story: JAKE EMEN
illustration: ANGIE WANG
WILL CRAFT SPIRITS MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF CRAFT BEER?
From the distillery’s perspective, selling to a larger company provides serious benefits aside from quick cash. The first is better distribution. “Multinationals have huge advantages with distributors,” says Josh Morton, co-owner and founder of Brooklyn’s independently owned Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur. By providing huge volume across potentially dozens of brands, the big boys are essentially guaranteed space on store shelves. “Through their contracts with the distributors, they’re able to push products out into the market,” Morton says. “Craft producers simply are not given that opportunity.”