In short: the market is regulated by supply and demand.
And although I value the free market so much, I still don't like the absurd ways the spirits world takes on when a category becomes hyped. The price developments for whisky over the last ten years have been so exaggerated that many lovers like me have been looking for an alternative.
When rum started to gain more popularity, rum simply went completely crazy and thought it could top the madness of the price increases in the whisky world.
It makes me sick to see how the prices are escalating at the expense of connoisseurs and lovers!
One of the problems in our market situation is large corporations whose management pulls the levers without passion and without foresight. The main thing is to get the maximum out of it now and collect a decent bonus.
That what is being done today may cause damage to the category and is not sustainable in the long term (see the constant ups and downs of the individual spirits categories) They don't care! When they're done with whisky, they'll just sell toothpaste...
As someone who has dedicated his life to enjoyment and the world of spirits, I am infuriated by this short-term, greedy way of thinking.
I'm interested in more than just supplying consumers with stuff. I want to create a culture of enjoyment, do my part to raise awareness of high-quality spirits and promote enjoyment. And all these air pumps are just pissing in my garden.
Because I'm here to stay. Spirits are my life. There is no plan B. Toothpaste is out of the question for me.
I am in the process of building something. My brothers are already involved in the company and I would be honored if our children wanted to follow in their parents' footsteps.
We plan with foresight for generations because we are creating a foundation for generations.
I am convinced that a good reputation and the trust that comes with it from customers are much better for the company in the long run than extracting maximum profit in the short term.
That is why, despite our small size and young age, we think and act so proactively.
As mentioned in the previous article , my goal with The Spirit Traveller is to give the great producers of this world the stage they deserve and to look at spirits in general and no longer focus on one category.
I told you that I wanted to offer you the best that each category has to offer, but I also wanted to tell you the truth. Just like I do with my YouTube videos, only in this case I wanted to tell you the truth about the price.
Our first product costs €31.90! For a high ester Jamaica rum with over 1,200 esters, at cask strength with an impressive 64.3% VOL.
I stand before you with complete confidence and tell you with a clear conscience: This is the best price/pleasure ratio on the market. Period.
A product of comparable quality costs at least twice as much these days! Why? Because people still buy it.
I say, enough of these absurd prices. I will show you with our bottlings how much fun you can really get in a glass for your money. That you don't have to spend a fortune.
Please don't get me wrong: I have also planned bottlings where the bottle will cost a lot of money. However, in relation to the content, the price will always be very good and fair. That is my promise to you.
Back to bottling:
Unfortunately, I am not officially allowed to name the two distilleries.
But I'll just write a few letters here - maybe you can do something with them and draw certain conclusions ;)
**HE & WP**
I want to offer you complete transparency, which is why I list all the information I have on the label.
I bought the rum matured. We filled it into freshly emptied red wine barrels in our warehouse in Quickborn (near Hamburg).
The barrels come from the “Hillinger” house in Austria and were filled with Zweigelt red wine. They are made of French oak.
We brought some rum to the winemaker. After the wine was emptied, we filled the barrels directly with the rum to protect the wood from oxidation.
Since the alcohol content of red wine is significantly lower than that of our rum, the substances that were dissolved out of the wood were primarily those that the rum would not have dissolved in the first place. This means that even though the barrels had already been filled with red wine for a few years, the influence of the wood is enormous, coupled with the intense notes of the fruity red wine.
In fact, the barrel influence is so strong that you need a rum with a lot of character to be able to keep up. Of course, this was no problem at all for our ester bomb.
So don't let his young age fool you: this guy has a lot to offer.
I hope you enjoy this beautiful wine and look forward to many more exciting bottlings!
Your Nicolas
Here you can get your bottle:
https://wagemut.com/products/the-spirit-traveller-no1?_pos=1&_psq=the+sp&_ss=e&_v=1.0