Hey guys,
Well, I’m finally able to say that I’m launching my first product line in March, Celtic Honour. It’ll be a series of blended bourbons I've sourced in small batches from distillers throughout Appalachia. The plan is to work the NC ABC and prove concept for a phase two scale that will include a tasting room and wider distribution.
First I wanna say this is the coolest damn community I have ever been blessed to be a part of. There's been so many of you that have been supportive and helpful, I can't even begin to pay you back. Although I know it'll be a while before I can offer anything in the way of substantial value, I promise to give back to this community when I'm able. What I would love to ask in the interim is for some guidance on a few aspects.
First off, going into this thing as an NDP - although I have set plans to create my own juice ASAP - I want to be respected in this industry from day one. So I want to have each batch analyzed for flavor profile. I would love to get your thoughts on what would be better for the consumer. Should I get feedback from respected tasters in the community or go all out with chemical analysis? Either way, it wouldn’t be for marketing fluff, I truly want to let people to know I’ve gone the extra mile to give transparency and authenticity.
Second, I would love to put the feelers out that I'm looking throughout Appalachia for distillers willing to part with some barrels of aged product, hopefully without a huge MOQ. I've already sourced what I need for batch #1 but this will be an ongoing project and ideally I would like to ultimately have all areas of the region represented (TN, KY, VA, WVA, NC, SC, GA you get it). Thanks in advance for any guidance. Respect all around.