Pushing Through My Fears

Hi! It’s been a while … a long while. When I realized I am creeping up on my 1yr mark since my last post, I wanted to make sure I pass that moment with a fresh, new, shiny post. So here I am, saying “Hello!” again (thanks Adele), and getting over my “it’s been soooo long since my last post how will I ever blog again???” fear.

“Pushing Through My Fears” could (should?) be a multi-post series as it is something I actively do nearly every. single. day. and something I know everyone faces, no matter where you are in life.  My inspiration for this post came when I heard myself correcting someone after he labeled me as “fearless” — flattered as I was, I am certainly not without fear — it’s just that I do my best to not let my fears prevent me from going after my ultimate goals, no matter the size or impact of said goal.

How do I do that?

• Step 1: Address fear
  • Sometimes I actually have to say out loud, to myself, “I am scared of ___!” Just doing that diminishes the fear’s power over me 8 times out of 10. If that works, jump to Step 7!
• Step 2: Allow yourself to be vulnerable
  • …publicly, with your “inner circle” or even just to yourself (this is a fun one, it humanizes you!)
• Step 3: Visualize ideal outcome
• Step 4: Brainstorm all possible avenues to get to ideal outcome
  • Again, solo and/or with others
• Step 5: Commit to a plan
  • …while always being open to “of the moment” changes
• Step 6: Start taking action on your chosen plan
  • If it feels overwhelming, break the plan down into the SMALLEST pieces possible and truly take them one at a time.
• Step 7: CELEBRATE your action-taking self!!!
  • YAY! I toasted the day I first filed for my LLC! Heck, I toast every single milestone I feel I cross with Brenne Whisky still today! When they say “it’s about the journey” I believe it – so I make it a conscious choice to genuinely love the small victories each and every time.

 

While “fearful me” thinks I should not dare publish a post without giving you a lengthy update on all the great things that have happened with Brenne since last I blogged (like, oh … I don’t know … the fact that I LAUNCHED A SECOND BRENNE WHISKY EXPRESSION called “Brenne Ten” and that Brenne Ten WON 2 GOLD MEDALS AS “2nd World Best Single Malt” AND “Best European Single Malt” in London’s ‘Wizard’s of Whisky’ 2015 competition … AND perhaps the very important fact that BRENNE launched in FRANCE in 2015 … and in the USA grew from 24 to 32 states) the “pushing through my fear” part of me says, “just publish what you have … you can always write more posts tomorrow!”

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd that is why I didn’t blog much in 2015. I worked really hard, didn’t know how to distill down all that I wanted to share into decently-written posts (believe me, I tried, I have 23 posts in my drafts folder!) and traveled a ton to humbly & with honor grow this “little whisky brand that can” called Brenne. You know, the one with the blue label from France? Yea … that one) 😀

(PHOTOGRAPH by the amazing SARAH BAUMBERGER of “Beautiful Tangible Things” blog and a guest writer on “It’s Just The Booze Dancing” blog!)

If you want more – please follow BRENNE and ME on Instagram. That’s where I have been most active this past year! Thanks for sticking with me!!! Be back … soon 😉

~Cheers~

 

 

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Celebrate World Whiskies

Felt compelled to write this quick post as I’ve just returned from launching Brenne in France (yay!), the always-lovely Ian Chang, master distiller of the Taiwanese company Kavalan, just won Icons of Whisky Global “Master Distiller of the Year” (Congrats Ian!), we ourselves have won a few awards for Brenne recently (a Drammie for Most Innovative Whisky and 2 gold medals from Wizards of Whisky for our up-coming Brenne Ten!) AND it’s International Whisky Day.

Point being: World Whiskies are here to stay.

The International Whisky category does not only account for the Japanese whiskies. There are a lot of amazing and note-worthy distilleries from unexpected corners of the earth making phenomenal whiskies.  Just look at our friends over at Mackmyra, Amrut & Sullivan’s Cover (to name a few)!

So if you’re contemplating hosting a whisky tasting anytime soon, informally or formally, maybe think about taking a “Single Malt Tour” around the world, trying one from France, Sweden, Japan, Tasmania, Taiwan, Indian … could be a fun way to travel in the comfort of your own home!

A little sampling of what I’ll be digging into this weekend!

There is certainly no shortage of passion within our whisky community and it’s really exciting to experience that expanding in every aspect from what’s actually in our glasses to the conversations we’re having on social media, at the bar and beyond. I’m honored to be part of an ever-growing category and one where I think we may find a lots of innovation now and in the years to come.

So HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WHISKY DAY to you all – I’ll raise a glass of Brenne to you all this weekend!

#worldwhiskies #internationalwhiskyday #drinkbrenne

Me in Paris with a bottle from the first batch of Brenne made for France!

2015 Is Definitely Here

I blinked and it was January 22, 2015. Not just January… But nearing the END of January.

Running your own business (no matter the industry) is an extremely humbling experience. Every day I metaphorically climb mountains and hike through strange new lands – each time requiring that I quickly learn the local dialect, customs and culture.  Good thing I love to dance & am quick on my feet!

As a solopreneur working extremely hard to build awareness of my Brenne Whisky, I have found a bit balance this past year by running regularly and meditating (the inspirations for which I share often on my personal Instagram page). When I take stock of where things are with Brenne at the moment, I’m simply elated. By November 2013, we were available in 4 States around the USA. By November 2014, Brenne was available in 28. TWENTY-EIGHT!!!!! That’s an average of 2 states per month consistent growth over the course of 12 month. And we just opened Maine this week. The wider availability of Brenne in the US market coupled with the showering of amazing press of even just the last handful of weeks(!!) (Forbes, CBS Morning Show, Men’s Health, Boston Globe, Men’s Journal, NY Observer!!!) confirms for me that I’m on the right path.

If we’re friends on Facebook, you’ve probably tired of my “OMG, ___x___ Magazine just wrote about me/Brenne!” posts. (Sorry). I try not to do that too many times but I do want to share, shout out & give thanks for those in the press who have taken the time to share my story. Yet last week – just 7 days ago – I was in a prestigious restaurant in NYC and the after tasting Brenne, the head bartender looked up at me and said with a genuine smile on his face, “It’s really different, in a good way … Has anyone written about it yet? I mean, in the media? That would probably help bring some awareness to what you’re doing.”

Internally, I was laughing and shaking my head in disbelief. Externally, I thanked him for the advice, mentioned a few of the recent articles we’ve received but ultimately, was grateful that clearly he liked Brenne enough to try and offer his two cents as to how I could grow my business.

There is always more work to do, however, I feel that the U.S. finally has the beginnings of a great foundation. We’re growing steadily (thanks to many of you!!!!) and I have lots of hopes for this year ahead, including the release of something extremely special, super limited and, in my humble opinion, ridiculously delicious coming to you this Fall.  …Yup, you’ll want to stay tuned!

In the mean time, one more lucky country is about to get Brenne … Who you ask? I’ll be back soon with the details!

So as we near the end of the first of only 12 months in what I expect to be another year of fleeting, albeit beautiful moments, I raise my glass to you: Cheers to you, your friends, families and drinking buddies. I hope 2015 is a year filled with special experiences, love and plenty of great whisky.

#DrinkBrenne

 

Overwhelming Joy – Brenne Turns 2

First, I want to THANK you ALL for continuing to stay with me throughout this journey of launching my whisky, Brenne.  I certainly do not blog as often as I use to but it’s amazing to me to see how many of you are still here, how many new people are following along and how much traffic comes to this site from all over the world. THANK YOU. I hope to continue conversing & sharing with each of you.]

On the morning of Brenne’s 2nd Anniversary of being on the market, I find myself having flashbacks to some incredible points over this past year.  The things I think most about are not the gains I’ve made business-wise (though those are awesome!), but rather the people who have stepped into my world to cheer me along and extend a hand. You know who you are; you send me the most amazing tweets, FB comments, text messages. You write to me through the Brenne website to share with me your 1st experiences of enjoying Brenne. You’re store owners who tell me about your patrons telling other patrons about my whisky.  You stand around my table at the whisky events bringing other strangers over to try what you’re proudly shouting to be “one of the best whiskies of the show!” You’re the group of Scotch distillers who told me that your brand ambassadors brought some Brenne back for you from the States and you stash it secretly behind your stills to enjoy a nip at the end of a long day (true story!!!). You’re the people who promise to come back to my tasting event with friends … and actually do. You tell me about the times in your life you pull out “the” Brenne; with your sons, your brothers, your sisters, fathers, mothers and friends – and the sweet moment you shared with that loved one while sipping my whisky.  You don’t see it, but I’m holding back tears.

YOU bring me the most overwhelming sense of JOY I have ever felt in my professional life. It makes my hands shake just typing this.

My blogger friends (i.e. the #whiskyfabric) have been with me since Day 1 and have continued to support my Brenne dream. That, coupled with the incredible strength, smarts & support from my husband & Brenne co-founder, Nital, has always been my foundation. That is what gave me a confidence boost when I had to step out into the world in those very early days, pounding the pavement with an army of 1, knocking on the windows of bars and retailers around Manhattan with my face cupped to the glass, mouthing to whomever was inside if they’d let me in to have a quick sample of my whisky and, somewhat famously, delivering my hooch on Citibike.

And when that #whiskyfabric family-like support extended beyond the bloggers into the mainstream, well, that’s when my fears started to melt a little and my husband and I could look at each other and say, “this might actually, really, work!”

On the morning of Brenne’s 2nd Birthday, I wanted to highlight a few people’s comments and share with you some of your own words that have humbled me beyond anything I have known.

———–

Allison and all the crew that helped make this extremely unique, delicious single malt whiskey. I was hesitant to purchase this product because I work for a large Scotch distillery, but I always enjoy trying other products. One day a friend/colleague said to me close your eyes and smell this, and tell me your thoughts. I said, it has the aroma of a fine single malt scotch with a semi sweet nose similar to drambue but much fainter. He said good nose, now taste! I did and said I need a bottle of this right now. I wish you much success with this truly amazing product.

—

I just read the reviews on Brenne, I can almost taste it! I NEED this whiskey in my life. I’m in Miami and can’t find a single retailer….HELP HELP HELP, Please… I would love to introduce this French Whiskey to my fellow female cigar snobs.

Congratulations to you on this fine accomplishment!

(Editor’s note, we’re now selling Brenne in the Miami market and I did get back to this person with a list of stores) 🙂

—

I’ve just started your blog, and had to pause to let you know how proud I am of your vision, your enthusiasm, and your determination. 

On the product side, Brenne is the most exciting surprise/discovery in years.  A great new wine at a good price is always fun, but seldom does one find a unique take in an existing category of spirits that so exquisitely succeeds.  There we were in Lewes, DE at this darling new brasserie…  We had asked for Oban, and the manager said let me bring you a sample of something we just got in!  (see, everybody “gets it”)   It had us at the first sip ~ a soft velvet hint of Armagnac and flowers and elegance…  so very mmmmm! So, yes, it’s on the Christmas list! 

—

OMG OMG

I am having a Brennerific moment

Been talking up this fine whiskey at my local liquor store–The Bottle Shop in Spring Lake

Just popped in and what did I see???

Brenne

In all it’s blue label glory

Perched upon the shelf

I grabbed one and skipped (ok that’s a stretch) bounced over to the counter with a big smile on my face and the gentleman said:

“Yes we carry it now. It’s been doing great. People are buying it–not just you. We are real happy. I can’t wait to try it myself.”

Yay! I now have Brenne literally in my backyard!

So from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. Last year, we celebrated Brenne’s 1st Birthday with a little party and since then, it’s been a whirlwind of activity, travel and hard work.  This year, I plan on sitting quietly with a good glass of Brenne, mindful of how far we’ve come already – and how much more I want to do.

PLEASE check out Brenne’s Event Page and come out to see me if I happen to be coming to a city near you! http://drinkbrenne.com/events  I’ll continue to do my best to post here, on FACEBOOK, TWITTER & INSTAGRAM.

And in the strangest of life’s moments, there is a bag piper playing on the sidewalk below the window of my NYC apartment. I’m tempted to throw on my tartan-best and have a dram now! 🙂

Welcoming Fall

I woke up at 4:30am with the concept for this post swirling around in my head. I took some notes and tried to go back to sleep for another hour or two but my body’s olfactory system reminded me of the smell of a specific nespresso flavor that I’ve been loving recently and wouldn’t let me go back to sleep.

So, it is with the early morning sounds of the NYC garbage trucks rolling below my windows, a very dark sky and the distinct smell of the early morning mixed with my freshly made coffee that I sit and write.

To begin, I hope that you all had incredible summers. It’s such a distinctive season; a clear marker of time and one that makes you inspired to take note of your day-to-day and infuse it with more outdoor activities, social gatherings and hopefully, a vacation or two.  This particular summer was a bit of an interesting one for me. I’ve written before about how challenging this journey of launching my own whisky company is (and yes, I’m still a 1 person company! #drinkbrenne) and how strange, lonely, frightening & exhilarating it is to journey from one mountain peak to another.  Since my last post (~6 weeks ago), in keeping with that analogy, I haven’t felt like my usual “mountain climber” self but instead like an intense, bullish, excavator; burrowing in straight lines underneath the trails instead of wasting steps going up, over, and back down again.

When asked this past weekend how my summer was I reflected for a moment, smiled and simply said, “focused!“

With my husband traveling every week for work, my week nights were not our typical “married couple routine” of ending work at some late evening hour, eating dinner in front of the TV, cleaning up/prepping for the next day and/or trip, chores, bed. Instead, I just kept working – often late into the early morning hours (like the time I woke up today!).  I felt like a human machine working through my micro and macro tasks with efficiency and excitement. I checked off my To Do lists with gusto and even started running again on a more regular basis (which only fueled the focus even more!).

The great thing is as Fall kicks off, I feel ready. I’m looking forward to a strong close of 2014 and think 2015 is going to be exceptional. Lots of exciting things happening for Brenne so I hope you all stay tuned.  It’s funny, as I hit the pavement running literally (I often post photos and what thoughts I meditated on my run on my personal Instagram feed HERE if you’re interested), I regularly reflected how happy I am that whisky takes so long to make. For someone who throws a lot of balls in the air and constantly moves things forward to get these opportunities to drop, I really appreciate that at least one aspect of this business is quiet, calm and something that really truly cannot be rushed.

Me in Cognac, France analyzing a barrel sample of aging Brenne

Enjoy your beauty sleep, Brenne. I’ll be ready for you when you’re done!

…and with that, it’s time to lace up my sneakers & fly! Happy Kick-off to Fall, everyone! I’ve got a sunrise to run towards 🙂 ~ xo ~ Allison

#BrenneVoyage … get ready

I’m super excited to share something totally fun & a little silly with you we’re calling #BrenneVoyage! Every day during the month of July, I’m going to post a photo of Brenne “out and about” and will tag the photo using the hashtag BrenneVoyage on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

#BrenneVoyage! Cheerio old mate!

As many of you may know, as the founder of Brenne Whisky (pronunciation reminder: “Brenne” rhymes with “zen”), I’m almost always in possession of a bottle of Brenne.  It goes with me everywhere and in a lighthearted way, I’ve found myself occasionally referring to these bottles as having personalities and being far from the inanimate objects that they are (after all, I certainly care for them as if they were my children!).

So on a recent trip to Paris, my mother and I had a blast taking Brenne on a sight-seeing trip around town, photographing it’s journey along the way.  When we got back and realized just how many of these photos we had, I thought it was only right to share them in a mini-series that you can follow along on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by searching for the “#BrenneVoyage” hashtag.  It was a hilarious way to enjoy a city that I love so much, the theme of which has now taken on a life of it’s own.

I certainly encourage you to grab a bottle of Brenne, your camera and your sense of humor and join me in this month long photographic journey shooting Brenne around town, on your vacation and hanging out with you this summer – just make sure you use the hashtag #BrenneVoyage so we can all see them!  (And please respect your local liquor and open-container laws!).

Here’s a taste of the “behind the scenes” …

Clickedy click!

Hey Brenne, can you give us a little more shoulder action?

And below is a teaser of what’s to come …

Brenne hanging out at Pont Alexandre in Paris, France #BrenneVoyage

 

Is it good luck to drop a bottle of whisky into the Fontaines de la Concorde!? #BrenneVoyage

Hope to see you around the interwebz … I’ll be the one with a bottle of Brenne in her hand galavanting around some of my favorite cities 🙂

#BRENNEVOYAGE STARTING JULY 1 2014

Your’s truly!

Brenne Is Walking

My mother jokes that Brenne is her grandchild.  I appreciate the joke as Brenne Whisky certainly feels like my first born!  And this little baby of mine is gearing up to be a toddler at 18 months old!

Lately I’ve gone through a little internal adjusting and it’s been an interesting game of realization, reflection and a touch of soul searching.

Taken from the window of a moving train entering NYC last week. I’ve been highly aware of the sunsets and changing of season lately … perhaps it’s my way of having closure with one chapter of Brenne and seeing the vitality in the next!

Like in life, whisky also takes its time to come into maturity. I’m certainly growing with Brenne.

Last Friday my good friend Jackie Summers (of the ridiculously delicious Sorel liquor and yes, he is the Jack From Brooklyn) stopped by to drop something off in advance of a photo shoot we’re doing together next week for an article (yay!). When he arrived, I was not in my usual 100mph, multi- stimuli and multi- everything pace.  Instead, I opened the door, hugged him and went back to my living room floor where I laid down, face first.

Kinda like this … but with no beach (unfortunately!) 🙂

This journey I’m on is truly incredible. I couldn’t be more blessed; we’re exceeding our goals, leaping over our sales projections, YOU all have continued to be here with me (thank you!), I love when I travel and have the opportunity to meet people in the flesh from all over who we’ve been in contact with on social media (hey #whiskyfabric!), the press & fellow bloggers continue to help me get the word out and I have the BEST team of Brand Ambassadors (via Classic Imports, yay!) out there every day sharing my vision and my little whisky.

Sometimes – the reality of which just smacks you upside the head.  Even with all of that support – I’ve still bitten off a LOT.  And in my own tiny, super small way, just that fact that I’m still here is a huge accomplishment for me. But WOW – there is still just so much work ahead and on that day, I felt like life had just rushed ahead and left me in the dust.  I kept asking myself how am I ever going to get to the tops of these mountains?  And man have I have chosen some massive mountains to tackle!!! I was lying on the floor covering my head because the view from my tiny peak was making me nauseous just as much as the realization of how much farther and higher I want to climb!  I see plenty of other people climbing these mountains too, but they all seem to have huge teams, fancy gear and a documentary entourage in tow! Yikes.  I’m still climbing solo.

This is not an easy road at all.  Naturally, I only share publicly the highlights of this journey, but I tell people who are thinking about starting their own _X_ in the spirits world to not be fooled by the happy-go-lucky social media sharing; everything looks easier then it seems, even the stuff that looks impossible.  But (there’s always a but!) – the moment when you start to realize your dream is becoming a reality is unlike anything else.  It’s deep, exciting and can rock you to the core. 🙂

—

Brenne has only been on the market for 18 months (which feels like 3yrs) and I realized on that Good Friday that I needed to cut myself some slack.  (For example, in that very moment I was getting mad at myself for lying on the floor missing out on valuable work time – I’m my best critic!) My goals and dreams are big – really big, as are any entrepreneurs. And despite the fact that the things I’ve put in motion are, for the most part, farther ahead of where I thought they’d be at this point, it’s still no where near good enough for me and I was in a bit of shock at just how much work I need to do before I get to my next mountain peak.

And here’s where life get’s funny.  There I was last Friday feeling like a baby ant in the world of the spirit giants and after spending some quality soul-revitalization time with Jack <@TheLiquortarian on twitter (which included grabbing a slice of pizza and visiting a few accounts together, naturally) this happened:

I decided to walk home after I departed ways with Jackie and popped into a great little store called The Wine Hut NYC along the way.  As soon as the store was empty, I pulled out my bottle of Brenne Whisky and introduced myself to the man behind the counter, hoping to get an appointment with the buyer. The store manager looked at me and pointed to a shelf directly above him where Brenne was already sitting!  Shocked I asked how he knew about it. He gave me a quizzical look and said matter of factly, “Well, it’s in all the magazines … how would someone not know about it?” (Ummm because I still don’t believe that my baby has sprouted wings!?!). Then 3 people approached the register with 2 bottles of wine and said, “we just need to add a bottle of whisky to our purchase.” Without missing a beat I said, “Oh! Get Brenne! Here!” and popped the cork from my bottle for them to smell & taste it. Without even asking the price – they grabbed a bottle and said, “yup, that’s our new favorite whisky!”  I walked out feeling a little better.

The next day, I went up to the country for some much-needed fresh air and some quality time with my oldest friend. 

On the drive to catch the train back to NYC, she suggested we pop into her local liquor store, saying that there was something she thought I’d want to see. Walking in, right there on the counter was a display of craft whiskies with Brenne front and center. Best part is she had nothing to do with it (with the exception of apparently doing a dance in the store the first time she and her husband saw it on the shelf!)!

I get tweets, texts and FB comments from people somewhat regularly letting me know where they’ve spotted Brenne.  It’s simply glorious. (Please keep them coming! I live for them!)

It’s such a weird mix of feelings.  I’m out there every day talking about Brenne and the people I meet rarely have heard of it prior to meeting me. But then, there are these incidents of learning about Brenne in places for which the sales had nothing to do with my direct facilitation.  On one level I’m well aware that people are learning about Brenne far beyond my direct reach (thank goodness!) – but it’s a fantastic shift to have to alter my thinking (and therefore selling approach) from “absolutely no one I meet has ever hear about Brenne” to “some people may have heard of it!”  

I felt like the arm floaties have been removed recently and I’m standing on the edge of the pool watching Brenne swim … not sink … and it feels incredible. Still so much work that needs to be done but at least it’s continuing to grow!

Thank you all for your amazing love & support as I keep trudging forward. Thank you, truly, for bearing with me!

—

The post I had been prepping for this week was a review of a particularly special night in LA where fellow blogger, Rob Gard of The Whisky Guy blog and author of the recently published “Distilling Rob” and I co-hosted a magical evening of story telling and whisky sipping.  Thankfully, Aaron (guest writer on the It’s Just The Booze Dancing blog) just published this magnificent article re-caping the night in far better and more entertaining detail then I ever could!  Click HERE to be taken to their awesome post!

 

 

Hot Toddy Recipes with Brenne Whisky

With the record low temperatures we’re having, I thought there no better time then now to share some of my FAVORITE Hot Toddy recipes using Brenne whisky!

The classic Hot Toddy is made with hot water (tea optional), lemon, honey and either whiskey, brandy or rum.  I like to kick it up a bit and use a more complex tea that I think would complement the specific aged spirit that I’ll be adding.  And there’s definitely a correlation between us whisky geeks and our deep appreciation for fun teas!

Brenne is a much more fruit-forward, floral & creamy Single Malt which lends itself especially well to Toddy’s, particularly if you make them with black teas that hint of orange, vanilla, cinnamon, burnt sugar, lavender … you get the idea!  Below are 2 of my favorite recipes but feel free to play around using different teas and reversing the garnishes!

BRENNE CHAI TODDY

• 4oz Brenne French Single Malt Whisky
• ½ cup hot tea made with Chai-spiced black tea
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 thick slice of orange
• Cloves (to stick into the side of the orange wheel, as many as desired)

BRENNE ORANGE TEA TODDY

• 4oz Brenne French Single Malt Whisky
• ½ cup hot tea made with orange pekoe black tea
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1-3 star anise
• Wide lemon peel (to garnish)

*Also try these two Brenne Toddy’s with opposite garnishes and spices!*

Now that we’ve established the recipes, let’s break down the (VERY EASY) steps!  While you’re reading, go ahead and put the kettle on the stove and start bringing the water up to boil … And we’re off!

HOW TO MAKE A HOT TODDY

1. Pull together all of your ingredients while the water is heating up.
2. In your favorite heat-proof drinking vessel, pour about 1/2 cup of hot water over your desired tea.  Let steep for a few minutes while you work on your garnishes (poking cloves into your orange slice, carefully peeling that extra long wide lemon peel, etc)
3. Remove the tea and add the honey – stirring to mix
4. Pour in the whisky
5. Garnish
6. Relax and enjoy!
   

   Brenne Whisky Hot Toddy’s

   Share your favorite Hot Toddy recipes below or with me on twitter! @whiskygirls

I welcome you, 2014

Let’s have a toast: Welcome 2014, may you be exciting, peaceful, engaging, loud, quiet, and filled with moments so precious they fill our hearts with happiness and … of course, may we safely imbibe with delicious whiskies and great friends.

Not typically one for making grand promises and goals for myself at the top of a new year – I instead try my best to just be a good person to myself and others every day (that’s my personal motto – just be kind.  It’s simple but to the point … and many good people forget that that applies to being nice to them selves as well!).

So imagine my surprise when I found myself wide-awake from 1-3am on Jan 2 with a scrolling list of New Years resolutions running a muck in my brain.  And at the top of that list was spending a little more time blogging here with you.  I’m rather proud that in I can look back at 2013 and say that we didn’t just “survive” our first full year of having Brenne on the market but rather felt like we thrived (in our own humble way – of course).  And that’s a very proud feeling – but one that also has my head spinning in a few different directions … constantly.

With all of the many ways to communicate these days i.e. facebook, blogging, twitter -and- twitter, instagram -and- instagram, pinterest, email, texting and the most vintage of the bunch: phone call, I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I blinked and the 365 days that made up 2013 passed by in less time then it’ll take me to finish this post.  What’s even scarier is while I can’t figure out how I might have possibly crammed any thing else into those fleeting days, I still can’t shake the feeling that I could have done more. (And that drives me a little batty).

However – according to my year in blogging (an annual & fun report pulled together by wordpress), you were definitely here and to that, I THANK YOU!!!!  Here’s how wordpress put it:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 39,000 times in 2013 from people in 142 countries. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 14 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Personally- I think that’s pretty cool and I’m honored to have your attention (and hope that at least some of that traffic wasn’t just here to “borrow” some images) ;).

So my goal for 2014 is to slow down a bit, do 1-3 things at a time, not 8-10, and by doing so, hope that I can re-engage with you more here on my blog as it really is something that I deeply love and miss when life forces me (by sheer lack of minutes in a day) to be a bit more disconnected then I’d like (well, here at least – you can always find me SOMEWHERE online!).

In addition…

• I hope I get smarter & more efficient where social media is concerned.
• I hope I dance more … even if it is done standing at a counter waiting for my next espresso!
• I hope I take more walks outside – in all kinds of weather – and continue to look up and appreciate the effect a setting sun or rolling clouds have on whatever scenery is around me at the time.
• I hope I breath more.  Deeply.
• I hope I sleep more. Deeply!
• I hope I keep laughing loudly and sharing more great whiskies with the many wonderful friends I have made and hopefully will make in the comings days and months.
• I really hope Brenne continues to move forward in the most positive of ways!
• I hope 2014 goes by a little slower so I can savor the time we’re blessed to have.

2013 was a strange one for me; professionally with Brenne it was remarkable (moving from 1 to 11 states across the US, being blessed to have had the attention of some pretty prestigious publications – including being mentioned in a few books! ah-hem Fred Minnick’s Whiskey Women(!), winning an Icon of Whisky award, etc).  But while I experienced many professional gains, I also suffered a major personal loss when my Grandmother passed away just 2 weeks before her 102^nd birthday.  She was truly with us till the end and for that, I was extremely thankful (let’s face it, she remembered my schedule better than I did … and I have the “help” of 1000+ apps on my phone!) but she was one of the most inspiring people I have ever met – faced challenges with Grace (as was her name) and loved her family so much you felt it in every letter, phone call and interaction we’d ever had with her.  I miss her terribly and was surprised when, months after her passing, just the thought of her could still bring me to tears.  I am/was very close with my grandparents and now have only one left on earth – I cherish every moment he and I share. Loss is inevitable but having been freshly reminded of it makes me want to shout daily that we can’t take our loved ones for granted.  We only get this precious time together and if 2013 is any indication of just how much faster time is going to go by – well – I hope the quiet and peaceful act of sharing a glass of whisky with those whose company you enjoy can help us all slow down and appreciate each breath.

And with that – I continue to express my deepest thanks for sticking with me – liking, commenting, reading, and sharing my words and engaging with me on all platforms.  Mostly, I truly hope that 2014 is a healthy, happy and positive year for us all.

Happy New Year from the Whisky Woman!
Cheers to you and your loved ones ~
Allison

THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME AND IN WHAT I’M TRYING TO DO.

http://www.DrinkBrenne.com

#WhiskyFabric

Unexpected Emotions – Brenne Turns One

For those of you who follow this blog with any sort of regularity, you know by now that I have been sharing moments this past year of my experience bringing my own whisky to the market.

Thanks to Johanne McInnis of THE WHISKY LASSIE blog for this awesome photo!!!!

It’s been exactly 12 months since Brenne first became available to anyone anywhere in the world, and I decided to launch it in my home city of New York.  3 weeks after our launch, Hurricane Sandy hit – but we persevered.  We had our lives, we had a roof over our heads (however dark and cold it was!) and we had drive.  That famous mach-5 New Yorker drive that inspires and challenges so many – it’s the collective heartbeat of the people of this fine city that, when tapped into, can compels you to greatness (or craziness … or both!).

I had a plan when I launched Brenne – a detailed one and a skeletal one.  The detailed one went out the window on day 1.  The skeletal one provided the framework & focus but allowed me to be flexible – learning the industry and market as I went along each day.  And I’m GLAD I threw out that detailed plan, for the end goal in my first year looked a lot different then the reality, and the reality is AMAZING.

When asked what has surprised me most about this year, I can honestly say EVERYTHING.

When asked how I feel, aside from the obvious (TIRED!) – I am grateful, humble, and much to my surprise – a bit emotionally overwhelmed … I think a good (happy) cry-fest may be in order. 🙂 (or a good long run!).

I have lived, breathed, loved & birthed Brenne from nothing and it’s at times overwhelming when I’ve been greeted with honors, applause, hugs and congrats.  I know this is just whisky at the end of the day – but to me it’s a lot more.  It’s a dream, a goal, a passion … I feel blessed that I have been able to get this off the ground, to put my money where my mouth is (literally, I invested my entire life savings to do this), quiet all of the doubt and chatter in life to commit myself 100% to a dream.

People must think I’m nuts when I thank them 1000 times for telling me they enjoy my whisky but it’s genuine because without people liking it enough to buy it, well, then I’d have a lot of whisky to consume by myself and not much of a business!

Here’s where I started in October 2012:

NYC with roughly 40 individual accounts primarily in the West Village neighborhood, a small subset of Greenwich Village, in Manhattan to whom I often hand-delivered bottles & cases.   … and oh right, I also had a lot of bottles of Brenne to sell!

That’s me making a Brenne delivery (a common sight in NYC this first year!) and are those Brenne bottles peaking out of my purse!? 🙂

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Here’s where I am as of October 2013:

6 States with plans to cover a majority of the US over the next 12 months, 5 (FIVE!) brand ambassadors across the US, an Icon of Whisky award, a feature in Food & Wine Magazine as their ONLY WHISKY for their Best New Spirits picks of ’13… and did I mention? We sold out. 🙂

Me accepting our Icon’s of Whisky award

I started saying recently that my company is 2 people big: 1 is me, 1/2 is my incredible husband (the brains & support system behind this crazy lady) and the other 1/2 is the #WhiskyFabric family.  I owe a massive THANK YOU to so many of you in our blogger community for helping me in this first year.  THANK YOU for including Brenne in your whisky discussions, for sharing my posts on your own blogs and around social media, for doing what we do best; spreading the word.

I have only 12 months under my belt but think it’s off to a really strong start.  It hasn’t come without a daily dose of challenges, lots of headaches and hundreds of sleepless nights – making it to any degree in this industry is not a blissful adventure by any stretch (regardless of how many smiley faces I put everywhere) 😉  but I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.  And what’s even crazier is that I haven’t even scratched the surface of my goals.  There is so much more to come from me + Brenne that I hope you’ll continue to stay with me and be present in this wild journey.

Welcome to the beginning.  Again.

With that, I’m off for a vacation in Japan … where of course I’ll be gathering some great info & stories for this blog! See you when I’m back!

**All of my “Brenne Journey” posts are collected together on THIS PAGE (<click that link) should you wish to read through.**