Being Socially Spirited With Jamie Isenwater

Disrupting the spirits industry one drink at a time

Dear Drink To That reader,

When a brand comes along to disrupt the spirits industry, it’s worth hearing about.

That’s the mission of Socially Spirited founder Jamie Isenwater, whose background as a consumer analyst gives him a unique perspective on alcoholic drinks and a desire to shake up the status quo.

What’s been the inspiration behind Socially Spirited and how has the brand changed since you’ve started out?

Socially Spirited was set up to combat a couple of issues. First, to get people drinking cocktails at home. A lot of people would like to do this, but they often don’t have the ingredients, confidence, knowledge or equipment to do that. Socially Spirited aims to bridge the gap by giving people great spirits to make classic cocktails at home.

The second part, which is unusual, is the ambassador programme that rewards what I call the real brand builders. These are the consumers who recommend products to their friends and colleagues. I’ve seen how bartenders in particular can create a huge amount of value for drink brands but the most they might ever get in exchange is a trip to a distillery and merchandise. These types of brand builders don’t get paid what they should.

So, Socially Spirited is changing that dynamic by rewarding consumers with cash for recommending our products. Our ambassadors receive 20% commission for any bottles that are purchased through their recommendations, which is tracked through QR codes and personalised links.

As for how the brand is evolving, we’re also looking to move into the on-trade too. Some products like our Pic-Amar Bitter Aperitivo and Orancia Triple Sec have already generated incoming requests to be stocked in bars. We feel these products are good for the on-trade because consumers like to try something unique and independent compared to the mainstream like Campari or Cointreau.