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The Complete Whiskey Course clocked as #2 as one of the Best Whiskey Books of all Time!
Whiskey Classes at Astor Center NYC are back!
The Story of Whiskey! Whiskey Events, Live and Virtual
The Bard of Brands: Narrative Creation, sales/marketing consulting
Spirit-Gnosis: Sales Training and Spirits Mastery
Contact me for a free consulation: 201-263-1141
Welcome. A few years ago, it became evident that the transformation of the whiskey industry, and spirits as a whole, would occur via the burgeoning craft distilling movement. Today, we see the transformation has begun and the small, craft-spirit movement is creating an impact on all the tiers of production, distribution and consumption. It has overflowed out of the United States and has increased spirits production in countries on practically every continent. It may well define how we think about spirits for at least the next generation.
Why I started this company:
For the small brand: First to create a narrative that elevates their position by exposing their unique ethos to grow market share; then, to activate it at all 3 levels of the supply chain so that it can compete and endure.
For the small sales organization, training them in hand-sell techniques to elevate their game in the competitive world of spirits and turn them into trusted advisors, consultants, not product pushers;
for consumers, to bring them the fun and knowledge of the whiskey and spirits industry without the market blather;
with 3 objectives in mind, Its what I call a
"Unified Vision of Knowledge":
The Bard of Brands
to serve the needs of the small production spirit brand, whether distillery, blender or merchant bottler, faced with the next step in market growth. From narrative creation that connects sales strategy and execution, to activation techniques on the street, I will collaborate with you to create a systematic approach that creates a unique experience for your brand that results in sales. My goal is to be your partner in the struggle and evolution of your growth.
““The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.
The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.” ”
Spirit-Gnosis and Build a Better Brand Ambassador
is dedicated to creating a culture of knowledge and service in sales organizations with training in all spirit categories; then a full-tilt sales methodolgy training, including story telling, closing methodology, negotiation, time management and more. I teach sales people to be Ambassadors and I turn Brand Ambassadors into the most important person you'll ever hire
I reform the product pushers by turning them into trusted consultants.
Whiskey-Tainment!
Starting in 2017, continued in 2018 through 2019: The Story of Whisk(e)y!
Billed as "60 minutes of bad stand-up comedy punctuated by drinking", The Story of Whiskey has played packed rooms at whiskey events around the US: WhiskeyLive to Whiskies of the World, from Minneapolis to Houston to Chicago. It was utilized as staff trainings for bar programs and bartender training for the United States Bar Guild (USBG) in Miami, San Francisco and New York.
Book the Story of Whiskey online: Click here
Spirits Judging
I’m honored to serve as a spirits judge for these prestigious awards committees. Each one gets my respect for the care they take in ensuring that fairness to the individual brands who enter the competition is what guides their mission.
August, 2018: Plovdiv, Bulgaria I had the privilege of being a spirits judge for the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Spirits Selection (The United Nations of Free Spirits) in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Seventy-three judges from 23 nationalities tasting over 1300 spirits from around the world. A great experience and a well organized and fair competition. A few thoughts (click on each link):
Thoughts on the competition (and on competitions in general)
August, 2019: Lvliang, China. The competition headed to Lvliang in Xanshi Province for 5 days of spirits judging: over 1500 spirits by 102 judges from 30 countries. While there, we toured the largest distillery in the world, the epicenter of Light Aroma baijiu in Fenjiu City: covering 1.58 million square meters. It produces over 100,000 tons of baijiu per year:
October, 2021: Spirits Selection continued in 2021 with a limited judging in Brussels Belgium toward the end of the Covid lockdowns
June, 2022: In 2022, 121 judges from 31 countries arrived on the island of Guadaloupe in the Antilles to judge 2030 spirits. I was privileged to be among them and the sole representative of the United States.
John Barleycorn Awards
An elite team of authoritative and influential spirits journalists was selected to administer the flagship component of the Awards, a blind tasting competition destined to become the preeminent arbitrator of spirits taste, quality and character.
American Craft Spirits Association is the trade group representing over 2000 independent craft spirits producers in the United States. Their 2024 Spirits Competition takes place from Oct 7 - 9 in Washington, DC. To have your spirits evaluated by a team of professionals, follow the link: www.americancraftspirits.org
Interested in furthering our conversation? Drop me a line!
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