We recently connected with Tk Burtin-Johnson and have shared our conversation below.

Tk, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The idea of Red Hazel came to me in 2018 after trying to identify other passions of mine. The spirits industry has always been an interest of mine, not just the different taste but the production process itself. The industry is one that is ever changing with so many unique options available for any and everyone of legal drinking age. When I came up with the idea, I gave my brother a call and let him know what I was thinking, his response was simply “what do you need”? We spent a few years doing research and identifying the best was to produce the ideal product, the taste, and who our target market would be. As two individuals that work full time, it was quite difficult to find the time to work on our production and release. At the onset of Covid, we were both faced with challenges but those allowed us to focus more on the business and finally introduce our whiskey to the market. We released Red Hazel in October of 2020 online with the hopes of being picked up by a distribution partner. In early 2021 we secured a distribution partner in Georgia and now we are now on the shelves in Georgia and Florida.

Tk, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Red Hazel is a spiced whiskey brand created by myself and my brother. We wanted to introduce a whiskey into the market for non-whiskey drinkers and whiskey drinkers to be able to enjoy. I know, I know, when you hear spiced you automatically think about overpowering brands currently in the market, but our brand is different. Red Hazel gives you a rye whiskey blend with a hint of cinnamon at 70 proof and distilled 3 times for a smooth sip.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Since we released during Covid, we have had to pivot multiple times. A lot of businesses have experienced the supply chain issues over the past 2+ years. When we first released our whiskey brand, we knew we would change our look later but didn’t expect to have to as early as we did. In early 2021 we faced the challenge of having to change our bottle due to the global glass shortage. Of course the glass shortage impacted smaller businesses such as ours a bit more than the larger companies. Once we released this would be a roadblock for our production, we began searching for more glass companies, evaluated the quantities needed for production, and compared cost. After an intense search we found a great partner that we continue to use for our glass production.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Easy, three words: confidence, consistency, and persistent. I am confident in our whiskey brand and the quality of product we have put on the market. I am consistent with the time put into our expansion and very persistent with introducing our brand to new potential partners.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.redhazel.net
• Instagram: RedHazelOfficial
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/redhazelofficial

Image Credits
Bomb Brands Cork Bros