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André de Almeida, a drinks industry consultant with twenty years across Loch Lomond Group, William Grant & Sons and Edrington and founder of Inside the Cask, on why the liquid comes first and how every drinker takes a different road into whisky.

"There's a whisky out there for every consumer. It's just a question of finding which one is right for you."

0:14 Why should the liquid come before the brand world if you want to sell the second bottle, not just the first?
2:34 How do you tell someone who says they do not like whisky that there is a whisky out there for every consumer?
5:20 Why does a bold first pour like Laphroaig recruit some drinkers and put others off for good?
6:38 What makes a blended scotch drinker brand loyal while a single malt drinker stays a repertoire drinker?
9:03 Why do distilleries swap casks of stock with each other to build as many flavour profiles as possible?
11:47 How does a cask finish bridge a rum drinker or a wine drinker into whisky?
14:36 Why is the highball a better route into whisky than serving it neat?

Find all episodes featuring André de Almeida at themaffeodrinkspodcast.com.

whisky category recruitment, taste profile, single malt versus blended scotch, cask finishes, repertoire drinkers, Bottom up

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

Brian Rosen, Chairman of Growth Beverage and founder of the US drinks investment firm InvestBev, who grew up in the family that built what is now Total Wine, on O-N-D, the ten weeks that make the drinks year, and why the work that wins them happened last spring.

"This business is about doing what's right for the brand six months ago, not today."

0:00 Why does Brian smile when a European founder says they just hired a US export director?
0:21 What is the real three tier tax on every dollar of US sales?
1:34 Why airlift a hundred cases instead of shipping a forty foot container and hoping?
2:08 Why go where the most Czechs are, not just to Brooklyn?
3:11 Why is put away the ego the actual advice, not a secret?
4:03 How does a cheap Italian restaurant pay for the Cipriani listing later?
4:42 Why was Hiro Sake's layup the Japanese restaurants it did not want?
6:44 Why does your audience want the truth, not to be bullshitted?
9:03 Why are the top five hundred brands and the other forty thousand not in the same boat?
10:09 What is O-N-D, and why does forty three percent of the year hinge on it?
11:18 Why is October the first already too late?
12:47 Why is O-N-D really the culmination of the work you did in the spring?
14:02 Why do the best brands plan while someone else is selling?

Find all episodes featuring Brian Rosen at themaffeodrinkspodcast.com.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

Tarquin Leadbetter, founder of Southwestern Distillery, the distillery behind Tarquin's Gin, Twin Fin Rum, Connie Glaze Vodka and Tinner Bros Whisky.

"In 2017, we won world's best gin at San Francisco World Spirits Competition, which gave us the confidence to step things up a bit."

00:43 What Is Tarquin's Gin And Why Cornwall?
01:48 How Do You Go From A Kitchen Recipe To A Commercial Distillery?
07:00 Why Win Your Home Turf Before You Sell Anywhere Else?
12:15 Is Chasing The Top 50 Bars Worth It For A New Brand?
16:54 Independent Or Managed On-Trade: Which Builds The Sturdier Base?
25:53 How Do You Take A Regional Gin National?
30:08 Is One Case In One Bar Really Better Than Six Bottles In Six Bars?
36:22 Why Bootstrap A Spirits Brand For Thirteen Years Before Raising Money?
40:46 What Does Crowdfunding Change About How You Run The Company?
44:21 Why Stay UK-Focused Instead Of Chasing Export At The First Obstacle?
48:04 What Are The Early Signals From Entering The US Market?
48:58 How Did Product Quality Build The Number One Super-Premium Gin In The UK?
54:28 How Does Digital Marketing Fund Bottom-Up Growth?
59:40 Why Do Regional Brands Have An Edge Over London-Centric Ones?

Find all episodes featuring Tarquin Leadbetter at maffeodrinks.com.

Bottom up.

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.