloom grains, or anything else really matter?
• Can a big distiller be considered a marketing company?
• When a big distiller creates the same label with different colors and proofs, is that about the whiskey?
• How do you transition from being a marketing company to a whiskey company?
• Does it matter if you’re getting it from one source like everyone else?
• Do you need to cater to the neophytes or the mass consumer market?
• If Fred Minnick starts a brand would you put your money in marketing or the whiskey?
• Can you be a whiskey company if you are using MGP?
• Is a lack of marketing considered marketing?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

The post 459 – Are You A Whiskey Company or a Marketing Company? appeared first on BOURBON PURSUIT.

Whenever you get into a hobby that involved enthusiasts and collecting, there are trends that begin to appear. Allocations, raffles, lotteries, fakes, these are things that become common. One of those hobbies that has quite a few parallels is sneakers. Matt Kusek is a certified whiskey enthusiasts as a write for Malt Review but he’s also the host of the Swoosh Life podcast that focuses on sneaker heads. He joins the show to give us an insight into how the shoe game and bourbon have so many similarities that, in Matt’s words, sneakers are 20 years ahead of bourbon. We dive into the types of collectors, brands, sales, allocation, and so much more. If sneakers are really 20 years ahead of bourbon, who knows what the next few years has in store for us.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about Buffalo Trace expansion.
• What’s the similarity between Jordan’s and bourbon releases?
• Are there raffles, lotteries, or hunts for sneakers?
• Who is the distributor and how do they own the retail store?
• If Nike is number one, who would they be compared to and who’s the next biggest?
• Mom and pop stores vs chains and how are they getting pushed out of the market?
• What about saving and storing vs wearing or drinking?
• Is it Jordan and then everyone else?
• What is the Heaven Hill or Weller of sneakers?
• Are there people that only collect one type of shoe?
• Bourbon hits all walks of life or does the sneaker enthusiasts hit all walks of life?
• Are there sneakers that don’t need marketing?
• Do you look differently at people who are rookies and buy stuff just because they want every color?
• Are there any value brands that hold up over time?
• Are there some LTOs that flop?
• Are replicas or fakes a big problem?
• Has the market gone down because everything became a limited edition?
• Was Blue Run able to sneakerize the industry in your opinion?
• @mattkusek
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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You hear us talk about dusty bourbon on the show too often. We keep beating that dead horse because it’s a chance to drink history and have a completely different whiskey than what’s in the bottle today. Vintage spirits are on the rise and have gone from an underground enthusiast crowd into the mainstream. Aaron Goldfarb is a distinguished author and he joins the show to talk about his new book titled Dusty Booze. This books has a storyline with finding a dusty goldmine but goes into the story of decanters, minis, and the hunt for rare bottles. It’s now available on Amazon and lots of different outlets.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about bourbon with malted barely with the highest secondary grain.
• What made you want to write a book on vintage whiskey?
• What were some of those iconic decanters that were made?
• What was the story you saw form out of the glut era?
• Did you ever talk to store owners and ask why they would sit on inventory for this long?
• Why did decanters become so popular or unpopular?
• What makes a dusty spirit different from today’s current releases?
• Did anyone come up with a better term other than dusty funk?
• Why was there a bigger market for minis back in the day?
• Talk about the storyline and how Kevin came across this goldmine and any legal implications.
• How many bar owners did you talk to about running a business on vintage spirits?
• What do you think has to be considered vintage?
• Was there any information in the book that teaches you how to date code vintage whiskey?
• Is there a chance that any store is left with any dusty bottles?
• Do you need dusty cocktail ingredients?
• @aarongoldfarb
• Support this podcast on Patreon

The post 457 – The Epic Hunt for Dusty Booze with Aaron Goldfarb appeared first on BOURBON PURSUIT.