This is our 33rd episode of the Brain Brew Whisk(e)y Academy. This is the last show of this season. Doug and Tripp will talk about what they have learned. This podcast episode features Whiskey Maker - Doug Hall and Whiskey Drinker - Tripp Babbitt.

Show Notes

[00:00:04] Brain Brew Whisk(e)y Academy

[00:02:21] Tripp's Learnings

[00:09:50] Doug's Learning

 

 

Transcript

Tripp: [00:00:04] This is the Brain Brew Whisk(e)y Academy podcasts where we're going to take you behind the scenes on what it takes to build a whisk(e)y distillery business. The Eureka! ranch team led by Doug Hall are creating a craft whisk(e)y company. Life has never been done before.

 

Tripp: [00:00:29] This is the thirty third episode of the Brain Brew Whisk(e)y Academy and in this episode we're gonna start to take things down.

 

Tripp: [00:00:42] Stop for a while on the Brain Brew Whisk(e)y Academy and why don't you share some of the thinking that we had with regards to this Doug.

 

Doug: [00:00:50] Well a couple of things one is so we've done a whole bunch of episodes here on how to create a whisk(e)y distillery or really how to create a business of any sort. And and I just think that it's time for us to take this addition of the Brain Brew Whisk(e)y Academy and bring it to a close and reflect on what we've learned both you and I on this. And then we'll start it up again at some point. And I don't know when that is if it's in the fall or if it's next spring or what we'll find a time but we've got a good body of work out there for people to share and to be part of. And here Brain Brew whisk(e)y We're happy to help folks as they go through the journey.

 

Doug: [00:01:31] I'm getting ready to do some presentations coming up at the craft whisk(e)y conference this and that. But you know this gives us enough to bring it together to a close and then we'll start in a new direction as we do the next one because I think we're we're basically at the end of what we need at this point. And then at some point in the future you know we can bring some more in or we can get engaged. But I'd love to do is possibly in a next edition at some point would be to spend more time talking to craft distillers and helping problem solve with them is another way to do it. But we've got the foundations that are here and this is more work that people can do to start with. And so we'll let this set and then we'll start a new addition sometime in the future.

 

Tripp: [00:02:21] Okay. All right. Well I got to say I have learned a ton from listening to you talk about your whisk(e)y Academy. I mean I've learned I mean three major learnings that I've had are when we talked about the aim and I've worked with multiple organizations developing their aim and those types of things but it's never been as real as as as we've gone through the episodes and you've talked about not only you but as I've started to look at building this distillery here in Indiana. Is that.

 

Tripp: [00:02:57] You know it must be very hard for people that are employees of organizations to understand and aim because the struggle I have I'm having with well one it's changing a lot all the time the story seems to be developing and as it develops my blue card as we've talked about her my my aim or purpose gets educated I'm learning more associated with that so I kind of have a deeper appreciation not only for the clients that I have in development of a name but also the people that have to live under that aim that it really has to be a good story and it has to be something that sustains the people within the organization.

 

Doug: [00:03:44] And it really does. And you know an employees don't understand this. They're like Well just tell me what you want me to do boss. Yes the boss doesn't even know what they don't know you know. I mean you just don't know and near this new things so just like imagine if you were traveling west across the U.S. years ago you know it looks like this thing. Wait a minute. This damn mountain there. Yeah. You know we. You'll learn things because you don't know what you don't know. And as long as you consciously change it it's fine. And the best executives that I know when I've coached them they'll change their aim. Now sometimes it's tweaks and sometimes it's bigger. But a couple dozen times is pretty normal.

 

Doug: [00:04:25] And in fact in our in our software you can literally see each bed passed version and. And once they get over the fact that they the uncertainty they go wow this is kind of cool because normally they used to strategy is carved in tablets and it's wrong but it's already carved in the stone so that you're kind of stuck with it. You know you can't like hit edit you know. And so they get stuck with it but it really is it is an evolving thing and even with our Brain Brew I mean we're quite you know we're three years in now we're still adapting and changing sometimes it's new opportunities come up. We've now got this huge international opportunity we're opening up in Windsor and in Inc. Just outside London and that's totally changing us from a U.S. based to. We will have products literally before the summer so we will be selling products in Canada we'll be selling products in London.

 

Doug: [00:05:20] I mean that's nuts in the scope of the opportunity it's like adding zeros on top of it.

 

Tripp: [00:05:20] Yeah know it's good. The second thing that stood out to me and this it could be a little bit more specific than let's say an aim but was the paired comparison testing that you do and there's sort of and I might as well go ahead mentioned my third part which is that you're constantly third learning which is pushing the boundaries and basically not to have fear about that fear of failure as we've talked about quite a bit and not only the Driving Eureka! podcast but in this podcast and that I really started thinking about this whole paired comparison testing because I when you talked about it and these were some of the earlier episodes but did do think I think that shocked me was I thought that most companies that were distilleries would be doing that or even their craft brews but it's funny as I've gone out and I've talked to different breweries and even a couple of distilleries they don't do this.

 

Doug: [00:05:28] No it's insane. They don't understand why they fail. I mean even the big companies don't do it. I mean it's just ridiculous. I mean if you want to have an insurance policy run the data I mean for crying out loud it's it's it's laughable and it's incompetence you know. And of course that's not helpful to people. You know I like it. Look. How much are you going to buy. Are you going to buy billions. No I'm only going to drink maybe a bottle a month. OK. You're not good for volume. Then who's going to drink more. Let's do some data.

 

Tripp: [00:07:07] Yeah. Now I mean it seems so basic to me. I like I said I I would have thought in those industries especially that that a lot of that's been doing.

 

Tripp: [00:07:15] But you know and you're gonna hate me. But you know whether you're watching Shark Tank or something else you find people don't do these things and I thought well OK well these are young new entrepreneurs. Well not necessarily young but you know coming out and doing types of things. But I'm shocked as I've started to talk to people that their organizations just seem so fundamental it just it blows my mind.

 

Doug: [00:07:39] Okay so true story. So I you know I played I was on American inventor. I was one of the judges the first season and and I. People would come out and they'd say they had a product and then it was better I said how much better. So a lot better. I said what would happen if you have any data on this. Now. And I would drive them on data and facts and you know what's your patent on. What are your patent claims on. Oh I don't know. It's why patent this amount you can't patent an invention. What are the claims. I don't know. And finally Simon Kao who is a producer he said Doug this is boring stuff.

 

Doug: [00:08:14] Okay. Nobody cares about your numbers. Nobody cares about your patents. I go What do they want to succeed. He says Doug. That's not what this is about. This is about entertainment. Just get over it. The true story is. And it's to the talk inside it called reviews like Doug. I've got to talk to you. We need to have less of this. I need more entertainment value.

 

Tripp: [00:08:40] Well you're entertaining me. You get to that but then you also you know your engineering mindset kind of enters in.

 

Tripp: [00:08:49] But like I said I just was so shocked Doug that that this wouldn't be commonplace. I just it blew my mind. I just had no idea that that organizations wouldn't wouldn't do that. And as I dug deeper. Most don't. They just don't do whether this is beyond just the distillery business. They don't do any type of well we've got a product and we think it'll work. And you know we talked to a couple of our existing customers and well they people they're going to buy it. I mean so. So the basic question.

 

Tripp: [00:09:20] You know like you said the person who who who drinks the the whisk(e)y and if they like it then they you guys assume everybody else's and it's just oh my gosh it just was very it's been eye opening from my perspective because I just assumed people would do this naturally. I'm not in marketing and and things of that sort. And really even into innovation until I met you guys and I just I assumed some of this stuff was what's going on. Amazing amazing to me.

 

Doug: [00:09:50] Ok. So my three learnings from the past 32 episodes I'm writing this every week is number one. I always knew it was similar but I was shocked to see how much starting a distillery is the same as starting almost anything. And I've had a number of people comment to me that you know I'm not starting a distillery but I find your conversation and Tripp. I don't know what it is. I think it's because it becomes very real when you're doing it whether it's me doing it. When you're doing it this becomes very real. It loses leaves the world of theory and it becomes very practical and pragmatic and and so listening to Brain Brew Whisk(e)y Academy is really a short course in how to start a business. And those three episodes we did on the three things I mean I really priceless. I mean really the reaction to them has been amazing. Well we kind of compressed it down. Just recently.

 

Tripp: [00:10:53] Yeah. Now I agree I think every business hat probably. And again I work most of my life with businesses that have been existing so this is this is all relatively new to me as far as starting something. So I think every business has their crap if you will that they have to go through in order to get set up. I am just shocked at how much legal aid does distillery with licenses.

 

Doug: [00:11:23] I think one of my first episodes said Patience patience. If you don't have patients forget it. This is not an industry. Yeah. I mean let's be honest. Okay. I mean alcohol is a poison by the government and not only the government the states were given it. So it's a cash cow for them. So a lot of issues with a lot of hands in it.

 

Tripp: [00:11:45] A lot of you know different types of. Well like I said there's a lot of moving parts as it. Let's put it that way. Every step I've gone to this point since we did those episodes has not panned out quite the way I expected it and I think maybe one of the mindset you have to have almost as you know not having a mindset just kind of being open to you know what you're gonna want you're going to uncover every time you kick over a rock.

 

Doug: [00:12:11] And every industry is the same.

 

Tripp: [00:12:12] Yeah. Yeah.

 

Doug: [00:12:13] I mean every item they've got their own junk just like you say. No. Second thing I might say is that that what came out of this episode I found myself over and over and part of it is because it is a legend in law industry fog and bog.

 

Doug: [00:12:26] They talk about over in Scotland you know the pee till the the peat moss and you know the river spray and you know the charm and all the rest of the stuff. But if you want to make money in this industry which sadly most craft people are not making money math it's fundamental for success and on to your business whether it's research math as we just talked or it's pricing math. Right now I'm dealing with some stuff with the state of Ohio as we're doing our pricing and you know you look at prices and you see them. And in Ohio they get set by the state. And looking at competitive products one of the things I find is that there is no rhyme or reason to the prices of products on the shelf. Okay this craft products that are at stupid prices that make no sense that make no sense relative to where it is.

 

Tripp: [00:13:21] Are they too high or are they.

 

Doug: [00:13:22] Way too high. Oh wait. Look I just way beyond any reasonableness ASSOC. And I understand that you're the cool kid but man this cool kid and then this stupid kid.

 

Doug: [00:13:33] Some of these things are just inane at the same time the pressure the you know the big companies the Japanese the English you know that these companies that their own like 80 percent of the Bourbon in America their pricing ability to drive down price is amazing and some of the costs that they charged for things when you truly look at the price relative to the product you go Damn damn this song that thing cheap. Knowing the cost of what it is and they've just got the efficiencies and the scale to be able to do it. So you got to get into this math and and you gotta gotta figure it out and the math is a continuous thing I probably spent every week I probably spend probably 20 percent to 20 20 to 30 percent of my time working on math and the guys that work in the distillery for me were sitting there having a conversation about a central product and next thing you know the phone comes up and they're going click click click through the math to figure out well if it's at this proof in this barrel and this yield and or we're making this product and what's it gonna be for this cost. And I mean it's just it's a multi variable equation. It's not as simple as making a widget that you know you buy this and you sell this. And so you gotta be in math on this and I was surprised how much of these episodes were about math and they probably should have been more so. Starting a distillery same as well saying math is key. And the third thing called the most fun thing is for a whole lot of these episodes.

 

Doug: [00:15:11] I spent time on creating cocktails and had it was a wonderful winter Tripp. I spend time on Saturdays. And I would just start playing your art in the evening I would start playing with different crazy cocktails. And I remember in particular the Ben Franklin. That was one of my favorites. And and we'd make the cocktails and then thanks to these new amazing iPhones so you could shoot pictures pretty easily with them. After trying all this stuff it was just you know where it blurs out the background has the. And man whisk(e)y is the king of cocktails. It really is the king of cocktails because a number of them I would make them and then I take a vodka cocktail and make it with whiskey or a gin cocktail make with whisk(e)y and almost all the time with the right whisk(e)y. It just provides a depth to it provides a depth to it. It's just truly amazing.

 

Doug: [00:16:10] And in fact right now as the as the days are getting long I'm starting to move to what the Japanese love which is high balls which is an old time thing which is basically carbonated types of products which you know can be just a classic highball of just sparkling water which is really made into high art over there like a tea ceremony to making the weather whether it's a Moscow Mule with ginger beer or other things or a ginger grouse or different things. But I'm really kind of excited about playing with high balls and different sparkling long drinks big refreshing cocktails. This is what I'm working so maybe I'll post the brain site or at our Facebook page because if you want to follow along with us Instagram and Facebook are kind of our primary places as well as the website which is going to go through a total rebuild. We're rebuilding the brain brew site. Ah ah ah. The team in the UK are going to lead that because over there they can sell direct and do other things so we can't do here in the States but but follow us on Facebook or on the website and you can see more of it.

 

Tripp: [00:17:19] All right. Well I know you've changed my Friday nights Doug so.

 

Doug: [00:17:23] I know I get a picture for you actually together of the Tripp cocktail.

 

Tripp: [00:17:30] Well yeah. You know we talk about it and we will talk about it. And then you know I don't get it. All right. I don't want to try that and see what it is. And my taste has definitely progressed too because I think we've talked about it before for some reason. I do not like bourbon in mixed drinks.

 

Tripp: [00:17:47] I haven't found one I like. Let me put it that way. But I do like rye. I that there's something about rye and a mixed drink that just sits with me and maybe that's not most people maybe that as you probably tell me more from the math.

 

Doug: [00:18:00] No no no there's two basic classes. I mean we've got deckhand five wood rye and then we've got old Dexter which is an easy drinking product.

 

Doug: [00:18:09] And to me those are the two best to put into most cocktails and then we have tall stacks which is the big smoke one which is that's a taste you either love a lot or not. But but you know the Rye is right is wonderful especially when done right when it when done right. It can be pretty amazing.

 

Tripp: [00:18:26] All right very good. Well we'll take our hiatus and we appreciate people having spent time listening to the Brain Brew Whisk(e)y Academy. There there's a lot in here in the episodes that we have recorded so people can go back and listen to those until we decide what to do next.

 

Doug: [00:18:45] Well we'll start a new edition. It's just like TV. You know you have the series and then the series end. So it's a good end and now we'll think and figure out where we go next with us. All right. Very good.

 

Tripp: [00:18:55] Thank you Doug.

 

Doug: [00:18:56] Thank you Tripp.

 

Tripp: [00:19:03] Brain Brew whisk(e)y is looking for pioneers like existing distillers or entrepreneurs interested in our custom whisk(e)y and craft cocktail experiences. These experiences provide consumers bartenders corporations nonprofits and celebrities the ability to craft whisk(e)y to their tastes and preferences. Our system also enables the creation of limited edition prestige whisk(e)y for weddings birthdays or other celebratory events. If you'd like to learn more go to brain Brew whisk(e)y dot com and share with us what you are interested in. in the forum provided.