47: Steven Grasse Connects the Dots from Wild Ideas to Realistic Strategies for Selling Spirits

Steven Grasse has long enjoyed building brands that stand out—from his earlier days as an advertising exec to his time with William Grant & Sons to today, owning Tamworth Distilling in Tamworth, New Hampshire. In this episode with host Molly Troupe, Grasse reflects on that path, the hard lessons learned from early failures, and why success still comes down to great liquid, intentional packaging, and strong storytelling. He also dives into the philosophy behind Tamworth’s famously unconventional releases—from Deer Slayer (yes, with venison) to Eau de Musk (featuring beaver castoreum)—and explains why differentiation matters more than ever in a tightening market. Along the way, Troupe and Grasse also discuss: the rapidly shifting landscape for craft spirits, from RTDs and THC beverages to changing consumer expectations and the pressure of digital marketing practical advice on testing new products, scaling, and building a realistic go-to-market strategy strategies for standing out in today’s saturated market the impact of RTDs, THC products, and post-COVID market shifts how his agency, Quaker City Mercantile, supports brand development, including the fast-growing nonalcoholic spirit Pathfinder And more. G&D Chillers: G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.