The Monthly Mash: September 2020

ACSA’s 2021 Distillers Convention & Vendor Trade Show is scheduled for July 25-27 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. We hope you can join us as we return to in-person events! Attendee and exhibitor registration will open soon, so watch this space!

ACSA: As a newly elected board member, what are your top priorities for the coming year?

Gina Holman: I am grateful for the opportunity and honored to serve the members of the American Craft Spirits Association. My top priorities are to focus efforts with our State Guild Committee leadership across the country to educate and persuade our elected officials in Congress to permanently reduce FET this year. Our state guild members are a vital voice to communicate the data that shows the FET reduction in 2019 allowed craft distillers to add new jobs, improvements and upgrades made to tasting and cocktail rooms that bolstered local tourism, benefiting small business and restaurants, while others invested in equipment to expand capacity which improved economic growth in other industries in our communities. COVID-19 has changed the landscape for so many including our craft spirits industry. ACSA members and craft distillers have proven our industry has grit, determination and a unified voice to get FET reduced permanently so our industry can continue to grow during these challenging times. I will stay informed on the proposed changes to Dietary Guidelines. I am passionate about education and look forward to working with the Education Committee and Convention Committee and can’t wait to discuss the relevant topics that interest you which are affecting our fast-changing industry. I ask you to encourage fellow distillers to join ACSA and I look forward to the day when we can raise a glass together in Louisville, Kentucky, in July 2021.

Can you tell us a little more about the importance of ACSA working with state guilds? 

I have been honored to be ACSA Guild Committee Co-Chair with P.T. Wood this past year, working with state guild leaders to make many phone calls, which secured a hard-fought, one-year extension of our reduced FET last December 2019. Just two weeks ago, I was thrilled to see many of the same state guild leaders who wanted to make a difference for our craft spirits industry and made it a priority to actively participate in the virtual ACSA-DISCUS Public Policy Conference. The virtual fly-in was an incredible opportunity for state guild leadership to be briefed on the importance of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, while encouraging distillers to discuss with their elected officials and staff members other public policies affecting our industry in our own individual states.

We have much work left to do this year. It’s more important now than ever for us to share our unique distillery stories and I’m grateful to ACSA for supporting our members and inviting them to participate on the Craft Spirits Live segment and to receive invaluable information with the free ACSA Webinars. These programs have been instrumental for members to learn and share their successes and challenges. ACSA is connecting our member-driven industry so we can learn from each other, continue to innovate, encourage, and share ideas. When questions arise, the ability to ask straightforward questions on how to get started in this industry is the most important step.

Before J. Carver, you had a lot of experience in hospitality. What’s it been like for you in the pandemic to shift away from “normal” interactions with consumers? And in what unique ways is J. Carver engaging consumers during these times?

Our J. Carver Distillery & Cocktail Room was founded by an experienced group and has built a culture around collaboration, fun and hospitality. We were always around each weekend at the distillery in our cocktail & tasting room welcoming guests, pouring samples of our grain-to-glass spirits, and creating craft cocktails. Our distillery is located in the farming heart of Carver County, Minnesota, and we work directly with our local wineries and breweries to promote tourism in our area, which benefited everyone including our local restaurants and small business.

At the beginning of the year, everything looked like it was on track to be a banner year. But the pandemic was a direct hit to our hospitality industry. We have temporarily closed our tasting room since March. In an effort to support local, our team regrouped and redirected our energy by collaborating with and helping promote other locally owned small businesses. We worked with our distributor and a number of local retailers and created cocktail kits with easy-to-follow recipes using our J. Carver spirits and cocktail mixes crafted by other small companies in Minnesota. These kits were made for the at-home bartender to enjoy in the comfort of their home while still supporting small family-owned businesses.

I’ve continued to create short videos inviting and encouraging our followers to stop by their neighborhood restaurants in and around the Twin Cities known for incredible and creative cuisine and unique craft cocktails based on locally-sourced ingredients and encourage them to enjoy a specialty J. Carver cocktail on the patio or invite them to dine in or order takeout from the restaurant. Our neighborhood family-owned restaurants have been hit hard so we are trying to do everything we can to support them. I’m also using all the advancements with technology and teaching a number of cocktail classes virtually. The virtual cocktail classes have been an incredible way for us to tell our story and reach new people across the state who want to learn about J. Carver Distillery.

Are there any new products coming soon from J. Carver that you are particularly excited about?

Indeed. J. Carver has spent six years exploring and celebrating the bounty of Minnesota grains, fruits and botanicals and has forged community relationships with farmers and barrels coopers from right down the road. J. Carver is proud to be putting Minnesota-barreled spirits on the map with our award-winning line of bourbons, ryes, and wheat whiskeys, brandies, barrel gin, specialty liqueurs, and now, we are proud to announce the launch of two different whiskies distilled from a single malt. With all the challenges over the past six months, our J. Carver Distillery team continues to be optimistic. It’s an exciting time to be a craft distillery in the United States as we enter into this emerging single malt category. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks just in time for gift-giving during the holidays.

Any additional advice or words of wisdom for your peers in the distilling community as we navigate these uncharted waters?

These have definitely been challenging times. Everyone should be congratulated on adjusting and moving forward and listening to each other’s concerns during these difficult times. The advice I give is to set some realistic goals over the next few months for you and your team and follow through. Our craft distilling industry is made up of passionate people who love to connect with others in our communities and related industries. Hold on tight to that passion and reach out to a fellow colleague if you have questions or need advice. Learn something new in your business every day. Continue to do what you do because you love it, not because you think it is going to give you financial reward, fame or glory. Do it because it fulfills you and then give yourself the opportunity to be challenged and grow. Allow yourself to show up differently and bring innovative and creative ideas to light for your family, business and community. We have the opportunity to share what we have learned and pour our passion and knowledge into a future generation of craft distillers so they can learn, grow and prosper in our communities for decades to come.

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