Ep. 53: The World of Spirits with Jack Espy

Welcome back to another episode of The Everyday Wine Aficionado Podcast! Today, we are delving into the world of spirits with Jack Espy!

Jack Espy. Born in Denver, Colorado, and raised in Santa Barbara, Jack currently splits his time between Nashville and NYC.  He has a real estate finance background, but amidst a global pandemic, a few too many homemade quarantine cocktails became sticky - literally! - situation. He came out of quarantine with an idea inspired by many nights concocting honey-based drinks for “Hive,” and embarked on a new career as the founder of Spirited Hive. Sparked by a desire to not return to the world of finance, Jack poured his energy and life savings into creating a new line of canned cocktails, all sweetened with a bit of honey.

Let’s dive into his story!

[00:33 - 07:33] Spirited Hive Founder Shares Tips for Crafting Unique Spirits

• Spirited Hive was created as a way to use higher-quality spirits and organic sweeteners, and Jack differentiated his brand by focusing on friends and creating drinks for friends.
• Spirited Hive currently offers vodka, cranberry lime, ginger tequila, watermelon, blueberry lemon, and grapefruit ginger.

[07:33 - 15:28] Hive Spirits Makes a Mark in Nashville

• Hive uses high-quality spirits, honey, and other ingredients to create unique cocktails.
• The brand has faced challenges in getting its products into stores due to the competitive nature of the industry.
• To overcome these challenges, Hive has developed strong relationships with retailers.

[15:29 - 22:20]  Spirited Hive's top seller

• The natural soccer club is a brand that specializes in creating and selling alcoholic drinks inspired by soccer.
• The first product released was a vodka infused with cranberry, lime, honey, and natural flavor.
• Since then, the company has released other alcoholic drinks including tequila ginger, bourbon ginger, and honeydew ginger.
• All products are 7% alcohol by volume.

[22:20 - 29:09] Hive Craft Cocktails: Nashville's Best-Kept Secret

• Hive Craft Cocktails come in four flavors: bourbon, rosemary, gin, and vodka.
• The Nashville market was targeted because people there are already familiar with high-quality spirits and are willing to spend more money on them.
• Be sure to have a good brand story and target a demographic that is interested in your product.

[29:10 – 33:29] Closing Segment

• Learn everything you need to grow your wine, business, or brand with Wine Business Bootcamp where I help other wine producers master the fundamentals of digital marketing, nail their customer experience, and convert more wine tasters into their wine clubs and other offers. Just send me a dm or email at [email protected] the subject: Wine Business Bootcamp
• Favorite Cocktail
• • Mexican Meal
• Favorite go-to pairing
• • Merlot and Rib-eye
• Wine Resource
• • Can Cocktails
  • Reserve Bar

Connect with Jack Espy

Instagram: @spiritedhive

Website: www.spiritedhive.com

Let’s continue the Everyday Wine Conversations and connect with me through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. You can also check out my website at ​www.​klevywineco.com.

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Tweetable Quotes:

"I always go back to the sense that this drink and this whole brand was built with friends and for friends." - Jack Espy