


Taliera Rolls Out Beach Whiskey & American Harvest To National Distribution
Two brands, less than 12 months from launch, national distribution and 100s of national account placements…

Beach Whiskeyâ„¢ Invites You To Your Place In The Sunâ„¢
I’m very excited to announce our new brand – Beach Whiskey. More to come…
Cheers, Smoke
BEACH WHISKEYâ„¢ INVITES YOU TO YOUR PLACE IN THE SUNâ„¢
Brand new whiskey says, “life’s a beach†in the super-premium segment
Los Angeles, CA (August 27, 2015) … The Ultimate Beach Party has begun! Beach Whiskey™, a meticulously crafted super-premium American whiskey is set to launch this fall.
“Over the last decade, the spirits industry has seen significant growth in both market size and share,†said J. Smoke Wallin, co-founder and CEO of Beach Whiskey and CEO of Taliera, a brand incubator and global sales, marketing and distribution agent. “At the same time, global fascination with American whiskeys and the explosive growth of flavors in the category means the time is right for a new brand like Beach Whiskey.â€
Beach Whiskey (SRP $27.99, 750ml) is carefully crafted in the United States from corn at partner distilleries to produce a clean and crisp base, before filtering and blending to exact specifications. The team at Beach Whiskey spent much of the past year tasting whiskeys and flavors and testing those profiles with consumers and trade experts to perfect the recipes and final product.
At launch, the Beach Whiskey portfolio includes Original (40% ABV / 80 proof), Bonfire Cinnamonâ„¢ (35% ABV / 70 proof), and Island Coconutâ„¢ (26% ABV / 52 proof).
Beach Whiskey celebrates the beach life and all that comes with it… parties, sports, relaxing, good music, and having fun. Even the packaging – an etched label on an embossed sea glass bottle – is designed to evoke the spirit of the beach life and it’s a love of the beach that brought the Beach Whiskey creators together. In addition to Wallin, founding investors of Beach Whiskey include TV and radio personality Billy Bush, and entrepreneurs Andrew McGinnis and Kenny Dichter.
Wallin, a native of Longboat Key, Florida, said while growing up he spent all his free time either at the beach or in and around the water. “Because we all love the beach, we also share the responsibility for protecting it. Beach Whiskey believes in preserving the world’s water and beaches, and by promoting the beach lifestyle, we hope to raise people’s awareness of this precious natural resource.â€
Andrew “McG†McGinnis, co-founder and SoCal native, is an avid surfer, waterman and beach volleyball player, who grew up playing beach sports and living the beach life in Santa Monica, Malibu and on Lake Tahoe. “Beach Whiskey is about combining my love of whiskey with my love of the beach,†said McGinnis. “It’s about creating a fun and delicious whiskey that can be enjoyed at a daytime beach party or by a bonfire at night.â€
Beach Whiskey will be featured at the Hospitality Executive Exchange (HEE), a gathering of food and beverage industry leaders, at the beach on Amelia Island, FL (August 29-September 2) where Bush will be giving the keynote. “I love the idea of combining fine whiskey with the beach life,†said Bush. “Beach Whiskey provides the right mix of fun with great flavors. I’m excited to be a part of this ground-breaking brand!â€
“We are absolutely thrilled to be the first conference to introduce Beach Whiskey to the Hospitality Industry, and having Billy Bush as our welcome keynote speaker is the icing on the cake,†said Jen Robinson, CEO/Duchess of The Pineapple Group LLC, which owns and manages HEE. “Beach Whiskey is definitely a brand that we want as a long-term partner, and where better to showcase it than at the beach.”
Simply delicious and smooth, Beach Whiskey cuts across traditional beverage categories and appeals not only to whiskey aficionados but also to anyone who loves a great cocktail and a fun time in the sun. “Beach Whiskey is exceptional!†said Kendall Lockwood, Indianapolis Craft Mixologist and GM of the Ball & Biscuit, who created signature cocktails for the brand. “It is wildly versatile – great straight, on the rocks or blends beautifully with a variety of flavor profiles in cocktails.â€
Michael Tolley, CCO/Beverage By Design agreed. “As a seasoned beverage trainer, bar consultant, and a drink recipe developer, there is nothing I enjoy more than a spirit in the raw! Beach Whiskey is one that can stand on its own, conceived in an era of craft, not misery. A spirit of today, for today… Beach Whiskey! I’ll have mine on the rocks.â€
Beach Whiskey will be initially available in Southern California and Florida, with a selective rollout planned in major markets during early 2016.
About Beach Whiskeyâ„¢
Beach Whiskey was founded in 2015 by entrepreneurs who are leaders in the beverage, entertainment, lifestyle and business services industries. Beach Whiskey is an American whiskey made for sun worshiping, moon chasing, fun seekers. A whiskey for the wise and the whimsical. A whiskey for those drawn to the water, the waves, who welcome a little wickedness. Beach Whiskey is about time…… your time, our time, our whiskey! Born on the beach, enjoyed everywhere. No matter where you are, our mission is to bring the beach – “your place in the sun†– to thirsty, fun-loving whiskey drinkers everywhere. Please sip and swim responsibly!
Media samples and hi-res images are available upon request.
Contact Laura Peet, PeetCom, Inc., lbptalk@aol.com, (917) 860-6285.

Evolving Drinks Brands
I recently read and shared an article in Forbes by Patrick Hanlon called, “Why Brands Must Evolve†that is so spot on that it has led to a number of interesting conversations in the past week with some of my clients and partners who own brands in beer, wine and spirits. As one who spends a lot of time thinking about new brands, as well as igniting established brands in new ways, Patrick’s thoughts really resonated with me. I don’t think there is a better industry than beverage to illustrate his points about what is going on with brands. Brand proliferation is happening across the board making “breaking through the clutter†ever more difficult. At the same time, the reason this is happening if fundamentally that there is demand for new brands. As I wrote in “RE: Is Craft Beer In A Bubbleâ€, there is a big and growing market for new brands in beer, but also in wine and spirits. Not everyone will succeed and in fact many new brands will fail. To the big brand manager, the fundamental challenge has also never been so big – how do you keep a loyal following when your following gets gigantic. I think about an Iconic brand like Patron Tequila. I was a distributor for Patron as it passed between different sales companies and was a very difficult sell. Five years from the time it launched, Patron was doing about 55,000 cases. Now that is a nice little brand, but nothing would have screamed, “This brand is on fire!†Then, it did catch on fire and became the very symbol of luxury. Check out Patron case sales for the first 10 years:
Patron is an amazing brand and continues to outsell all of the other super premium tequilas (and frankly all other spirits brands at $40/750ml bottle and higher). They have a huge and loyal following. However, as brand manager for Patron today, the things one has to do to market the brand are quite different than in the early years. How does one keep the “cool†factor going when you are the largest brand in your category. There are dozens of new entrants who are going after their market and have the advantage of being smaller (think Avion, Casamigos, Don Julio) and bringing a new “cool†factor to the market. Clearly there are many that succeed at this but being true to your brand and your audience while changing things up can be quite difficult. Absolut Vodka was THE luxury brand of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was the “it†brand among the “it†crowd.
Pernod Ricard paid over $8 billion to acquire the brand a few years back. How does Pernod now manage a giant brand that was formerly the top luxury vodka in a market with such massive proliferation of brands that the high-end vodka category has experienced. I’m told there are 800 vodkas in the Beverage Media New York book. Pernod recently announced a new bottle. Absolut is one of those brands that defined itself by its bottle.  Changing the bottle is a big move even in subtle ways. Adding the big A is a pretty big move. Large companies don’t usually make big moves, but staying relevant in a crowded market sometimes requires big moves.    Pepsico made an even bigger move a few years back with their Gatorade brand. I thought at the time, it was fairly risky, but it appears to have paid off (does anyone know details?).
Patrick’s article certainly cites a number of great examples of big brands that have managed to evolve over time and keep or even build on their past successes. “…the challenge for brands has evolved from creating awareness to creating meaning.†How do you keep creating meaning at scale like Nike, Apple and Disney have successfully done.  They each connect to their consumers and continually create meaning.
The wine market has evolved so dramatically, that I have to look up many of the brands on the grocery shelf today and I have been involved in selling $100s of millions of wine over the years. Why? New brand proliferation to attract the millennial consumers.
Take a look at the top 10 domestic “Hot Brands†put out by Marvin Shanken’s Impact Databank:
- Barefoot
- Black Box
- Bota Box
- Liberty Creek
- Boggle
- Apothic
- 14 hands
- Barefoot Refresh
- Gnarly Head
- Meiomi
Four of these are Gallo Brands, but none say Gallo. All have interesting, contemporary labels. To succeed in this hyper-competitive market, every brand must have a number of things. Great branding is vital, without it your brand is lost and has no chance. Great liquid that fits the taste of your target market is key, without it they won’t buy a second time. Distribution is essential, a brand cannot become relevant if consumers can’t find it. But how does a brand build a real following of consumers who care? That is, how do we create meaning? That is the question every new brand team needs to answer.
To quote Patrick again: “We want the added value of believing in something. The added value of belonging to something: being a part of something that hard-wires us to a larger community of “people like meâ€â€
Seth Godin in his fantastic book “Tribes†articulates this concept well.
“Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so.†Brands have to figure out how to reach their tribes and how to engage with them. Notice, I did not say create their tribes. This is an important distinction. I believe tribes are discovered not created. Brands who overtly try to create one typically struggle. If a following is not organic, today’s savvy consumers sense it.  I think brands can make themselves relevant and worthy of a following and then as that following begins to show signs of life can play a role in fostering and accelerating it.
I’d love to hear your stories of brands you think are doing this right.
Cheers,
Smoke

SUGAR SKULL RUM INVITES YOU TO LIVE… LOVE… AND CELEBRATE!
Hi I wanted to share that Sugar Skull Rum is now available in select markets through my company Taliera. Here is the Sugar Skull announcement..
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUGAR SKULL RUM INVITES YOU TO LIVE… LOVE… AND CELEBRATE!
Brand new Rum sets sights on super-premium segment
Scottsdale, Arizona (October 6, 2014) … Cocktail lovers, it’s time to raise a glass! Sugar Skull Rum, a meticulously-crafted super-premium Rum made from fine Caribbean sugar cane molasses, is coming to a celebration near you.
“The premium and super-premium spirits categories have been growing consistently for most of the past two decades, outpacing the spirits market in general,†said J. Smoke Wallin, CEO, Taliera, LLC, exclusive global sales, marketing and distribution agent for Sugar Skull Rum. “Despite its size, the Rum category has yet to produce a break-out brand in the $25-30 price category. Sugar Skull Rum will be that brand.â€
Sugar Skull Rum (SRP $27.99, 750ml) is an artisan Rum, made from the very best sugar cane molasses carefully sourced from growers’ farms throughout the Caribbean and South America. Our Rum is produced at partner distilleries in the Caribbean Islands, who use four-column stills to produce a clean and crisp base Rum, before it is brought into the U.S., where it is filtered, blended and flavored with natural ingredients to produce Sugar Skull’s unique taste.
Simply delicious and endlessly versatile, Sugar Skull Rum cuts across traditional product categories and will appeal to anyone who loves a great cocktail and a fun time. “It is a true crossover spirit that can be enjoyed straight, on the rocks or mixed in a number of innovative and traditional cocktails,†says Wallin.
At launch, the Sugar Skull Rum portfolio includes Tribal Original, Mystic Vanilla, Native Coconut, Madagascar Wild Berry and Hellfire Cinnamon flavors.
The brand’s distinctive name and packaging honor the Dia de los Muertos. Often mis-understood as a slightly morbid relative of Halloween, the ‘Day of the Dead’ is a convergence of European Catholic and ancient Aztec traditions that celebrate those who have left this world but mean so much to the people they touched.
“Sugar Skull Rum was founded on the principle that life should be celebrated and is at its best when we celebrate those who are important to us,†said Wallin. “We like being a part of what – and who – people love, so if there is a great time to be had, Sugar Skull Rum will be there. Join us!â€
Sugar Skull Rum is initially available in Arizona, California, Nevada and Florida, with a selective rollout planned in additional major markets in early 2015.
About Taliera, LLC.
Taliera was founded in 2006 by beverage industry leader J. Smoke Wallin to incubate, acquire, and grow new and existing brands by combining core brand building expertise, relationships and capabilities with leading edge technologies and innovative business approaches. Taliera is the exclusive global sales, marketing and distribution agent for Sugar Skull Rum.
Sugar Skull Rum created by a group of serial entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers who dared to ask the question: “If not us, then who?†and “If not now, when?â€
J. Smoke Wallin heads this team of leaders in the ice cream, beverage, sports, entertainment and hospitality industries, who have combined their expertise to create one of the finest super premium spirits to hit the back bar.
Sugar Skull is a celebration of life. It is the life we live, the lives we touch and those that have touched us. We celebrate them all. Live. Love. Celebrate. How do you celebrate? Sugar Skull Rum.
Media samples and hi-res images are available upon request.
Contact Laura Peet, PeetCom, Inc., lbptalk@aol.com, (917) 860-6285.

10th Annual Wine & Beer Industry Technology Symposium to Unite Thought Leaders at Strategic Summit for Wine and Beer Brands
I’m very pleased to announce the initial keynote lineup at this Summer’s WITS and BITS – please see below and registration is now open for the combined event here – Smoke
10th Annual Wine & Beer Industry Technology Symposium to Unite Thought Leaders at Strategic Summit for Wine and Beer Brands
Hot Tech Topics to include Innovation, Breakthrough Marketing,
Keg Supply Chain Evolution, Data Security Breach, Internet Impact
(NAPA, Calif.) — Wine Industry Technology Symposium (WITS) in collaboration with Beer Industry Technology Symposium (BITS) has announced the Keynote Speakers for the 10th annual event set for June 30 – July 1, 2014 in Napa, California. An action packed series of keynotes will cover a wide range of topics affecting the wine and craft beer industries including: mobile e-commerce, data breach and security, breakthrough marketing, supply chain innovation, leading edge hospitality systems, new on-premise kegs and product tracking. Panels of leading restaurant and grocery operators will also provide valuable insight as they discuss their first-hand experience with wine and beer consumers.
“Every year we have worked hard to up the ante in terms of the quality of keynote speakers and breakout sessions. This year, our board has truly taken the program to a new level for the 10th annual WITS event,†said J. Smoke Wallin, founder and co-chairman of WITS and BITS. “Our new high-impact, rapid fire keynote addresses allow us to pack significantly more content into the event with the sole purpose of creating thought-provoking discussions that will deliver immediate take home value to all of our winery and craft brewery attendees.â€
“Upon reflection over the past ten years, and considering the vast evolution of technology in the wine, and now beer, industries, I am very pleased with the dynamic program we have set for 2014. I look forward to welcoming both wine and beer industry leaders, as well as many of today’s leading technology innovators, to our 10th Annual event,†added Lesley Berglund, co-chairman of WITS & BITS and co-founder and chairman of the Wine Industry Sales Education (WISE) Academy.
The Initial Keynote Lineup Includes:
- “Ben Franklin: America’s 1st CMO Would Still Be A Pro in 2014â€
o  Drew Neisser, CEO and Founder of Renegade
- “ROI of Digital Marketing: Myths, Facts & Measurement”
- Karena Breslin, Vice President of Digital Marketing at Constellation Brands Inc.
- “Engaging The Connected Consumers In The Era of Mobile + Digital”
o  Tim Schulz, Google Strategic Partnership Lead
- “Confronting the Inevitable? Data Breach Offense, Defense and Playbook†– Panel
o  John Nicholson, Strategic Negotiator – Strategic Global Sourcing, INFOSYS
o  Gal Shpantzer, Contributing Analyst, Securosis
o  Tom Resau, VP W2 Communications
- “Breakthrough Marketing – Case Studies on Digital Marketingâ€
o  Terry Wheatley, Founder, Canopy Management & Wine Sisterhood
- “Trending Now: Progressive Tech Trends for Enterprising Businessesâ€
o  Sandy Tungare, Founder & CEO Vistaar
- “If Digital Marketing had a Crystal Ballâ€
o  Aliza Sherman, MediaEgg
- “Tech Trends: Predicting Future Technology and ROI by distinguishing between Fads and Trendsâ€
o  Rob Grimes, Founder, CEO and Chairman, Constratech
- “The Internet of Things and the Nexus of Forcesâ€
o  Joseph Farrugia, Domain Lead, Partner, Oracle Enterprise Applications and BI, Gartner Group
- “Applying Technology Innovation to Revolutionize Old School Industriesâ€
o  Steve Hershberger, CEO, SteadyServ Technologies, Brewery Founder, Social Media Founder
- “Grocery And On-Premise Innovators On Technological Transformationsâ€
o  Randall Friedman, Restaurant & Food Group Publisher
o  Eduardo Dingler, Corporate Beverage Director, Morimoto Restaurants
Early bird pricing to attend WITS ends May 30, 2014. Attendees can register at www.wineindustrytechnologysymposium.com and at www.beertechnologysymposium.com beginning May 1.
About WITS:
The Wine Industry Technology Symposium® (WITS) is the focal point for thought leadership in the strategic and tactical use of technology in the global wine industry. WITS was created in 2005 by a group of wine industry and technology professionals to advance innovation and to address the unique information technology and services needs of the wine industry. The 10th annual WITS is June 30 & July 1 in Napa, CA. This year, the newly formed Beer Industry Technology Symposium (BITS) will be held in conjunction with WITS. To learn more, join WITS on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
About BITS:
The Beer Industry Technology Symposium™ (BITS™) was created to address the unique information technology and services needs of the Beer industry. BITS is dedicated to bringing the world’s leading breweries, distributors and retailers together with the leading technology experts to foster learning and discussion. Expert panels and keynotes discuss leading edge case studies involving consumer direct marketing and sales, operations, financial management, trade sales and distribution, brewing and input management. Join BITS on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
For more information, contact Kathy Archer of the Wine Industry Symposium Group at 707-261-8719 or kathy@winesymposium.com. For sponsorship and registration, contact Waunice Orchid of the Wine Industry Symposium Group at 707-261-8716 or waunice@winesymposium.com.

Vanderbilt Business: How I Did It
Note: This is the first in a series that Vanderbilt Business (the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University) is doing on Alumni to share their stories.  Interestingly, I have subsequently left Lipman Brands and sold the majority of my interests in Napa Smith Brewery. So it is already a little out of date in terms of what I do (the first question), however, the rest of the Q&A is not.  That’s why the title is a little bit off.. I’m not done doing what I’m going to do (stay tuned). I hope to encourage and inspire those who aspire to achieve their success in any way I can. Hopefully this interview gives a bit of insight to some and is encouraging if you need it. Kind Regards, Smoke
LINK:
COPY OF INTERVIEW:
Q. What do you do?
I turn ideas into actionable things. Whether working on community issues, industry issues or business ideas, time and time again, I tackle a challenge by manifesting something that was not before.
J. Smoke Wallin
Wallin
In recent years, I have been looking for ways to acquire or create new brand businesses in the beer, wine and spirits space. This pursuit has taken many a twist and turn, and the process has not always been pretty. Today I run several businesses.
I am president and CEO of the Napa Smith Brewery and Winery in Napa, Calif. I acquired the brewery in late 2010 with some partners. We sell in 10 states and Sweden, the U.K. and Hong Kong.
I serve as managing director of Lipman Brands, a brand marketing and sales company. My task has been to build out the infrastructure (systems, process and people) for Lipman Brands to be a national selling organization.
I am chairman, CEO and founder of eSkye Solutions, a technology dot-com I started with a number of Owen alumni back in 1999. Though we have changed our business model a number of times, acquired numerous companies and sold our winery software division in 2007, we continue to build our national account pricing business with large retailers and brands.
And through my holding company, I am still engaged in various consulting projects for new brands, existing businesses and startups. This is a minor part of my job, but it keeps me in touch with new ideas, people and opportunities.
Q. What’s your educational background?
I started as an engineer at Cornell, then was in the hotel management school and then settled on agricultural economics (Cornell’s undergraduate business program). It turns out my time in hospitality management and the agricultural economics department—with a huge emphasis on the grocery and consumer packaged goods industries—gave me a great initial preparation for the beverage industry. At Owen I had a triple concentration in finance, marketing and operations. My view was I wanted to be a general manager/entrepreneur so I needed to learn about all those areas.
Q. What was your first job?
My first job out of Cornell was with Seagram in their management training program. After a summer at Seagram, I had the opportunity to join them full time or join their distributor, National Wine and Spirits. I joined NWS when it was doing $150 million annually. When I left 14 years later, we were a $1 billion operation.
Q. Tell us about your consulting and brand work.
With eSkye, we were doing business with beer, wine and spirits companies all over the world. At one point we had over 250 wineries making or selling their wine using our software. I ended up advising many clients on not just their technology but also on their distribution and business strategy.
I got a bit frustrated with trying to get an old, sleepy and successful industry to be creative in their business strategy. This inevitably led me to want to own my own brands so I could demonstrate my ideas in real life. Starting a new business takes a level of commitment that has to overcome huge obstacles. To make such a commitment, one has to be fairly passionate about whatever it is one does. I have been passionate about the brands business for some time now.
Q. What would you say was your big break or opportunity?
Growing up with a mom who was (and is) very independent-minded, hard-working and stubborn. Becoming a wrestler in high school and later at Cornell. No sport teaches better discipline and self-reliance. Select coaches, teachers and mentors along the way who saw potential in a kid with big ideas and no wallet.
Q. What was—or has been—your biggest challenge?
Overcoming financial distress when either markets or circumstances have gone against me at select moments. …The good news is, if you can get through those times and never forget them, it makes for a wiser, more humble perspective. This is something I think I was meant to learn.
Q. What was—or has been—your greatest thrill (or accomplishment if you’d prefer to answer that)?
Biggest thrills: Closing on a $110 million bond deal for NWS as CFO, closing on a $60 million equity deal for eSkye as CEO and acquiring the Napa Smith Brewery. Also a handful of sales closes over the years that were big enough to materially impact that particular business.
Biggest accomplishments: I would say seeing some of the people I hired, believed in and worked with go on to be very successful in their own right. That includes some Owen grads and many others along the way.
Q. If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?
I’ll give two:
Don’t let fear prevent you from pursing your dreams. Nothing great was ever accomplished by someone who simply thought great things. It only happens in doing.
Enjoy the journey. I spent a lot of energy focusing on outcomes: raising money, IPOs, deals and sale closes. Those are important, but enjoying the process of getting there, each and every day, needs to be constantly remembered. This is where we spend most of our time and if that is so, how do you want to remember most of your time?
Easier said than done, but you asked for advice.