One day after launch, in the small office of Gold Grain Soju House. Two men opened the door and came in at the same time. One was bald and short, but his gaze was sharp and he wore thick horn-rimmed glasses; the other was a tall Black man.
From the moment they saw each other, they openly eyed one another with caution.
“You don’t seem to have much experience for someone handling a distilled spirit of a kind no one’s seen before.”
“Experience isn’t what matters. If your distribution network isn’t as wide as ours, won’t you run into limits?”
The two men glared at each other, sparks flying in their eyes, but they said nothing more and quietly took their seats.
About five minutes later, Jacob and an Asian man entered the office.
“Oh? You both came at the same time? Wasn’t one of your meetings scheduled for thirty minutes later?”
At Jacob’s question, the tall Black man spoke.
“I have a habit of always arriving thirty minutes early for meetings. I’m Malcolm Lee. Vice president of Unity Spirits. If this is inconvenient...”
“No. It’s not inconvenient.”
After shaking hands with him, the short bald man immediately introduced himself as well.
“Harold Burns, president of Burns & Company.”
“Good to meet you. Please, come in this way.”
Once the two men were seated, Jacob glanced at me, then sat down across from them. He could still manage making liquor on his own, but when it came to dealing with people, he seemed to rely on me quite a lot.
“It just so happened that we’ll be speaking with both of you together.”
Jacob had only said it to fill the awkward silence, but Harold pushed up his glasses and replied.
“When there’s good liquor, competition naturally follows. Do you happen to have any water? This conversation is going to take a while.”
“Of course. Just a moment...”
I went and brought drinks on a tray, served them, then sat down beside Jacob.
At the center of the conference table sat a bottle of The One Premium Rice Vodka. Harold picked up the bottle and said,
“I was quite surprised when I tasted the sample of The One that first arrived. It’s clean, but not without character. Perhaps because it’s liquor made by a farm that grows rice, the aroma of grain lingers faintly and makes its presence known. We were able to see the potential in this liquor.”
He set the bottle down and spoke bluntly.
“This should not be sold as a mass-market drink.”
Jacob’s brows rose slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“If it’s an Eastern liquor, you need to sell mystique. Restrained aesthetics. Quiet empty space. We call that sort of thing ‘Zen Vodka.’ Hotel lounges, Michelin restaurants, wine bars... This should be sold quietly in those kinds of spaces.”
His tone was calm, yet filled with conviction. Jacob frowned and asked,
“Are you talking about the Zen Vodka that Phillips Distilling Company started selling?”
“So you know it?”
I knew it had caused quite a stir when it first launched, but now its popularity was fading to the point that it was hard to find in California. Naturally, Jacob had been curious about it and had gone out of his way to get a bottle and try it.
Aside from that, the Japanese sake-based TY KU Liqueur had launched last year, and this year, Hana Flavored Sake, a Hawaii-based sake brand, had launched. It was the time when sake, the Japanese liquor, was just beginning to enter the American market.
“I know it. Black bottle with a bamboo illustration. It started selling in 2003, but now...”
Harold took out a tablet and showed us a mock-up with the slogan, “The One, Spirit of Balance.”
“We intend to create a story. We’ll brand the mystique of the East and its serene atmosphere itself. The key is building the brand image. And if you grant us exclusive territory, we promise to pre-purchase 100 cases, or 1,200 bottles, every three months in the first year of the contract.”
At that moment, Malcolm, who had been listening from the side, snorted.
“That was a fine artistic promotion. Quite different from us in a great many ways.”
Harold’s face twisted sharply. Jacob, intrigued, asked,
“Then does Unity Spirits have a different strategy?”
“Of course.”
He lightly pointed to the bottle.
“The One needs to become a trend. It needs to go into bars in LA and San Francisco, fusion restaurants run by young chefs, and Fashion Week after-parties.”
“You’re saying you’ll put an Eastern liquor in clubs? Are you trying to make it cheap?”
Harold looked dumbfounded, as if the idea was absurd. Malcolm smiled gently and spread his palm.
“No. I’m not saying we should make it cheap. I’m saying it needs to approach the public in a familiar way. Young people these days want both ‘coolness’ and an ‘exotic sensibility.’ In truth, the coolness young people talk about is based on a kind of superiority, the feeling that I’m different from everyone else. Do you know why that ‘Zen Vodka’ you mentioned is quietly dying out? Because people don’t drink it in places where others can see them. Then they have no choice but to reach for what’s familiar.”
He took out a poster mock-up he had already prepared. Behind the bottle of The One, white grains of rice scattered like rain, and below it were the words “Asian Fusion Vodka.”
“We intend to brand The One as the liquor of a new era. Not just some curious drink from the East, but a cool drink that young people can use to show off how different they are. On top of that, if you give us exclusive distribution rights, we’ll pre-purchase 500 cases immediately. That should tell you how confident we are in The One’s success.”
Jacob looked back and forth between the two men. Both strategies seemed valid. One was quiet and refined, while the other was fast and intense.
“First, let us discuss this for a moment.”
After hesitating, Jacob immediately pulled me to my feet and we stepped outside the building.
“Which one do you think is better?”
“Wouldn’t Unity Spirits be better? They mentioned Zen Vodka, which is practically dying right now, and Burns & Company isn’t really putting forward any strategy that’s different from that.”
“Hmm... That’s true, isn’t it? And they did say they’d pre-purchase 500 cases.”
Five hundred cases, or 6,000 bottles. Since we were thinking of a wholesale price of 11 dollars per bottle, that came to 66,000 dollars. Ridiculously enough, just those 500 cases alone already exceeded the revenue from the rice sold by the farm this year.
The rice needed to make those 500 cases was only 5 tons. Considering that the farm’s profit from selling 200 tons of rice had been 58,000 dollars, it was clear that the revenue from selling the raw material as-is and the revenue from processing it were on completely different levels.
“Even aside from that, Unity Spirits seems to have a firm picture of its own, while Burns & Company just felt like they were trying to persuade us on the fly because a new liquor came out.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Jacob went right back into the office and extended his hand to Harold first.
“Thank you for coming. But I think we’ll have to sign with the other side.”
Perhaps Harold had already prepared himself to some degree, because he accepted the result with a displeased expression.
“I see. I hope you won’t regret it.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Having taken a hit from Malcolm in a head-on match, Harold left the office bitterly. Malcolm, who had won the contest, smiled triumphantly and said,
“Choosing us was an excellent decision. You won’t regret it.”
“I hope that’s how it turns out. We’ll be counting on you.”
“There was one thing I was curious about. Usually vodka comes standard in 750 ml bottles, so is there a reason you used a 500 ml bottle while presenting it as rice vodka?”
“Ah, that? The owner of the bar where I held the tasting and had our first tasting told me this. If it’s the same as existing vodka, there’s no reason to buy ours. If we try to differentiate it only by saying the ingredients are different, from the producer’s perspective it may feel different, but from the consumer’s perspective, wouldn’t there be no real difference?”
“That’s a good point of view.”
“So instead of the thick bottles existing vodkas have, we used a thin, slender bottle to differentiate it, and we reduced the volume as well. Women might feel that too large a bottle is burdensome. Overall, we also paid attention to the aesthetics of the bottle.”
“Oh, I see. The bottle design was a big help in our initial decision to target the younger generation.”
“My friend here runs a winery, and I was inspired by seeing how fruit wines, like cherry wine, use slim and pretty bottles.”
“My goodness... Let me ask you one thing. Your age...?”
“My friend and I just turned twenty-one.”
His mouth fell open, and he looked as if he couldn’t believe it.
“You’re saying you’re the owner of a distillery at only twenty-one?”
“That’s right.”
“I can’t believe it.”
As he clicked his tongue in amazement, something seemed to occur to him. He looked at Jacob and me, raised his hand, and said,
“Instead of just the liquor, what if we also brand the story between the distillery owner and the winery owner?”
“Pardon?”
“Think about it. A distillery owner and a winery owner who are only twenty-one years old...”
“I wouldn’t exactly say I’m the owner.”
When I shook my head, Jacob widened his eyes and said,
“You make all the wine. He also taught me all my brewing techniques. He’s teaching Armando the secret to vinegar, and he’s also teaching Chloe about cherry farming and pear farming.”
“Is that true?”
When Malcolm stared straight at me in surprise, I put on an uncomfortable expression.
“Haha, well, one thing just led to another...”
“Good. I’ll put together a proper concept. Something about young farm-owner friends challenging the American alcohol market. And The One will be the first challenge as a distilled spirit. Do you happen to have plans for a second one as well?”
“For the second, I’m thinking not of a clean feel like vodka, but something with the feel of a traditional Korean liquor. We’re planning to make it premium and upscale.”
“Like sake?”
“Something similar.”
“Perfect. Good. The two of you... no, including your other friends, that makes four of you, right?”
Unlike me, who frowned at an ominous feeling, Jacob answered excitedly.
“Yes!”
“Would it be possible for the four of you to set aside some time and do an interview shoot together?”
“Who would the interview be with?”
Malcolm lifted one corner of his mouth, pointed at Jacob, and said in a low voice,
“Blender.”
At that moment,
“My God! We’re doing an interview with Blender?”
Blender Magazine, published from 2001 to 2009, was an American music and pop culture magazine. With people like Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Eminem, Beyoncé, and Maroon 5 frequently appearing on its cover, it was a magazine with huge influence over young people. It was no wonder Jacob looked enchanted the moment he heard the name.
“As you know, Blender runs ads for spirits like whiskey and vodka, and our company’s ads appear there as well. That means we can make a strong pitch to the magazine. They’ll definitely be interested. It’s liquor made by young people, after all.”
“Of course. It’s amazing liquor. The wine this friend here made won two Double Golds at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Two wines from one winery, and two Double Golds at the same time. Can you believe that?”
At Jacob’s excited explanation, Malcolm once again looked as if he couldn’t believe it and suddenly grabbed my hand.
“What on earth kind of talent do you have? I can’t sit still for this. If Blender won’t do the interview, then I’ll make sure Maxim, or Rolling Stone... or even a place like GQ publishes one.”
“Listen. I know you’re excited, but please focus more on Jacob than on me.”
At my words, he gave a subtle smile and nodded.
“As expected... You’re thinking Blender and high-end wine don’t quite match in tone, aren’t you? Okay. I understand completely. Don’t worry. Ah, as for wine distribution...?”
“We already have a client.”
“Oh... That’s unfortunate. But I hope you’ll remember that Unity Spirits can always help you.”
After saying something that would have made Christopher explode with rage on the spot and do a somersault through the air if he had heard it, Malcolm focused on Jacob again.
“If your friend makes the decision, I’ll inform the magazine and try to schedule the interview. I’m sure the magazine will be interested, but above all, it will be a tremendous help to your friends’ business. As you know, it’s Blender.”
“That’s true. Every young person who enjoys alcohol and clubs reads Blender.”
“I’m already excited. The image of young Americans holding The One in one hand, listening to music, and chatting. I feel like I can see The One’s future.”
Listening from the side, I was impressed by Malcolm’s almost bewitching way with words. It didn’t seem like he was completely lying, but I wondered if he wasn’t painting too rosy a future. Well, the results would become clear with time.
The two shook hands and immediately signed the contract. Then, the next day, a Unity Spirits truck arrived in front of the distillery and loaded up 500 cases of The One.
No one knew what the future would bring, but one thing was certain. Right now, 66,000 dollars had appeared in Jacob’s bank account.
That was the most important thing.