Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/49694
Up Front with UP Zephyr Gin by Rich Manning / photos by Leigh Castelli When Zephyr Gin owner Steve McVicar got involved in the spirits industry in 2005, he quickly deduced that mixologists and imbibers alike were having a grand time playing around with the flavor properties of vodka. He also noted that gin was being left to essentially be enveloped in a cloud of perceived selfsame stodginess. While the gin fan in McVicar felt a little crestfallen about this observation, the business side of his persona became sparked with an epiphany that would eventually lead to the creation of his fraternal twin labels, Zephyr Blu and Zephyr Black. "I wanted to make a gin that was as cool as all of the different vodkas that were coming out," he says. While this vision was indeed noble, McVicar knew it would not necessarily be easy to pull off. After all, while he wanted to inject a touch of zing into his gin creations, he wanted to do so without sacrificing any of the spirit's integrity and history. Enter the elderberry and the elder- flower—two botanicals that, while being recognizable flavors in Europe, are still somewhat foreign commodities to American palates. To McVicar, these unique essences provided the perfect platform to bridge his progressive outlook with the gin traditions that flavor agent. "Whenever you create something that's differ- ent or unique, it generates additional work at all levels to create brand awareness," he explains. "But to me if there's something unique, then it has a better chance of resonating with the consumer and the mixologists. The reality is in this business a new product is sold bottle by bottle, but if the brand has something special to give people a reason to try it, your chances of success increase dramatically." Steve McVicar is the founder of Zephyr Gin. he sought to uphold. Armed with this conviction, McVicar worked with the historical Hayman distillers in London to spin off two separate gins: Zephyr Black, made with the naturally blended essence of the elderberry and elderflower, and Zephyr Blu, in which the nouveau botanicals are directly infused into the beverage. While Zephyr Black's natural flavor construction allows it to stand tall as a traditional beverage, akin to a classic London dry gin, Zephyr Blu's infusion tactic gives the product a slightly more floral, sweetened flavor profile that is perfectly suited for the novice gin drinker as well as longtime aficionados. While his duo of gins does serve to create a spectrum broad enough to cover a wide swath of interest from imbibers, McVicar is well aware of the patience his business model must contain in order to sell American consumers on the concept of Zephyr Blu's and Zephyr Black's non-traditional 6 / the tasting panel / december 201 1 To help him sow the seeds of his liquid gospel, McVicar has forged a relationship with beverage management company Sabemos Beverages to expand his marketing scope—a connection whose roots were initially planted because the VP of Sales for the Carlsbad, CA–based supplier fell in love with the product. The subsequent alliance has proven to be a powerful one, according to McVicar. "Sabemos has been an integral part of what we are trying to do with Zephyr," he explains. "They have put together a good network that has really helped us to grow our brand." As the reach of Zephyr Gin's two products continues to expand, McVicar ultimately hopes that the uniqueness of his creation will inspire others to approach gin in the same innovative manner that has swept through the world of vodka over the last several years. A lofty goal, to be sure, but it's also one that is as cool as the gins themselves. zephyrgin.com