Crafting Excellence: Espanita Tequila's Artisanal Journey and Strategic Growth

I’m always happy to try new spirits, and my latest discovery is Espanita Tequila, a brand I recently supported through their crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder. My investment decision was simple after trying the reposado.

Founded by Marina Wilson, Espanita's path is deeply rooted in tradition. The company prides itself on using artisanal methods, including the selection of the finest agave and following time-honored distillation practices. Wilson's journey underscores the significance of harmonizing traditional tequila craftsmanship with contemporary tastes. Her dedication to authenticity and superior quality has not only etched Espanita Tequila's place as a notable name in the bustling spirits market but also stands as a strong endorsement for independent tequila artisans.

Espanita's commitment to quality is reflected in its impressive tally of 23 Gold and Platinum Medals, underscoring the spirit's excellence. Distributed across 21 states, Espanita has made significant strides in market penetration, with plans to broaden its reach further. The launch of products like the Double Barrel Espanita Reposado and a new line of fruit-infused tequilas demonstrates the brand's inventive spirit. These product expansions are aligned with the brand's vision to stay ahead of industry trends and meet the evolving preferences of tequila aficionados.

Espanita Tequila is a testament to what can be achieved when passion meets tradition, and innovation meets business savvy. It's a brand that not only offers a great drinking experience but also an inspiring success story in the world of craft spirits. For more information check out their website!

2023 Whiskey Trends

Was reading through Men’s Journal and their picks for 2023 releases. Check out the great list and recommendations, but it made me think about the craft distiller future. With so many new providers coming onto the scene, with a variety of ages, barreling techniques, and scrappy ways to get visibility, are we going to see a major decline in the big barrel houses? What do you think?

Diplôme Gin: Vive La Difference! World War II French gin recipe coming to a bar near you

One aspect of Instagram that I love is the broad exposure to unknown people, places and things, and in my case, the world of spirits, (aka liquor). You can see pictures of crafting and cocktail mixing and, of course, people enjoying the finished product. One particular spirit that recently caught my attention was Diplôme gin. The beautiful and simple imagery on their Instagram feed evoked purity, quality and strong craftsmanship and this prompted me to learn more about the product and the company.  

I did some research and what a story I discovered! Since Memorial Day was coming up, I decided to reach out and have a Spirited Conversation Q&A with founder Edouard Betegnie.

Q. How did you get involved with Diplôme?

A. Several years ago, I was working a typical office job and decided I needed a change. I've always thought about owning my own business. I looked at a few options, and decided that the spirit/liquor industry was the way to go.   In France it’s not too complicated to start up this type of business so, along with an associate who had some background in this industry, I went for it.

The gin was made for the US Army under no brand name. I did some research to decide what direction to take in terms of the spirit I would choose. I found out that the family behind the gin recipe made it for American GIs stationed in Europe during World War II. Since glass was not available during wartime, they put the alcohol in Jerry (gasoline) cans that were couriered to different solider encampments.

The family kept producing the gin only for American military personnel, from 1945 until 1966 until the French President at the time, Charles DeGaulle, asked the American military personnel to leave France after France withdrew from NATO.  I thought this was the perfect story and product to go to market with. I bought the recipe in 2011, named it Diplôme and in 2012, I launched the business.

Q. What challenges did you face not having experience in this business?

A. I did not know anything except that I enjoyed drinking gin. I had to educate myself quickly and, lucky for me, the family taught me so much about how they got the recipe just right, the crafting process, etc. I also learned that educating the customer about gin; it's the style, complexity, etc. is very involved.  This only added to my appreciation and passion for what I was building.

Q. Talk about the crafting process – what is unique about Diplôme?

A. I want to be authentic to the recipe and the gin is made with no changes. The family distilled the product in Dijon because that region of France is known for it’s cuisine and rich abundance of ingredients – the botanicals, of which Diplôme has eight - that grows here. I had the grandfather walk me through every step of the process to ensure that I did not deviate in any way from the original process and ingredients.  In my opinion, Diplôme stands out in quality and structure among London Dry Gins. And the formula and resulting product is the same all over the world – no alterations whatsoever.

Q. How are you building your brand?

A. In 2012, we had positive customer feedback and started growing fast in France.   We wanted to get more exposure in additional European markets. We, of course, did not have a large marketing budget; we had to meet with distributors to create a more personal connection to get our products on shelves. The UK market was a challenge, of course, because we were so small amongst a saturated space.  The quality of our product, and a bit of luck, quickly resulted in a huge following in Portugal, Spain, even as far as Japan.

Today Belgium is our #1 market. Most exciting is our US launch this past February; our distributing partner is Heavenly Spirits. Mostly East Coast like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and starting to branch out to Illinois and California in the Fall.  We plan to use our highly-successful European model; working with independent stores and connecting with gin enthusiasts and bartenders. We have definitely learned over the last four years what we need to do to test-market and be ready to scale operations.

Q. If there was one person you would most want to share a Diplôme gin cocktail with who would it be and why?

A. With you! I really appreciate you reaching out and helping share our story. We are very excited to see our business grow and I'm glad to connect with people like yourself to spread the word of a world class product like Diplôme gin.

Visit: www.diplome-gin.com 

Follow:  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Tasting notes

Purchase (US) 

Results - 2016 San Francisco Spirits Competition

The 2016 San Francisco Spirits award winners are in! Here are the results:
 

The Director's Award of Excellence went to Four Roses Distillery of Kentucky, U.S.A. The award recognizes Jim Rutledge’s final creations as Four Roses' master distiller, especially for his 2015 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon, which our judges named 2016’s Best Bourbon.

A few notables on the bourbon side:

2BAR – Washington based bourbon maker took a silver medal

291 – Another entry from Colorado took the double gold medal.

Bearded Lady – From Indiana took double gold (Australian import).

And of course the usual suspects brought home gold – Buffalo Trace, Knob Creek, and even Hillrock had a showing with their Solera aged product which is quite nice and part of my collection incidentally.

Congratulations to all winners. Click here for a complete list of winners across all spirit categories

2015: Record Year for Spirits Industry

If anyone had doubts about the seemingly bottomless spirits popularity (and pricing – especially bourbons) the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States released their 2015 report on the subject. Highlights:

• $72B US Sales
• Sales up 4.1% and volumes up 2.3%
• The sixth straight year of increased market share
• Luxury bourbons among highestgrowth – in fact growth occurred in every whiskey category with revenues rising 8%

So if any newbie collectors were hoping that prices would bottom out a bit – no such luck. The global taste and interest in spirits both to enjoy and collect continues. We probably won’t see any signs of slowdown for a long time to come.

Click here for full briefing