The Truth About Drink With Wayne, Cascanes & The Tequila Industry.

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Another one of my heroes on the Internet. Drink with Wayne. We're going to talk about his story of starting content, what it means to be a content creator, and then how he became the brand ambassador for Cascades. And we're going to talk about the batch two of this that's coming out this week. So check it out. Hang out for this interview. I think you're going to have a great time and enjoy it. Thanks for watching. It's tasting tequila with bread. [00:00:33] Speaker B: All right. [00:00:33] Speaker A: I've been waiting for this one for a long time. I got the opportunity to hang out with the man, the myth, the legend drink with Wayne. I'm excited about hanging out with you today and hearing a little bit of your story. How you doing tonight, Wayne? [00:00:47] Speaker B: I'm awesome, Brad. How are you, man? [00:00:49] Speaker A: I'm stoked. I've been waiting for this for a while, brother. [00:00:52] Speaker B: So I know we saw each other in January, that was down in Mexico and we're like, all right, we got to do an episode. So finally the stars have aligned. [00:01:00] Speaker A: Well, I know that if I would have got my picture taken with you there and I'd have posted it and shared on here, I would look like a six year old standing next to a normal sized man. Because you're a giant, my friend. You can't tell in the videos that you're actually, I think, what, six, four, six, five? [00:01:16] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Six, four. Really big, dude. It is what it is. You know, it's like the, I get the comments all the time of people like, is that a. That's a 350mil bottle. I'm like, no, that's. That's a full size bottle in my hand. I just have the, you know, very, very uni. Making a bottle look small. [00:01:32] Speaker A: I, I remember that video. It was a Blanton's video that you're like, look, this is not a 375. [00:01:39] Speaker B: Yeah, it's funny too, because I even have a little one here behind me too. So, like, you know, like, hey, this is a full size bottle. [00:01:48] Speaker A: That's awesome. All right, so I'm going to pour a little bit of this Gasconis that we're going to talk about later. This is batch one. I'm going to pour it in this amazing drink with Wayne Glass. And for those who don't know, drink with Wayne. Wayne, tell everybody who you are. Tell everybody what you do. [00:02:05] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. Well, my name's Wayne and I started basically. I've kind of always had a background in food and beverage. Did 16 years as a professional chef. I was back at the house for years, worked with some really amazing bartenders and always had a passion for the bar and the bar scene. Growing up, my grandfather and my uncle, they were like, really inspirational to me of really positive role models in the alcohol space, which is unlike a lot of people. I feel like a lot of people have really bad history with alcohol, especially in families with abuse and stuff like that. For me, it was growing up, it was my. My pop and my Uncle Gene who were. They were just like the life of the party. They were just. They wanted to make sure everyone else having a good time. Every time they got together, there was always a special bottle. There was always something special. You know, my Uncle Gene was. He would always, like, whip up cocktails, even for the kids. He was like. He'd be making, you know, virgin pina coladas and, you know, cherries, and you felt like you were like, you know, part of the. Part of the celebration, you know, so it was always a cool thing for me to see, you know, like all uncle jeans coming over and it was, you know, just. I don't know. So when I started getting into, you know, out of. In college and started drinking real bourbon and getting into the restaurant industry, working and meeting all these different bartenders, started really kind of researching, you know, cocktails and classic cocktails, what makes certain ones better than the others, you know, why certain cocktails have stood the test of time. And to me, that was just always something really interesting and it had a pull and it was something that I was just like really into, you know, kind of back burnered it for. For a long time. And then during COVID you know, when everything was shut down and couldn't really do anything, you know, that kind of passion got rekindled. I inherited a bunch of stuff from my grandfather who passed away, but I have behind me. During COVID we built out this little bar. And it's just kind of like a dry bar. It's in the front of my house. We need a spot to put the espresso machine and all my bottles. But we got this box of really cool stuff. So I have all these little like, knickknacks and shot Gl and things that my. My pop stole from all around while he would travel for business. And this kind of bar became an alma, you know, an homage to his legacy and like his inspiration for me for, you know, traveling the world, getting to see new people and, you know, just like, you know, to me it's always a great time to have a cocktail with somebody and Just kind of sit there and enjoy it. And that was. This was kind of like the project, but I started doing really getting it in tiki cocktails. And that was like my real, like, first dive into craft spirits. Because once you start learning tiki, you know, you need 15, 20 bottles to make a certain drink. Sometimes, you know, it's like, it's. It's just the rum, the loan that you need. So you start collecting bottles and getting all this stuff. And we used to do during COVID it was like, you know, people would come over, and my wife goes, people just want to come over and just have a drink with Wayne. She's like, they don't even care if I'm, you know, what I'm up to. And she's like, they always want to know what you're doing. And I think it's the opposite. People always come over my house and they're like, yeah, you're cool with your wife's cooler. But that name kind of stuck and it resonated. And I'd always been doing some type of content, whether streaming on Twitch or podcasting or playing in bands. And, you know, I was on. I did an episode of Chopped back in the day. That was a long time ago, Another lifetime ago. It doesn't even look like the same person. But I've always been very comfortable on camera and public speaking and talking. So I had a coffee company that was running for a while, and I was doing all the social media for it. So I got really comfortable with how TikTok was working and understanding that, like, you have the opportunity to reach massive amount of people just by putting content out there. So it was around, you know, 2022, where my wife was like, she's like, you know, you should start posting some of these recipes and stuff online. And she's like, why not? You know, I was. I was bored. I was looking for something to talk about other than coffee. I feel like when you're trying to promote your own business, it's tough to do content organically without you being like, hey, please just buy a bag of this coffee so I could pay my bills, you know? And it was just. It got to the point where I was like, how many times am I going to talk about how to brew a cup of coffee? She's like, well, you, dude, why don't you use some recipe videos and throw them in there and then reference it back? And so that kind of was like, the inspiration behind it. And I started in December 2022, posted up a couple videos, and the first few videos that I did talking about bourbon reviews just popped off and went viral. And I had, you know, from. Went from zero to like, like 5, 000 followers within the first, like, couple weeks of posting bourbon content. And I was like, huh, all right, we're onto something. We've tapped into something here. And then my biggest thing was I never wanted to be pigeonholed. I didn't, you know, Wayne the bourbon guy, or, you know, originally I was going to do just tiki cocktails, and I was like, I'm going to get real bored real quick with that. So drink with Wayne. The channel idea was just about, hey, let's talk about spirits in a positive way. Let's talk about what makes good things great. Let's. Let's start to learn. Never, never claim to be an expert. I'm not an expert. I. You know, my whole thing was I was really, at the time, starting to get into. I had a very great understanding of bourbon, really starting to get into tequila and rums. And I'm like, well, what makes these ones so much better than the others? And that pursuit of that knowledge was like, all right, let's share this with other people. Because I'm sure, you know, I hear it all the time. People. Like, I walk into the store and there's so many bottles. How do you choose? And, you know, it's just like, you got to know what's good and what's not. And the only way to do that is really just kind of do some research and buying a lot of stuff, trying a lot of stuff. And if I could kind of. If I could save somebody's time by, like, saying, hey, here's five bottles that I think you. You know, and then hopefully out of those five, you like at least three of them. You know, then we're onto something. And then now, you know, hey, our pallets are somewhat aligned, and we can kind of, you know, speak the same language. So if this guy's talking about this stuff, I know I'm gonna like it too. And, you know, and then I feel like, you know, getting into the tequila space, it was a little intimidating at first. You know, I was. I. I didn't really do any videos on it until I did a couple. I was like, I'm gonna really take my time and. And learn the space first before I start speaking on it. I never wanted to just kind of jump, hey, I know everything. And even when I did started posting, I said that I was like, hey, I'm a bourbon guy. Really getting into tequila. Here's what I'm. Here's what I'm finding. If there's other brands out there, let me know. What do you think are great? And that was like one of my first videos where I did a series on. I was like, here's my. I was like, let's. Let's get some recommendations going for what are some of the best tequila brands. And, you know, that's when all the, A lot of the stuff that I had been hearing, it was just kind of confirmed in the comments section. And it was like, you know, Fortaleza, G4, Cascanes, Cascarine, Tapatio, like all these brands. And I. So I did a whole series where I was like, I'm gonna go find a bottle of each one and then I'll. I'll do a review of it and what I think of it. And when it came down to, you know, Cascana is, it was. They weren't in New York market at the time. I'm based out of New York, the Long island born and raised. It wasn't here. So Edwin, the CEO Cascana, saw the video and goes, hey, we're gonna send you some bottles over. And that was like the first time a brand ever reached out and branded, ever sent anybody anything or sent me anything. And I was just like over the moon. And it was just like, it was like so cool to just see, you know, like we jokingly said when, when I started my wife and I was like, how cool would it be if like, actually, like, I could get a free bottle of like bourbon or something? She's like, yeah, yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. You know, now it's like, now we're like, please don't send any more bottles. Just like, I have so many bottles. I'm like, I would love to try them all. I just, I can't get to them. So it's crazy how it's gone, you know, from posting just for fun. And then it took off. And then once I started to get a following going, I. So 2023, I said in January, in the end of January, I challenged myself and I said, I'm going to post three videos a day every single day for the rest of the year. And I did. And for 2023, I went from. It was like around 5,000 followers and I finished the year just like shy of like 90,000 followers on TikTok. And it was, it was blew up quick. And that was just like kind of confirmation of like, hey, people are into this. People are watching it. And People are getting something from these videos and it just kind of fueled me to, To. To keep going. I don't know if I. I don't have it in me to do three videos a day anymore. It's just like, you know, I think at the time in the place, it was perfect, but now it's just like, it's. It's such a demanding thing, especially with work full time and all that stuff. But yeah, that was a. That was kind of how I got into it and where it all kind of started. And then, yeah, it was, you know, the tie in for me and Fiscane. Literally, you know, Edwin seeing a random video of mine when I was. Had just started and posted about it and, you know, sent over some bottles and then I did some content for them. Just like, hey, you know, I caught. We. My wife and I, we did an unboxing video where I caught her off camera going, oh, this is like one of the best tequilas I've ever had. And I was like, oh, that's a. That's a hook. So I use that as the opening hook of my video. And that blew up. And like, so I've had a really kind of cool, unique relationship with Cascane is them being one of the first brands that reached out to me, one of the first brands that ever brought me down to Mexico. Well, the Brandon that brought me down to Mexico reached out and said, hey, we're doing a trip. You should come down. And you know, I show up in Mexico and I'm just like, oh my God, I'm standing in YouTube and TikTok right now because, you know, I'm in a bus. And I got. I got Doug Price, who. I listen to his podcast. I got Lucas behind me. I'm like, I got robbed to my right. I'm like, I'm standing in. I'm like, I felt like I was in the algorithm. It was pretty, you know, it was eye opening for me. And here I am, you know, jokingly the new guy to the tequila scene and the bourbon guy, like, who brought the bourbon guy to the tequila trailer. But it was. It was one of those things where I feel like I was able to kind of make that pass over the. The bourbon to tequila side of things very easily because I think I came to the space with of just like, hey, I'm just here to learn and, and you know, want to get. Want to know more about this and what makes, you know, the good stuff great. And that was like, kind of like everybody was like, at first was like, Just, you know, you know, giving me the little business. And then it was just like, okay, yeah, no, you're a cool dude. You can hang out. So I felt like after that trip, it was like, like I was like, all right, Tequila's. Tequila is kind of my thing now. And it's really kind of just dominated for, for the, Ever since that, that cascade trip. You know, getting this, getting to go to Mexico, standing there in those agave fields, it's like, it has some. It just does something to you. There's something magical about being in Mexico. I. I say it all the time to people. I was like, it's life changing if you're connected to those kind of vibes. And I feel like there's, there's energy there, there's history, there's, there's, you know, ancestry. There's so much just like, like deep, deep rooted tradition. And if you could tap into that and really kind of like feel that presence, it's just like it has a pull on you. And since then it's just been like, when's the next trip back? Sure, you know. [00:12:53] Speaker A: Was that your first time ever to Mexico? [00:12:55] Speaker B: Yeah, it was Jan. The January 2024 trip. [00:12:58] Speaker A: Wow. [00:13:00] Speaker B: I'd never been. And it was just like, you know, it was eye opening. And then that year I did, I think six or seven more trips that year, because, you know, once you do one trip, all these brands see you go on these trips and they're like, hey, we're doing a trip. You should join us. And like, I'm not going to say no, you know, and that was, that was kind of like my full dive into the tequila space was like, if I'm going to get an opportunity to go sit down, sit at the table, that's. That's the line I always use. I was like, all I ever wanted was an opportunity to sit at the table and be part of the conversation and to hear, to be able to be welcomed into these distilleries. And, you know, you show up at 14, 14, and there's Sergio Cruz, a big hug, going, hey, welcome home. And like, I've never met you, dude. But like, that's just like such a, you know, a powerful, you know, feel to just be like, welcomed in by, you know, complete strangers, you know, and it. That, that's. I tell people all the time, I'm like, that's my always, my experience of Mexico is just to be, you know, welcome and hey, let's sit down and like, let's talk about some stuff. And hey, then all of A sudden, the plastic bottles start coming out. The special bottles come out of the cabinets, and, like, it's just such a cool, cool feeling. [00:14:04] Speaker A: It is. You create really fast friends and great connections. You know, I. I've actually been going to Mexico for 20, like, about 25 years, so my wife and I have Mexico. We have great friends in Mexico. And the first trips to Tequila and Arandas were this. The same experience that you've had. It's just like fast friends. We've been there 18 times in the last 20 months. The friends that have been created are unbelievable. And. And you've probably visited the Bourbon Trail. You don't get that same connection walking into Maker's Mark or Four Roses, even though they're really awesome. [00:14:39] Speaker B: Yeah, there's a. You know, it's. It's such a just stark comparison between the industries. If you have the opportunity to actually sit down with some of the gu. You know, the master distillers, if you're on a private tour where, like, you get to hang out with them, that's just like, that's. It's such a special occasion, but that's not the everyday. You know, it's like when you go down, you walk in through the distilleries and, like, the guys are there. They're. They're there in production. They're, you know, they're. They're welcoming you, touring you around, like, it's just such a different experience. And to me, like, you know, the bourbon side of things is just. It's a. A. It's a little bit antiquated in the sense of, like, they haven't embraced social media. There's not a lot of brands that have really dialed in and. And locked in on the power of social media. And I see it's a. It's just a failed opportunity on their part, which it's. You know, eventually it's gonna. They'll figure it out. Hopefully, eventually. But by that time, you know, you can see it already. Tequila's already surpassing it. And I think the fact that they're. The tequila industry is so active in socials and accessible. I think that's the biggest thing. I want to compare the two industries. I say the difference between Tequila and Bourbon is accessibility to be able to get a DM from Chava Rosales about the new release. And, like, he answers your questions, and it's like, I'm like, what is going on right now? Like, if I d. You know, I DM Jimmy Russell. He's not responding to me. He's, you Know, it's like it's some intern running the Wild Turkey account, you know, and so it's just. It's night and day, and there's some. I don't want to. I don't want to knock the. The whole bourbon industry because there are some that are starting to get it, but I think it's going to take another couple years before they really realize, hey, we. We may have missed the boat on this. Whereas the Tequila space, they're just like, they're out there, man. They're in Facebook groups. You know, you comment about a brand on Reddit and, you know, if their distillers are in there in the chats, like, just are, you know, hashing out in the comments. And, like, I think that's so cool. And that's what I, I loved about it. And what really, like, pulled me into Tequila especially was just the amount of information that's out there to. To be able to have these conversations with masters, the maestros who are making these products. They're just like, yeah, hey, this is how it's made. You want to know. And like, if you don't believe us, come down and see it. And you're like, okay. You know, this is like that. That to me is just. It's so. Just eye opening. [00:16:54] Speaker A: Okay, so I had a. I'm going to call it a fan girl moment. I made a post. It was a Lalo post, and it was on Instagram for about 12 minutes before, in my DMs was Lalo Gonzalez saying, saying, thanks for this post. She did a great review, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I was just freaked out. Right, dude, what. What was your first, like, real, like, fan moment where you couldn't believe somebody just messaged you after you did a video? [00:17:25] Speaker B: I, you know, I think I want to say it was a. It was Lalo as well. Lalo's become one of my, like, I consider a really close friend in the industry. Somebody that I. I've been able to kind of chat with and be really kind of open and transparent about. You know, when I. When I started doing videos and started posting about Lalo, you know, they reached out and had offered me like, hey, like, we want to sponsor some posts. And so I started doing sponsored work for them. And, you know, I only choose to do that with brands that I feel like are worth my time of day if it's, you know, doesn't meet my quality, I'm not even going to talk about it. It's all about really just kind of my. I respect the viewers time so much. I. As much as I respect my own time, you know, I don't have to be doing this. I could be sitting on the couch with the wife and, you know, enjoying a nice evening instead of making videos till, you know, three in the morning sometimes. But it's fun. Still do enjoy it, you know, like. But I was working with Lalo, and then last year, I got the opportunity. It was offered to me. It was kind of like I had a couple brands reach out, and the idea of being a global brand ambassador kind of started to float around. And I was like, oh, there's a way I could possibly work in this industry and. And be a bigger part of it. And I knew would. It was just like, it wasn't the right time. It wasn't the right place. But then the time and the place opened up, and I was given the opportunity to kind of go out and kind of see if, you know, pursue any leads. And there was one lead that I knew was on the table, and it was the first brand that ever reached out. And I. I messaged Edwin from Cascanas, and I said, hey, you know, I'm about to go solo. You know, I was working. I had a company, and I was running it with some friends, and I. I'm no longer, you know, I bought out of it and all this stuff, but there was an opportunity for me to get into the tequila business. And I said, there was ever a brand that I wanted to work. Guys get first dibs. Because you were the first to reach out to me, the first to bring me down to Mexico. And they basically, it was like, start tomorrow, you know, and it was like. I was like. I was like, okay, cool. You know, and then at the same time, this is where, you know, now I had this, like, really interesting dilemma because I'm like, well, Edwin, I. I just so, you know, like, I work with other brands. I still do the content. I really have a passion for doing this. I. I'm enjoying doing this. And he goes, that's. I don't want that to stop. He goes, you know, you have the opportunity, unlike most people. He goes, you know, he goes, we don't care. He's like, I want you to speak about other brands, and if it aligns and those brands align with our same visions and standards and philosophy, like putting us on the. On the same plane as a G4 or Fortaleza or the Tapatio or, you know, all the other great brands that are out there, you know, it's just going to. It's Rising Tide. And that was the conversation we had. And then. Then a little bit later, I called Lalo Gonzalez up, and I was like, hey, just so you know, I. I got off of this opportunity. I was really. You know, I'm really excited about it. And he told me. He goes, dude, you're going to kill it at this. He's like, this is something. He's like, you're really. He was. You know, he's like, I. I think you should absolutely do this. And I told him. I'm like, you know, full transparency. Like, this is the deal. I. I still. I'm gonna. I reached out to all the brands I was partnered with at the time and told them, and there was a lot that were like, oh, that's kind of crazy. Lalo was the one who was like. He's like, no, I get this. He's like, this is what it's about. All of us together. He goes. The line he used, and this is just. I use this all the time, is there's such a huge pie, right? And everybody can eat. Everybody can get a really nice, healthy slice, but we're all arguing over the crumbs sometimes, and everybody's just kind of so hyper focused on the little crumb that they, like. They, like, backstab another person to just try to get ahead a little bit. We want this all day. Just go over there, go get a piece. You know, like, it's just, like, it's right there. If you want it, you can get it. Like, that's where I got it from, you know, so it's. That was a. That was interesting. But he was one of the first people that were, like. When I did a video, I wasn't sponsored. I just random, you know, I kept hearing about it, got a bottle, and then boom. DM comes through. He's like, hey, thanks for trying my Tequila. And I was just like, holy cow. You know, and that was. That. To me, I think it was. It was. Lalo was like, the. The real big one. And then I got to go to Tequila Ocho and to be able to spend some time with Carlos Tamarana, who I'd watched on documentaries. And. And, like, you know, that guy is like. To me, when I. When I talk about. You want to talk about, like, stewards of the craft, people who are just dialed in and. And all the. All he cares about is, like, leaving the world a better place than he's found it, getting this. Getting to hang out with him and just kind of just talk one on one, have a really cool Conversation, walk the fields with them. And then like, we got back to the distillery and he's like, hey, come in my office, I got to show you something. And like, starts just pulling bottles out. And I was just like, whoa, this wasn't part of the tour. But, you know, it was just like, it was just such a cool moment. And those, that, to me, I think it'. It's that, it's those, those little connections you have with the people. And it's not fake, you know, and it's not like a one off because then you, you work, you know, you see, you're constantly down in Guadalajara. You're constantly doing all these events. You see these people all over the place and they're always like, hey, how's it going? You know, it's just like, like, oh, these are my friends. You know, it's like, these are, these are real people. And that's just makes me more fired up about their brands. It's like those, those are the people I want to support. I'll run through a wall for anybody. You know, it's like, and if there's somebody that, that I, you know, I get along with and I believe in and I'm like, I just want to help you get your name out there. And that's really what a lot of the channel in the last year has become, is just using it as a platform to, you know, talk about the good stuff. And yeah, that was a long answer. But, yeah, no, that, that, that's, that's. [00:22:46] Speaker A: I mean, I, I agree 100%. Like, what's crazy is when you meet, you know, like Sergio and Oscar and Jimmy Salza and, and all these master distillers and, and you're working through your normal work day and you get a message midday from Jimmy saying, hey, how's your day? I haven't heard from you in a while. You know, or, or, you know, Sergio saying, hey, man, you know, how you doing? I haven't seen you in a while or talked to you in a while. Those are the things that you go, okay, these aren't just people that you met at the distillery or they're excited that you're doing content. They, they truly become those friends, those people that you want to hang out with. [00:23:22] Speaker B: And you, yeah, they're not just playing a part. Like, that's, that's literally who they are. You know, it's just like, wow, that's really cool. [00:23:30] Speaker A: When it's, it, you know, you mentioned Doug and Lucas and I have to say that when I was sitting in that van, you know, there was Richie from Kraft Cartel, who's become a really good friend from that event, and Kellum Sip Agave and the cop, you know, and then. Then there was you. And I'm like, okay, I'm around, like, all of these people that I watch online. I really respect fact. And I was really excited about being there. So I want to say, first, thanks for inviting me on that Cascane strip. And second, explain a little bit what a global brand ambassador is, because we hear these words, and some people don't even have an idea of what that means. [00:24:06] Speaker B: Yeah, some people just think I'm a paid disconnect shill. That's all I do is just go around on Reddit and just. I'm paid to. To hype up the brand. And I'm like, yeah, okay. And so there's. There's. So there's a lot in the industry, I think there's. There's so much stuff out there. There's a lot of information, and there's a lot of misinformation in this space. But, you know, I had met a couple people in the space, like Kobe, Kobe, Desmond, and Stefano from Fortaleza. Those two, to me, were like, the prime example of, like, when I saw these guys and what they were doing for the brand Fortaleza at the time. And now they've gone on and, you know, Kobe's with Lalo, Ivan, Kobe's with package group and G4 and stuff. Stefano's with Lalo. And, like, I. I saw an opportunity, and I was like, this is a really cool role in the industry. And I think the big thing for me is when I came on with Toscana is, you know, I had this conversation with Edwin, and he's like, well, where do you see your best, you know, fit? Do you want to be doing sales? Do you want to be doing, you know, retail? Or, like, you know, what do you. What do you. Where do you see yourself? Or what do you think our company needs the most? And I sat. We sat on the phone and I. I said. I was like, honestly, you guys have an amazing story story. You have to do a really bad job at telling that story. I was like, you need storytellers. I was like. And for me, that's what I love to do. I love to tell stories. I, you know, it's all about, you know, getting to experience these bottles, getting to experience these trips, going places and seeing things and meeting people is like, to me, it's all about that experience and sharing that experience. Because when I talk about, you know, Cascada is as a tequila brand, you know, people are just like, oh, it's, it's yeah, cool. It's really good tequila. I like it, you know, whatever. Some people, you know, oh, it's so expensive. Or you know, some people like, oh, this is great. I don't even care, I just want bottles of it. It's so great. But when you really start to peel back the layers and talk about the story and the origin history and like all the things that Cascanas does for their, their home community, that's really where the brand like takes off and is on a different level. And I think all these extra things that they do are worth talking about, but they don't do it well enough or just like because there was only five of them, you know, in the entire company, they don't have enough time. They were wearing all different hats. I was tell your story. So I started doing some events for them before I even came on officially New York City. We did the Bolasole festival. There's a Anejo tequila bar. They did like a big grand tasting and I, I just worked the table for cascanes and people would come up to the table and like, I've heard about this or oh, this is that, you know, this is that influencer brand or I keep hearing about this brand. I've never tried it, never tried it. And I let people try the tequila. And the tequila does in my opinion, a really good job of selling the product for me. I don't have to do anything else. If you appreciate good tequila, regardless of where your prejudices or your pre biased or whatever, if you try it in a blind, usually you can at least acknowledge this is a well made tequila. Whether it fits your personality or your flavor profile, whatever, you can at least appreciate that this was craft. There's something made behind this that was with intention and purpose. And then once you connect that story to these people, that's really where it drives it home. And now they're fans of the brand and they're chasing it down. And the, the whole thing is that that is really it. It's just kind of the job for me is liquid to lips. I get to travel around, I do tastings, meet and greets, dinner. Tomorrow I'm gonna be, I'm flying out to Chicago and you know, I'm working with the distributor on Friday. So we have like a big grand tasting with their distributor team and education training. But tomorrow I'm gonna be at Binny's in you know, Thursday night, this. This won't be live anyway at Binny's in Chicago, just pouring cascanes because, like, it's such a huge client for the. For the brand. They asked us have somebody rep and, like, show up and I get to pour Cascanas and. And let people try it. And then they, you know, I just win people over. So those people who've never tried it before, they're just going to fall in love with it. That's really all it is. And then telling stories is. Is the big thing. On top of that, I've been given the kind of the. The artificial title of Influencer Wrangler. That's the. The. That's my corporate title. My C title is the Influencer Wrangler. So, you know, it was basically, I work with the marketing team and I. I've been given a lot of. Of carte blanche to kind of just like, keep an eye in the scene. You know, I see stuff on Facebook groups, and, like, if I see misinformation out there, I'm just like, hey, man, you want the real. The real deal on this? This is exactly, you know, this is exactly how it's made. You know, there's a rumor floating around. I don't know who's spreading it, but I heard it from multiple stores, I heard it from people online, and they're like, oh, someone told us this is being made with a diffuser. And I'm like, there's not even a diffuser at our distillery. I'm like, so, no, know that's not happening. I don't know who told you that or where that's coming from. So it's a lot of that, just like, the community interaction, just feedback with, like, different people, just. Just trying to kind of get the story straight and. And tell the story so that people can kind of, like, be fans of the brand. And at the end of the day, I'm like, I know there's certain people. I'm like, I'll never win certain people over, but I'm. I'm always out there and I'm just like, hey, if you want the truth, I'll give you the God's honest answer. And if it doesn't fit with the answer that you were looking for, I'm sorry, that's on you. But, like, here's how it is. So, yeah, it's really interesting. I've been doing it for just over a year and a half now. Been traveling a lot. Got to see, you know, a lot of different countries, see the world, travel down to Mexico. But one of the big things that we do is these influencer trips where we bring, and I hate the word influencer, so does everybody. But guess what? If you're posting anything online, you're influencing somebody. So just lean into it. And, you know, you're never going to shake the term of being called. Like, if it's up to me, I'm a content creator. You know, like, that's a, that's a craft spirits creator, whatever that means. A storyteller of spirits. You know, whatever. You're, you're, you're online, you're, you know, you're, you're influencing someone's opinion. And you know, the one I always laugh about too, the most is Greg Bartolotto. I know Greg. I've known him for years, from the Long island scene, the restaurant scene. He always goes, he's like, I'm not an influencer. I'm like, dude, you're not. You may not think you're an influencer, however, you hold such an influence over the tequila space because you have such a trusted rep. You know, you're, you're a known figure in the space. If Greg's talking about a bottle, my ears perk up and I want to listen to it. And guess what? If he's drinking it, I'm going to go check it out because it's probably really good. So it was busted shots. I'm like, you might not think you're an influencer, but you carry a lot of influence in the space. And it's just like, I think people think it's, you know, people use it as such a bad term. But my whole, my whole thing is, at the end of the day is like, look, I'm. I pre vet out anybody I work with. If I don't just talk about everybody, I turn down more brand that reach out and brands that I work with. And at the end of the day, I, if I think it's good, I'm going to talk about it no matter what. And if I'm talking about it, you should probably listen because it's probably pretty good. If you try it and you don't think it's that good, that might be you. Your taste buds might suck. So. Sorry. [00:30:54] Speaker A: Yeah, there you go. [00:30:55] Speaker B: Oh, my God. I'm sorry. You can't, I'm sorry. You don't understand what good stuff tastes like. That's the, that's, that's a you problem. [00:31:02] Speaker A: Okay, so let's, let's, let's dig into the storytelling piece because one of the coolest things we got to do was walk up into the jungle, cross this creek and walk into this little village. And then a guy, he looked like he was maybe John Wayne and Burt Reynolds, baby, come out with this really awesome shit eating grin and big old belt buckle. And I learned that he made the first jungle juice. That it was what came out to be Cascanes. Yeah, that part of the trip to me was really, really freaking awesome. [00:31:41] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:42] Speaker A: So I know we have batch one. I say this wrong every time, so please say this properly for me. [00:31:48] Speaker B: Nueces reisis. [00:31:50] Speaker A: No reisas. Reisas. I don't know why I don't say [00:31:53] Speaker B: it right, but yeah, our roots, that's, that's, that's our roots. Yeah. This is a special bottle. You know, it's a, the, the origin story. If you, if you research Cascanas, you go online, you search it up, you'll see this line about, you know, founded on this Mexican moonshine found in a, in a abandoned jungle still like, like what the hell is that? What are you talking about here? But this is exactly where Cascana is. The flavor profile comes from the, the recipe comes from the, the branch story. It starts with Colin Edwards and Jose Santillan. Those two are really the core founders of the brand and the key pillars of even a thought of making it a brand. Those two guys, they started going down to Mexico. Jose was Collins driver. He hired Jose, he knew him from la. He was like, hey, I'm going down to Mexico. Jose is like, my family's from there. We could stay there. We got a place to hang out in. Jose Tipaquillo. I'll take you around, we'll drive you around. Let's go find out. Let's go learn about tequila. So that's really where the brand started. Colin had a background in wine. He also works on tv. He's a key grip for. He worked on Always Sunny for a long time. Time and fun little Easter egg. If you look carefully on the back bar in, you know, Patty's Pub, there's Cascane's bottles in the back bar. It's pretty, pretty fun little Easter egg. I remember seeing that one night and going, holy shit. That's very cool. Yeah, just tucked away like, you know, then it's just. They're there. Bruce was cool, so Colin, you know, the whole idea was, you know, let's go learn about tequila. Let's learn about what makes good tequila great and, and be part of that process. And they're, you know, traveling around, they're going to different Distilleries, seeing how it's made here, seeing how made there. And this is going back before 2017. So tequila industry then wasn't where it even is right now. Right now, it's very open. It's very, hey, come on down. Let's start a brand tomorrow. You know, Brad and. Brad and I, we can go down and start Brad Wayne's tequila tomorrow if we wanted to. We know enough people in the industry now that we could. We could put a bottle out on the market if we wanted to. It wasn't like that. A lot of places were just like, hey, this is how we make it. You know, you pick your profile, and then we do everything for you. They wanted to be part of the process. So one night, they're driving back to Ostotipaquilo. They stop in a little town called Magdalena. There's a little taco stand there. They're sitting there at the taco stand, you know, grabbing a snack and just kind of talking about this. And the guy behind the bar overhears him and goes, oh, hey, you should try this. And, you know, does the whole. Hey, Pulls out a bottle and starts pouring it for them. And, you know, the plastic bag of the plastic jug, and they go, what is this? This tastes like nothing we've had before. And he goes, oh, my friend makes it. I'll. If you want, tomorrow, I'll bring you out there. I'll show you where he makes it. So they take the ride out. And as you got to see, like, that ride is like I. I said, somewhere along the way, about halfway up that. That. That road, as you've hit the 15th millionth bump, and you're like, you know, you're. You're. The van's going sideways, and you're looking down over a ravine. You're like, is this worth it? You know, right until you get there is a moment of doubt. And I think, you know, well, that's kind of the defining line for the brand. And it kind of goes to their story of, like, going that little extra mile, and you find something truly unreal and something really like. Like an incredible experience. So they. They stumble upon this guy, and his name's Alberto Alvarado. He's a third generation master distiller up in the woods of Mexico. Little town called La Stancita. And just like Brad says, like, you pull in and there's like, the town square. Square. I want to shoot a western there. At some point, I was like, there. There will be some piece of Cascade's content before my Days are done shot there. It's going to be like, you know, old school, just like spaghetti western. But it's going to be. But that's. It's literally what it is. And it's his hometown. He's an agave farmer. He makes his own distillate. He's basically had to engineer everything he has. Every piece of equipment that he has is all handmade or parts of stuff welded to other parts. He. He's. You know, this is the one thing I. I regret is on the bottle. They say it was set up, you know, an autoclave, I think is like autoclave cooked or whatever. It might be on the bottle. It might be on the description. Whatever. I don't. It was on the description. This is where so many people got hung up. Cause they're like, oh, I don't drink autoclave tequila. I'm like, well, this isn't really an autoclave. It's a just giant steel drum with wood fire where he welds the door on. There's no gauges. If he knows it's overcooked if the door explodes off of it. [00:36:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:26] Speaker B: You know, like it's. And it's happened before, so it's like. It's just that you notice there's too much pressure if the door blows off. He just does everything to feel an instinct. And it's. It's really just kind of just goes to show, like he's tapped into this ancestral way of making this. And it's been passed down. And when you try this spirit right off his still, it's just. It's unlike anything else. It's just got this really unique herbal, fruity jungle kind of funk to it where it's just like. It's just. It makes you go, wow, what is this? And so we need to pour some [00:36:57] Speaker A: of that, like right now. Yeah, I have some in a plastic bottle. I know you. You sent me some in a pretty bottle. [00:37:05] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:37:06] Speaker A: I'm going to pour it out of the plastic. I know you said mine was sitting at. Right, about 70% alcohol. [00:37:14] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. That's kind of. That's what I have here too, is this. This is a 140 proof. This is right. You know, the heads right into the heart, you know, Right. Right at that. Cut. So we're talking poop dust. Action. [00:37:27] Speaker A: I feel like I. I feel like I ran a mile to get a plastic bottle to chug the water to be able to get some before we left. [00:37:35] Speaker B: Yeah, that's the best part about going there too, is like Every time I go, I. I tell people, I'm like, save. Bring a bottle. Bring a bottle just in case. [00:37:42] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:42] Speaker B: It's not always a guarantee, but I mean, this is just like it. I don't know, it brings me right back to that every time I smell it, you know, you're. You're there. And there's two distilleries, in my opinion, that I've been to that I think cook the best agave. The sweetest agave I've ever tasted was out of the Orno's at Siete Leguas and then out of the autoclave at Alberto's. I think his agave, there's something in that. It just like, it is so sweet and juicy and pungent and like, just. Just like saturated with. There's that. That Miel. That juice, right? So he takes that, lets it cool down, you know, throws it in the back of a pickup truck. The pickup truck goes about 30ft to a wood chipper shredder that's hooked up to a Chevy pickup truck engine that you will see if you got the new model that is front and center. This is the brand New Edition Batch 2, the Galli motor, that the motor shredder is a little bit more prevalent on the. The front. And it's our way of, you know, just making sure, you know, that's the star of the show there. [00:38:43] Speaker A: That's. [00:38:44] Speaker B: Yeah, shreds, that agave. I mean, it's shooting, spraying against the wall. They scrape it off the concrete wall, wash it in the trowel. Stainless, you know, stainless steel trowel, natural spring water. All the fibers are hand pressed and hand crushed and washed. Goes into the tanks, open fermentation, couple days, runs it through a still twice, and boom, you have this, this moonshine, this jungle juice, this, in my opinion, there's a really incredible agave spirit that I, you know, this year was picked up. You know, wine enthusiasts did get a bottle of it and they scored it and they gave it 100 points. It's the first ever for distilled spirit from them that has scored 100 points. A lot of these awards, I say take with a grain of salt. You know, there's. There's so many of these different awards that you can enter. Some, a lot of them are paid to enter. Some are just like, you just submit and you. You hope you get something back. I'm not exactly sure the wine enthusiast process, I know they do review a ton of spirits, but the fact to me, like, the 100 point score is like, obviously it's It's a way of marketing for. For wine enthusiasts to. They realize the tequila industry, the agave spirit industry, is at peak right now. So let's give out a hundred points score and maybe drive some attention there. Sure. I don't really put too much stock into that. What I put the stock into is somebody who reviews 25,000 submissions a year, tasted this, noticed this, and goes, this is different than anything I've ever tried before. And to me, that is what the 100 point score is all about. It's about understanding that there's something different here. I've never tried anything like this. And you can't just really find anything like this out there. Sometimes you got to go that extra mile and find a guy who's making moonshine in the back hills. And it just so turns out to be this amazing spirit. And to me, we brought a group there just recently after the score was announced. We, we're all gathered around, we told Humberto, we're like, hey, congratulations. And he's just like, thanks, Tuesday. Gotta get back to work. You know, for anybody who hasn't met [00:40:44] Speaker A: him or seen him, like, you would, you'd be like, yeah, who cares? [00:40:50] Speaker B: You know, the cowboy hat, he's got his, you know, his, his felt cowboy hat, his shirt wide open, the belt buckle is the. His ostrich cowboy boots on. And he, he's just like, nah, it's Tuesday. Let's fire this thing up and make some more juice. Like, it's just, it's so cool. But that was, that was the origin story. That was, you know, that from that point, the. The brand was kind of birthed and it just was like, hey, let's. Let's make this. And how do we bring this to the, to the market? And it took a while to, you know, to get the. Everything up and running. You know, the original plan was they, you know, Colin and Jose, they wanted to build a distillery right there. There's the old Souza grounds there. And they're like, if we could. If we could possibly do it here, how cool would that be? And they're just like. The town was like, nope, you're not doing that here. Like, you're not putting a distillery here. You know, they asked Alberto, hey, would you want to be our master distillery? And he's like, no. Nope. He's like, I just. I'm happy doing what I do. You know, like, he's got everything he's ever needs. And that's just such a cool thing to be able to just like, turn that down and just like, nah, I'm, I'm cool. So. But he introduced us to Don Chico, who is now the master distiller for Cascanes. And then so the two of them, you know, they were really, at the beginning, the influential people behind the brand. And then coming over to, to, you know, now 1599 and working at that distillery, you know, it was an opportunity for the brand to start production in a real distillery. A lot of people are always like, well, why do you use roller mill? Why do you use autoclave? That was our way of replicating Umberto's setup. He. That's how he cooks his agave. He uses an autoclave. He does 24 hour cook. It's eight. Eight hours. You know, the heat's on, eight hours the heat's off, and eight hours it's open, cooling. You know, it's. It's mimicking that, that same process of how he does it. You know, he shred with the wood chipper. And so the wood, a roller mill is just a fancier wood chipper. You know, it's. And then washing it with spring water, that was like a big thing for, for the brand. It was, you know, the day. That's why the, the ninth batch was the number nine is the og. It was that. That ninth trial of, of trying to make the agave spirit taste like Umberto's. And they, they finally nailed it. And they're like, all right, we're happy here. So that was the og and then that mimics what Alberto's distillate comes off the still at. It's like right around 100 proof. It's just a bold, flavorful agave spirit. And that' origin story of Kiskana is it was all built from there. And then from that point on, it was like, you know, the, the Brain launched in 2017, kind of struggled like they were getting, you know, bringing stuff in, backpacking it in, you know, just trying to get the name out there started, obviously in la, trying to just selling cases, literally hand selling cases, the liquor stores. And then eventually they brought in, you know, some. Some help to kind of help grow the brand. That's where Edwin and JP they come along. And if you hear the Cascane's lore and those guys, they came in right before, like 2019. And yeah, we're going to really get this brand going. And then, like, now we're, now we're going to start to, you know, go full time and then Covid. So this is where the Brain, I think, gets a lot of A knock in the agave community because everybody thinks, oh, they just, you know, they're a marketing brand and all they, all they care about is influencers. And this was, it was by design, you know, it was 2020. You can't. All the bars and restaurants are closed down. Who are you selling tequila to? [00:44:02] Speaker A: Right? [00:44:03] Speaker B: You're selling it to customers, you know, to the, to the home consumers, the people who were the agave aficionados, you know, so Ed and just starts literally just DMing people and saying, hey, can we send you a bottle? No expectations, never gives you a script, never asked for anything, just said, hey, we're going to send you a bottle. If you like it, please let us know. Feel free to share it if you do. And that's literally it. And I tell people all that all the time. I'm like, you know, obviously now brains are in the, in the market of paying people to do, you know, sponsored content. But at the beginning, it was literally just, that was their only way of getting the brand name out there. And by doing, doing that, they've built up this really huge, you know, consumer side of the, the business. Whereas now we're, we're kind of playing it backwards and now we're working on the on premise and the bartenders who felt left out and they're like, this brand never cared about us. It was like, no, we, we cared about you. We just couldn't get to you because you were closed down. Like, you weren't open. Like, I, I can't, I'm not selling you cases. And then you're gonna just sit on them. So that's been a big challenge for the brand. This year is really kind of focusing in the on premise sales and, and working in that side of things versus just retail. Huge retail brand. The business of like 60% retail, you know, and, and that's just awesome. But, you know, then it's just, you know, that was their way of getting the name out there and the brands, you know, it's gone through some changes, moved, distilleries, distillery move was to just. We needed a bigger space, you know, they needed a bigger boat. You've been there, you've, you've seen the distillery. There's, there's, it's small, you know, like where we are now, it's, it's a lot bigger. You know, you had the opportunity to have our own bottling line, our own assembly line line or cava, you know, where we have barrels aging that just have cascanes there. Formerly ttap, now Casa Valle Amate. Have a really great working relationship with them where they allow cascanes to come in. And it's a. Yes, it's a contract brand, but they're one of the few brands that I think has as many options to produce as they do where we get to choose. You know, our team comes in, the distillery is wiped clean. And it's. It's basically we're renting out the facility anytime we do production there. So it's the cascanes recipe, it's the spring water that we can only get. We have our own proprietary yeast strain. And then that's pretty much kind of what makes cascanes. Cascanes. And then, then the barrel aging that goes into it is also a little over the top and extra where we're scraping and recharring barrels. There you met Hoel, the guy who's just down there, just, just dremeling out barrels and just scraping out char, lighting things on fire. But all of that goes into how we age the tequila. Small batch blend blending, you know, blending by flavor, not by time. Our reposado blends, our nejo blends, they're all custom unique. Each one is different. They're never the same. Some of the repos have anejo blended into them, some of the have XA blended into them. You know, it's like, it's just, it's a, it's a true small batch, you know, craft product that's made and, you know, to the people who appreciate it and the people who really love the brand, that's, that's, you know, we love that. And it's, you know, you get it or you don't, and, and it's just there's so many tequilas out there on the market that like, we're like, okay, yeah, just if you, if you like the brand, you like the brand and you want to be part of it, we love to have you and we'll give you all the information you want. And you know, that's, that's just kind of what my job is, to just kind of really lock in with the die hards and, and then lock in with the community. You know, the big thing is like that trip we put together, I got to hand pick everybody who was on that trip. That was a really cool opportunity for me to basically be able to not just, you know, agave aficionados. But I reached out a little bit more into the other side of like, you know, bartenders. We had some bartenders down there. We had some really cool people. It was their first Time, they're like, I've never been invited down. And, like, that was kind of like my thing was like, the people who's their first time. I was like, yes. I'm like, this is going to be awesome, because there's nothing like your first time. And I tell people every time we go on a trip, I'm like, this is your first time? Like, yeah. I'm like, I'm so jealous. Like, I'm jealous of people's first experience there, because there's nothing like it. And it's just, like. It's just such a cool experience. So. And then, you know, you saw the distillery. It's just. It's. That's where we produce. That's. That's the distillery. That's cool. But to me, the brand. Where the brand really drives home and connects is the jungle. And then going to Jose's hometown and where we source our natural spring water in Jose Tipaquilo. You see that town. You see how the brand has done so much for that town. The town has embraced the brand. You know, the. The rodeo ring with the. The cascade is rapper. You know, like, around it. Like, it's just. It's such a cool thing to see, like, a community that's really kind of dialed in and appreciates the brand. And that's really where a lot of the story behind Kiskana is. Is not told. The. You know, not just buying the spring water from the town, but we worked with the town to set up a school there so anybody who lives in that town can go to school and learn. Learn English. That was Jose's biggest thing. He's like, I've. The only reason why I was given the opportunity I have is because I could speak English. He's like, so I want that for my people from my town. And. And, like, you talk. Talk to him about. I'm like, we should talk about this morning. We do it because this is what you're supposed to do. I don't want to brag about it. I'm like, Jose, it's not bragging. It's just. It is a really cool part of the story that I think will connect with a lot of people and make people a little bit more sympathetic, but just, like, appreciative of. Of the things that the brand does. So, you know, that's. That's. That's a big part of part of it. But, you know, you got to see it. And there's something about this jungle juice, man, that. It was so good. Somebody really loved it. You know, the People, people bought it up and so they said, let's do another batch. So as this episode is going live, batch two will start to be rolling out. It's going to be on the shelves. This is a fun one to side by side with batch one. [00:49:35] Speaker A: I'm going to pour some batch two. That's not 140 proof. And I got to say, when we visited the town, yeah, that was a great time. I remember most of it up until the birthday cake. We had a little birthday party. I remember playing drums with a bunch of fireworks for a while. [00:49:54] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. [00:49:55] Speaker A: JP and I had a great walk into town and a walk home. That was a lot of fun. [00:49:59] Speaker B: Yep. [00:50:00] Speaker A: And yeah, it was amazing. And I, I think it's awesome what they do to learn about the water process and then to learn about what they're doing at the school. I think you, you and I have talked about it. You know where my giving back process is. [00:50:14] Speaker B: Yep. [00:50:15] Speaker A: Before you came on, I was fiddling with my guitar a little bit because I'm playing a show in July in Chicago to raise money for a orphanage in Cabo San Lucas. We will play a show in August in Indianapolis and then we'll play a five hour show in Cabo San Lucas. Last year, we raised 59,000 pesos for an orphanage. It was the fifth year a row. This year, 100,000 pesos to give back to an orphanage. And understanding that we take all day long, every day, we take their water, we take their food, we take their tradition, we take their hospitality. And unfortunately, we don't have a lot of ways to give back. And seeing Cascanes give back in the way of a school and teaching English there, which is so important, it warmed my heart to be honest with you. [00:51:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:51:01] Speaker A: And I go, damn, I'm glad they're doing that because that's the piece that a lot of, you know, a lot of companies miss. So, you know, I appreciate that they do that and that you're behind that. Thank you. [00:51:11] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it's. I think it's something that, you know, we talked about trying to get that story out there a little bit better without trying to make it seem like we're bragging. People have asked, like, how do I contribute stuff? It's in the works, you know, and the big thing is like, they, they just, they don't want it ever to be perceived as something negative or like, all right, well, I donated to this fund, but where's the money going kind of thing. There's a lot of those out there. You know, there's a lot of. You see these funds pop up and you're like, all right, sure, yeah, I think I'm doing my part. But is it actually going to where it's supposed to be going, or is it going to, you know, a. You know, a not for profit that has. Just paying people salaries? It's. It's tough. So. And especially with our industry, I feel like everybody has their own opinions of, like, what's going on. Everybody's opinionated before ever doing any type of research. [00:51:56] Speaker A: So I've only seen a couple that really give back. You know, we've been part of one that's really brought water to a small town and seen the whole perspective of an entire town change. And that's what people need to understand is it doesn't take thousands and thousands of dollars to change people's lives in Mexico. [00:52:17] Speaker B: No, it's. It's a little bit. Yeah. And just. And honestly, sometimes it's not even money. It's just showing up. [00:52:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:52:25] Speaker B: And like, just supporting and then that these people know, hey, we're supported somewhere. You know, I think that's a big part of. Of it as well. [00:52:33] Speaker A: So if. If somebody's out there wanting to help, a way to help is go buy Costanes, right? [00:52:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. That's essentially like helping go buy proceeds from the bottles do go back to the. Helping that community. And then the big thing, too, is, like, even with this, like the. With the noises, this special batch, if you find a bottle of this, Umberto is getting a percentage of this bottle. So he's. He's vetted in. He's like. He's all about it. This was a special release that we did where we. We went back to the dog, the original source, and we started, said, hey, you know, you were such a key part of the brain's development and beginning, and we'd love to, you know, do a special batch. And, you know, once they started bringing people down there and letting people try it, like Doug and Lucas, they were like, the first two that got to. They did, like, the pre tour tour, and they were like, yo, what is this? Like, this is the. They're like, this is the stuff we've been telling you about. They're like, you gotta. You gotta bottle this. And, like, it's, you know, stuff's in the works. It's happening. And so now power about, you know, batch twos is out there. Umberto's basically took all last year, small batches. You know, he totes everything up. Everything gets blended together and whatever the final Batch is whatever that proof is. That's where we, you know, stick the ABV on it. This year it's coming out. You got 96.2 proof, so 48.1. I think personally this batch, batch two is a little bit cleaner. [00:53:53] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm going to. [00:53:55] Speaker B: Right, it's like, it's got a little bit more. I, I know I'm going to sound like a, like a show, but I think it might be better. [00:54:04] Speaker A: It's amazing how close they are together though. And, and I'm going to say that because you go to this place in the jungle where he's making these really, really small batches, wood fired stills and squeezing it by hand and then you think, okay, how am I going to, to make, you know, a bunch of batches that are going to come to market in batch one and then how am I going to reproduce that in batch two and have it taste anything at all like what it tastes like. And it, it, it still carries the DNA of the original. But I agree it's a. You say cleaner. I was going to say lighter. It has this. Yeah, like it, it's almost a little more citrus as well. [00:54:46] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get high citrus notes a little bit. Maybe not, maybe not clear. A little more refined could be the word. You know, like it just, it's a little more, it's just got a little more going on. Silky mouth. Feel that, that, that finish on it. It like hits you like a, almost like a 9 volt battery on the tongue. [00:55:05] Speaker A: And it's a little sweeter though too. The batch tea has got a little bit more sweetness and the funkiness though is almost exactly the same. [00:55:13] Speaker B: Like the, yeah, the, the nose like it has that funk and even if you do the, the high proof, you know, the, the, the, the 140 that, that nose is there so the, the DNA is there. Yeah. And I think that just goes to show how cool agave spirits are where you know you're, this is a year later now, you know, you're dealing with a different crop of agave, a different, you know, a totally different, same process but different, different ingredient. And you're able to kind of mimic that same flavor profile but maybe get a little bit different results. You know, these agaves who know from, they might have been a little bit, you know, a little bit higher elevation than the first batch. So it's got a little more citrus to it, I think. You know, listening to Jimmy Souza talk about his tequila, he's been really one to kind of change my opinion a lot. Of people think, oh, all the flavor comes from the agave. Yeah, he, he's been harping in on fermentation, and I think that's a huge part of it. You know, it's like it's something that's almost not as talked about in tequila than it is in other spirits. And you're able to kind of manipulate that flavor profile by fermentation. And, you know, this is that open air, that, that natural ambient yeast that's there and is, you know, on his own equipment everywhere. You know, like, it's all part of that DNA, that recipe that makes it specifically what it is. So that's why, you know, people. I've already had people like, oh, well, which batch got the 100 point score? I'm like, well, it was batch one that got the 100 point score. I was like, but to me, the score is really just. It's solidifying that this process. Yeah, this process is making something really special. So keep an eye out for it. We submit it. I don't think after you get 100 point score, I don't think you ever submit anything ever again. [00:56:53] Speaker A: You know, I think I. I think we lose, we lose our thoughts when we talk about terroir. Because terroir isn't just agave and ground and, and the nature of the agave plant growing. Terroir is the ambient yeast. And where this is made and terroir is water. And where the water comes from, from. I mean, to face it, if we go to cascaline and we drink Cascal ween's water and then we go up to Humberto and we drink Umberto's water, there's a definite difference in what the minerality of that water is going to taste like. And how does that affect the tequila? Well, we're using what, 15 liters of water to 20 liters of water to make one liter of tequila. [00:57:34] Speaker B: Yes. [00:57:35] Speaker A: And you're going to tell me that it's just about where the agave grew and the flavor factory of all tequila. Tequila is definitely the fermentation process. You know, we manipulate that with wood, with fibers, without fibers, with music, with all of these things. Right. Those, those things all play an accord to what that tequila is going to taste like. So you tell me that you're going to make this in a way, and we're not going to pick up the DNA of that ambient yeast in that flavor as well. Terroir is so much more than where the agar agave's made. [00:58:08] Speaker B: It's. [00:58:08] Speaker A: If you think about agave's, made in all these different places. But you come back to a tequila like Ocho or a tequila like Tapatio or La Grimas. And we talk about these terroir of where the agave came from. Yet the thumbprint of what that tequila tastes like is still there. Yeah, so I, I believe it's part of it, but it's not all of it. And this. [00:58:29] Speaker B: Yeah, right here, this is proof of that pudding. Yeah, really, like, you know, just interesting. Just the whole process of it. Right. Like, and the fact that this guy's out there in the middle of nowhere just making this really kickass spirit is just such a cool, cool thing. And to be able to bring this to like, like Monday night we're going to be doing you. You know, we, we. The joke is we brought this from the jungles. At least go to the, to the top of the concrete jungle. We're doing an event in Manhattan bar, Bar Manhatta in Manhattan. But it's a sky, sky view bar. You know, like we're like, you're like 50 floors up. It's insane. Like the, the how on and how far it can go with the agave space right now and with the boom and the way everything's moving, it's just such a cool thing. That's what I love about this whole thing. It's. It's really just taking these, these producers, taking these, these passionate people who are behind it and just bringing it to a market and like just blowing people's minds. And when I, when I watch people try stuff like this at. At tastings and like, they just go, wow, what is this? You know, like, you know, just like, you're like, yeah, this is, this is cool. I'm like, I'm like, know you, you get it. We've passed it on. We've done our job. You know, they did our job. We passed it on to you. And now it's like, now these people are going to be aspired to go out there and just find better tequila or better agave spirits and, and understand, okay, there is a difference between this and the, this standard run of the mill stuff, you know, and it's just like, it's wild. [00:59:55] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree. And you know, one thing we got to say thank you to, and this sounds weird to say is thank you to Covid. Because if, if it wasn't for Covid, you may not have ever turned to video and put your personality out there, talked about your coffee. Because I watched you as a coffee guy. I've got a buddy that Owns a coffee company as a coffee roaster and, you know, went to all of these different places to get these different beans. And I was relating with what you were talking about, coffee wise. I actually just said it in a video where I. I mix a Red Bull with a tequila and I, I said, look, I'm no drink with Wayne, right? I. I'm just making tequila and Red Bull. My second one, I think I said, I'm no craft cartel, you know, but I'm not a cocktail guy. I can't make great cocktails. But I watch what you do, and it teaches me how to express those flavors and create something. And if it wasn't for guys like you who sat down and talked about this bourbon, talked about these coffees, and then thankfully got into tequila, there wouldn't be people like me and other people who watched you and have learned so much about agave spirits and bourbon and coff. And, you know, thanks. Thank you for taking that time. Thank you for filling up your board time during COVID to come out and share not only what you know, but your personality behind it. Because you, you have a fantastic personality and ability to share. And I appreciate that. Oh, thanks for doing that. [01:01:18] Speaker B: Thank you, man. I appreciate it. Yeah, they, you know, like I said, I started this. It was a fun project and. But I 100% think, you know a lot of people. That's the biggest thing. I hate when I hear people like, oh, these influencers and blah, blah, blah. Mike the. Listen, I wouldn't know about half of these tequilas if it wasn't for people like Long Island Lou, Louis, Fern, Lucas Assis. Those, to me, like, those are. Those guys were like the OG Follows, you know, Rob from the Tequila Collective. Like, when I first started diving into tequila, they were my, like, the beacon, you know, they're like, hey, this guy. They're talking about cool stuff. I want to, I want to listen up, I want to pay attention. Whatever is on their list, I'm going to go out and I'm going to go find it. And this is what I'm going to try because, you know, I had, you know, like, my experience with tequila was like, I thought Espalone was one of my favorites back in the day. And it was pretty good when it first started. And then they sold it off as. As those do, you know, whatever, you know, and then like it. But there's like, you know, like, so your, your tequilas, your selections, you're just. A lot of the time, it's. You go buy whatever you think looks cool on the shelf. And then you have no idea how it's made or why it's supposed to be good or what it's even supposed to taste like. So, you know, but to be able to watch people online and, and, and learn about it and like, all right, well, they're talking about these brands. Let me go find these. And then it's. You know, the biggest thing I tell people all the time is like, you know, if you're going to be influenced to the point where you didn't go out and make that decision for yourself, that's a you problem. That's not a me problem. I'm just, like I said, I'm just here talking about what I think is good. If you go out there and you're like, oh, well, this guy made me buy it. I'm like, well, you're a little bit. Call me an influencer, sure, but you're the influenced. You know, like, that's. That'. You got to be able to take it with a grain of salt. Learn on your own. Find what works for your palette. There's some tequilas out there. There's some Mezcals out there that I've tried that. Some people love it. I'm just like, I don't get it. You know, like, it just. It is what it is. So I could see why certain brands, you know, certain people like, no, it's not for me. And I get it. I'm like, yeah, I. I have a few of those on my own, you know, and. But for me, it's. I'm all about just talking about the stuff that I think I like, and because I want people to know about that stuff. And I, you know, when I first started doing videos, I dabbled in like, this bourbon sucks. You shouldn't drink this. And like, all that did was just drive negativity. And you get people and like, at the end of the day, and this is, this is one of the things that people was like, oh, you only talk about good stuff. I was like, no, no, no. I only talk about the stuff that passes my standards. I have a. I have a. I have a standard. This is what I like. If a brand checks all these boxes, I will make a post about them. But at the end of the day, if it doesn't pass my palate, I'm not going to. To talk about it, and I won't talk about it if it's good or bad, you know, especially if it's bad. I don't want to be. I don't want to be the one who's out there and goes and tells people that, like somebody who worked those fields, you know, the humidors, who work those fields to harvest those agaves, you know, worked freaking all day out there harvesting agave, or the guy who works in the distillery or the person who works in the bottling line, you know, sweating all day bottling bottles by hand. And for me, who. Who am I to get on the Internet and go, this thing sucks? You know, to me, that's just like such a. Just. I'm like, I don't want to be a part of that. I don't want to be. I don't want to ever have. I don't want to ever have somebody question what I do for a living. So, like, I don't want to be the one who's out there, you know, speaking bad or speaking ill of other brands. If I don't like it, I just won't give it the time of the day. And I think, you know, avoiding negativity is a huge thing. Blocking out the bad and just kind of just focusing on the good, positive part of the community. And then that's, you know, to me, that's those trips. It's like, you know, I interact with the people in the community that I think are doing the right thing or who are of, like, mind and have a, you know, a good head on their shoulders, are really passionate about what they're doing. And to be able to now have the position to kind of extend that olive branch and be like, hey, would you like to come down to Mexico and give people that opportunity? To me, it's awesome. Like, and that's just what I love about this job now is, like, to be able to work on that and pass these tequilas around a table and have conversations with people and just. It's just. It's everything I ever want, but I didn't even know at the time. And this is exactly what I wanted. It just happened to be that way. You know, it's pretty cool. And the agave industry, I tell people all the time, I'm like, there's so many people like, oh, I. You know, I think I'm going to start posting content. And I always go, well, well, what do you. Why? I was like, the biggest. The biggest. I was. I tell people the two things. There's two things that you need to add to. To do to be a content creator. The first thing is you got to ask yourself, why. Why are you doing this? What are you looking to get out of this? What are you looking to give out of this and then the other thing, start today, because if you sit there and you go, oh, no, tomorrow I'm going to buy the camera light and I'll get all set up and then, and then I'll record a video tomorrow. You're never going to do it. Just, just do it. Start with your phone, Pick up your phone. Everybody's got a cell phone in front of them. Pick it up, record a video, put it online, see what happens. Your first video is going to suck. Your tenth video is going to suck. Your, your 1000th video might suck. You know, so, like, it doesn't matter. Somewhere along the way, by repetition and practice and actually just putting yourself, yourself out there, you're going to find the right audience and the right people will click. And if it's meant to be and if it's something that it's supposed to happen, it's going to happen. People will naturally gravitate towards it. People will resi, you know, resonate with that and they will, they'll, they'll pick up on your vibe and they'll just be like, hey, I want to be part of this. And like, you know, now you have a thing going. But I always tell people, like, the biggest thing was for me was just posting that first video that was like. And that's why I did it on TikTok, because I had Instagram, I had some like, friends and family who followed me. I had people from the coffee business, people from the show chef business that like, followed me. So I was like, I, I can't be like. I was like, I'm gonna go on Tick Tock where nobody knows that I'm posting there. And it was, it was able for me to just kind of be like, all right, cool. And I did that for a year. And then after that I was like, all right, cool. I gotta, gotta do Instagram as well, because this is part of the business. And you know, TikTok, eventually half the videos, some people see em, some people don't. Yeah, you know, gotta post on all platforms. So that was, that was my, my, my moment. But yeah, I think it's just, you know, just, just do it. I tell everybody if you're passionate about it and you want to come to the table and give something back and all for me, giving back is just sharing the knowledge and sharing information. So it's awesome, you know. [01:07:37] Speaker A: Okay, so I got, I got one couple of things I want to say. One, I agree with you. We're actually in a Facebook post that's going on right now about why we don't do negative reviews or positive reviews. And I always say, look, I, I'm just a guy from Indiana who has an opinion, so I don't want to step on somebody's business and say something negative about it. I've always been an entrepreneur and a business owner and it's not my job to say, your business sucks. So I, I don't do it. I. If it's negative or if it's something I don't like, I'm going to call you and have a conversation. So then here's a question I, I like to ask brand owners. If you've made it to the end of my brand interviews, you've heard this question. So you're, you're not a brand owner, but you've done all of these things. Things. So what I want to say is if you could pick a tequila or, you know, you're, you're more spiritual rounded than most people I talk to. If you could grab a spirit that you would love to sit down and share, who. Somebody past, present, alive, dead, family famous, whatever. What is a spirit and who is a person that you'd like to sit down and kind of share what this has been like with you and where your life is today and all the unexpected things that have happened. Who would you want to sit down and share that with and what would you share with them? [01:08:55] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a, that's a, that's a good one. You try to think of like, who's a like cool celebrity or somebody influential. Not to get all emotional, but definitely my pop, you know, like he passed and it was, I. Where's the bottle? Hang on. So this was kind of like, I've shared this story on Social. I'll try to do it without crying. This bottle is my most important bottle of liquor in my entire house. It's a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black. I bought this for St. Patrick's Day one year, went over to my parents house and my grandfather and I, we sat there and we got it down to about the Johnny. We sat there, we had a great time. We're just talking, you know, business and you know, it was like, it just, you know, hey, how's your business going? How's your life going? Have a really great conversation. And before we knew it, it was late and we just said, hey, you know, let's put a cap on this one. We'll finish it for Christmas. And Christmas never came. He passed away before Christmas, so we never got to finish that bottle. And then that was one of the bottles I had it. It's usually up on my top, top shelf. People come over and they go, why do you have that bottle of Gianni Black up there? I'm like, well, this is. To me, this is my inspirational bottle. It was the one that I'm eventually going to get some more. And we'll just kind of keep refilling it so it never really. Never really ends. But every year I have a little sip around St. Patrick's Day. But that was the thing. I think my pop was very influential in who I am now and where I've gotten to now. The. That fact. Fact that, like, just to kind of to. To be able to travel the world, see all these different things that I remember, you know, when I was a kid, he would always be, hey, just got back from Japan and would bring me, like, little, like a napkin from, you know, a cocktail bar in Japan. It was, like, cool. Like his, you know, this, like, flag from Mexico. And I got a cocktail glass that he stole from his, like, his favorite bar in San Francisco. Like, all these just, like, little things, swizzle sticks from Pan Am flights and all these things. He would always bring stuff that big back. But, like, to me, like, I said to. To start the interview, like, it was always a positive experience around alcohol. And it was always just like, hey, let's have a conversation. Let's have a drink. Let's slow things down and enjoy it. So if I had to do it, I would really like him to try tequila. Yeah. You know. Cause like. Or especially some mezcal where, like, you know, like, as a. As a scotch drinker, I feel like he could probably really get in on that. And some of these, like, little more earthier, funkier mezcals, where you got the smoke and you got a little bit of that. That just that funk that goes. It'd be really cool to sit there with a conversation and enjoy a nice. You know, maybe. Maybe a number nine in Yahoo or something like that. But. Yeah, that's. That's. That's gonna be my answer. I'm gonna go sentimental. [01:11:50] Speaker A: Great. Great answer. Of course. Never met him. I've only met you, but I know this about you and I can assume this about him, that he would look at what you've done, the work that you've put into this, the knowledge that you've built, and how you're able to share this to people. He could be nothing but incredibly proud of you. [01:12:08] Speaker B: Yes. [01:12:09] Speaker A: And I. I gotta say thanks for letting me in. Thanks for letting me be a part of what you do. And, Wayne, I truly, really, really appreciate you, and thanks for doing this tonight. I've got a little bit of 140 proof in here. I want to say cheers to you, my friend. Thanks for doing this, buddy. [01:12:31] Speaker B: You know, I think that's the big thing about all this. It's not just the. The opportunities that have come. Come your way, but, like, the people you get to meet, you know? And I think that's the most important thing is these. These relationships that we've. We've founded through just putting yourself on the Internet. You know, it's just kind of weird how. How it works, but there's. There's so. So many people. You. You meet them in. In real life, and it's just like, you could tell. I feel like you could tell who people are by their social media, and then that's why, like, there's certain people. I'm like, I'll just. It's all it takes is I'll see your video and reach out and be like, hey, let's hang out. You know, like, you're a cool dude. I want to hang out with you. [01:13:06] Speaker A: You know, let's be genuine. [01:13:08] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So next time I'm in Indiana, I'm swinging by. We're doing it in studio.