Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mike Curphy . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Mike thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers
About a year ago we were in Cabo San Lucas taking a break from our work here. Every day we would be in the pool having a cocktail and near the end of our trip my wife asked me a question about making liquor. Her question was “since you make all of those great whiskeys, why don’t you make something that I would like.” And it got me thinking about what she had been drinking all week. She was drinking a cream liqueur all week, so crazy me decided to play around in making a cream liqueur. After a few tries I came up with something I thought she would like. I took a couple of quarts home for her to try and she loved it. She shared it with some of her friends whom started raving about it and was asking for more. So I made up more except I kept a couple of quarts in my tasting room and would ask customers for their feedback. I was really surprised with the feedback from my loyal customers that really love whiskey, and was asked when it would be available. So the search was on to find suppliers for the different ingredients that goes into making it. After searching I received a email from one of my suppliers out of the blue that was offering the base creams I was looking for. Got some samples in from them and next thing I know I have a product that was released the weekend before Christmas and has been exploding in my distillery with sales exceeding my expectations. So I entered it in the Distilled San Diego competition to see what a professional judging panel would think. Well I just received a Double Gold Medal for the Moonshine Sipping Cream Chocolate Espresso. Al because my wife asked if I would make something she would enjoy.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am the owner/operator of Mike Curphy Distillery. I have been making Liquor for 50 years now since my grandfather taught me the craft. I grew up in Michigan on a small family farm.
When I was a youngster my grandfather ask is I would like to learn a way to make some extra money. As he put it every man needs to now how to make a little extra cash. So he taught me the art of making the family recipe for single malt whiskey. The recipe has been in our family as near as I can figure for over 240 years. And his recipe for moonshine. With the basics he had shown me I have developed a unique style of liquor over the years that has won numerous awards in spirits competitions. My brand MCD has won over 17 awards for the smoothness , flavor , and clean taste that we produce.
I have been working with others that want to get started in the industry with their own products. It is not an easy thing to do starting a brand of liquor in the alcohol industry. My advice to anyone who wants to get into the industry is talk with manufacturers, distributors, sales representatives, and liquor store owners and bar owners. Do your homework it will save you time and money. If you come to me the first thing I will tell you is DON’T. If you come back and want to continue then we will talk about the expenses and what it takes to get started.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The quality of my products has been the most important thing in building my reputation. Reputation is earned through hard work and dedication to quality. Plus you have to always listen to your customers. I tell the story of how I got started, get the customers to laugh and interact with. I also love teaching them how to taste whiskey, it’s so exciting to see them react when they understand what you are telling them. Don’t ever underestimate how much they can do for you because they will tell a friend or two. But if they don’t have a good time learning they will tell everyone. So customer service is key when you have a tasting room.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Well I started out on a very small budget. I cashed out one of my pension plans to start the business. Bought my stills rented a space while I was applying for my licensing. Started making products to age while working on the license. I was paying as I went since I was working nights in the aerospace industry. My paychecks were going into the business as I waited to open. After I had my grand opening I continued to work nights for about 3 years. Then the business started taking on a life of its own.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.mcdistillery.com
- Instagram: Mcdistillery
Image Credits
Myself