Life’s Too Short…

 

College kids will drink some really horrendous booze. By his own admission, Virgil Kaine co-founder David Szlam was no different. Now, he wants to make sure that his friends and other former college kids can step up their games.

“People love Bourbon and ginger ale,” Szlam says while asking, “but why do people always have to drink Bourbon and ginger ale with high fructose corn syrup and with all these unnatural flavors in there?” He tells CRESCENT that they don’t have to.

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We’re starting to see a rise in infused spirits, especially whiskeys and vodkas in both mass produced and craft markets.  Why are we starting to see the spirit industry go in that direction?  Why are people looking for something outside their traditional whiskeys and vodkas?

That’s an interesting question, and I think it came down to how there are things that are available, so people are now interested, too.  Fifteen years ago, when I went to college, you looked at the shelf and it was basically all just straight, just vodka, the regular whiskey, no infusion, so I think it’s pretty amazing how fast people are creating these things and I think it is because people are now okay with it.  People are hip to it. They want to see different stuff. They want to be challenged. Their palates are becoming more sophisticated.  Food is evolving, and alongside it, people want to see the same kind of thing with their cocktails.  Food and beverage goes hand in hand, and when you see all these chefs being super creative, doing new things, it’s like, “Why not try this?”  And people are really adapting to it well.  They are more open to the idea of trying to new things, and I think as a creator, we just want to do the same things like we did with our food – bring things that people really love to life.  People love Bourbon and ginger ale, but why do people always have to drink Bourbon and ginger ale with high fructose corn syrup and with all these unnatural flavors in there?  Why can’t they have a more sophisticated Bourbon that has similar flavor to something that they love so much.  That’s why, as a creator, we got into it, because we thought people want these kinds of things.  People want options to the same old thing they’ve been having for their whole life.

As far as that Bourbon goes, because you talked about a lot of the college kids drinking cheap Bourbon and mixing it with things to mask that up front burn but you’re not going with a cheap Bourbon with this.  You’re putting out a quality product.  Where does that base ingredient, where does that Bourbon come from?

We source our Bourbon from Lawrenceburg (KY) and we use a younger Bourbon because we like the younger flavor of the Bourbon.  Once the Bourbon sits in the oak for too long, the oak kind of masks the flavors of the ginger and the vanilla, and we really find that the younger Bourbon is more…it just fuses much better with the flavor of the ginger and vanilla without masking it with over-oakiness.

What’s the response been so far?

The response has been great.  You know, our main challenge is getting people to try it.  Once people try it, we’ve had an unbelievable response.  People enjoy it on the rocks, they enjoy it straight.  It’s really nice to see the creative cocktails that are coming out with it but the response for us as a company, we’ve been proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.

Are you, right now, planning to stick with the single product or are you looking to expand the line?

As a chef and an innovator, I’m always working on new formulas and new concoctions but Virgil Kaine is my focus.  Bourbon and ginger is our focus right now.  We are definitely wanting to expand our territories and grow Virgil Kaine Bourbon and ginger as much as we can before we start spending a lot of time and a lot of emphasis on other products.  But there are definitely some other formulas in the works for future projects.

Who is the Virgil Kaine drinker?

That’s a funny question because, at first, we thought it would be the younger generation, and now we see that anyone from 25 to 55 to even 65.  We found that Bourbon drinkers that have been drinking Bourbon for a long time, even in the older crowd, 45 to 65, really like Virgil Kaine because it’s a different type of Bourbon.  It has a little bit of sweetness to it, it’s easier to drink.  You put a couple of ice cubes in it, you’re done with it.  They really love the smoothness of it.  So Virgil Kaine, what sets it apart from most other products out on the shelf is that it is incredibly smooth.  Because of how smooth it is, it shocks people who have never been a Bourbon drinker.  But our demographic that we try to cater to are new professionals, 28 to 35. That’s who we kind of push towards but we’ve been very well received above that from 35 to 65 that are looking to try something new.

What is your message to Bourbon purists?

The Bourbon purists?

There are people who, before talking with you, would have been a little bit iffy because they’re self-admitted Bourbon snobs. With your passion, those purists would give it a shot because you get them interested and curious to see how those flavors marry with the actual ginger and in the infusion.  What do you say to Bourbon purists to get them to come over to give it a try?

What I say to the Bourbon purists is, you know, they’re the educated people in the Bourbon community, which is great.  You’ve got to know where you come from to where you’re going.  And I’m a Bourbon purist.  I mean, I love good Bourbon.  I’ve been drinking Bourbon since college and before that and I’ve…and the reason why Bourbon is my first love is because of my love and respect towards Bourbon.  But, being a Bourbon purist, I can’t always drink my top shelf Bourbon.  I can’t only sit back with a glass of Pappy Van Winkle or not even something that expensive but Basil Haden or Knob Creek.  Sometimes I just need something a little more subtle.  But I love Bourbon, but sometimes I want something with a little sweeter touch to it.  Give me an option to sit back, have something a little more refreshing.  Maybe I’m at the beach, maybe I’m in a hot environment.  I can have this Bourbon, I can put a little soda water in it, I can put a little lime in there and I’ve got a refreshing cocktail that is Bourbon-based and it brings me back to that.  I’m still drinking Bourbon but I’m drinking Bourbon in an environment that I generally wouldn’t drink Bourbon because it’s hot outside or because it’s at a bar or because…now I can drink that same Bourbon and enjoy it in a new light, in a new refreshing way.  I think, you know, it’s time, it’s time to have good products that are made a little different.  If you’re a steak lover, if you’re a beef lover but if somebody puts a different type of twist on it or a different seasoning or a different spice rub that’s never been done before and it makes that steak taste delicious and different, why not take a bite of that steak?  Why not try it?  So I think that’s my message to the Bourbon community.  It is a Bourbon, it’s a different Bourbon.  It’s a different Bourbon for a different occasion.  We’re not trying to change anybody because I’m not going to change what I drink at night, sitting on the porch, smoking a cigar.  I’m still a Bourbon purist in that form.  But there are times and occasions where this Bourbon fits my mood a lot more than a straight Bourbon.

Your personal preference.  If you’re going to mix something with Virgil Kaine, what is it?

Soda water and lime.  For sure.

From everything that you’ve heard from consumers and bar tenders, what’s the best cocktail recipe that you’ve gotten so far?

I mean, really, because of the formula, the way it is presented, the most sold is definitely the soda and lime.  We’ve seen things that have blown our minds.  There is an unbelievable drink at Basil that’s made with fresh ginger beer, mottled jalapeno and I think pineapple juice.  I don’t want to destroy their drink, but it is an unbelievable drink over there and we’ve seen Manhattans done with it that have been exceptionally well and there are a number of drinks out there that seem to be working for other people, but we kind of keep it simple at Virgil Kaine.  And the soda and lime seems to be a really big hit.

For Part 1, click HERE.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Virgil Kaine on Facebook