Park Street Insider Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In 2026, American whiskey isn't riding the wave it was five years ago, and every major producer knows it. For a brand the size of Jack Daniel's, that shift raises a harder question: how do you keep innovating when the whole world already thinks it knows you? Success at that scale can actually work against you; when everyone's already tried the whiskey, it's easy to get stuck on mute. In this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, Chris Fletcher, Master Distiller at Jack ...

Send us Fan Mail Not every RTD brand gets acquired by one of the world's biggest spirits companies. Fewer still land Alix Earle as an investor along the way. Joey Angelo, co-founder of SipsMARGS and Su Casa Mezcal, did both, and the path there ran through 15 years inside the distribution tier, watching thousands of brands succeed and fail before building one himself. In this episode, Joey walks us through what it actually took to launch a premium canned margarita during a pandemic, earn distr...

Send us Fan Mail Landing a placement at a top bar program doesn't happen by chance. It's the result of trust, timing, and understanding what the people behind the bar actually need from a brand partner. Recorded live at Bar Convent London, this fireside chat brings together Nidal Ramini, Advocacy Director for the EAA Division at Brown-Forman, Emanuele Mensah, Director of Liquid Nation, Giulia Cuccurullo, Head Bartender at Artesian at the Langham London, and Pietro Collina, Group Beverage Dire...

Send us Fan Mail AI is reshaping the spirits industry, and for founders willing to embrace it, the opportunity is real. In this episode, recorded through Park Street University's AI for Spirits Marketing series, Justin Noland, Vice President of Digital Experience for Treasury Wine Estates, and Antonia Fattizzi, Founder and President of Cork and Tin, get specific about where AI can immediately win back hours in your week, from condensing long email chains and preparing for vendor meeting...

Send us Fan Mail Not many people can say they've founded a bourbon distillery and run one of the world's largest whiskey programs. Kaveh Zamanian isn't most people. A prolific whiskey brand founder and former Chief Whiskey Officer at Pernod Ricard, Kaveh built Rabbit Hole Distillery from a creative vision into a brand compelling enough to catch the eye of one of the world's biggest spirits companies, and when Pernod Ricard came calling, he didn't just take the deal, he took the wheel, going o...

Send us Fan Mail As on-premise venues navigate an increasingly fragmented spirits landscape, the relationship between brands and bars has reached a critical inflection point. This Expert Talk features Chris Maffeo, the Founder of MAFFEO DRINKS, to examine why most brand-bar partnerships fail before they begin, and how misaligned incentives, from listing fees that deliver no ROI to guest shifts where brand managers never appear, erode trust on both sides. Chris explores the disconnect between ...

Send us Fan Mail Amidst a volatile economic landscape marked by significant job losses in the hospitality sector, the alignment between spirits brands and on-premise venues has never been more critical. In this episode, we join Brown-Forman Advocacy Director Nidal Ramini to unpack the "Hospitality Algorithm," a strategic framework that helps suppliers and entrepreneurs understand the operational mindset of successful bars. We explore how Ramini evolves Danny Meyer’s "Enlightened Hospitality"...

Send us Fan Mail The spirits industry has fundamentally changed. While brands once viewed bars as non-negotiable, many of today's most successful brands have achieved success through a targeted approach at retail and e-commerce. Yet the on-premise isn't just surviving, it's evolving into a channel where brands need to be more strategic than ever. On this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, we explore why understanding cocktail culture remains essential for achieving brand success. Wit...

Send us Fan Mail Julien Hémard, CEO of Pernod Ricard Northern Europe, oversees operations for the world's second-largest spirits company, home to iconic brands including Absolut Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and The Glenlivet. Managing a diverse portfolio across multiple markets, Hémard's unique position, balancing heritage craftsmanship with emerging consumer trends, provides rare insight into industry transformation. In this Expert Talks episode, we shine a spotlight on Hémard's presentatio...

Send us Fan Mail The RTD category has already experienced massive momentum, yet there's still significant room for growth as new brands and products continue entering the market. Gen Z is driving much of this expansion—but what does their enthusiasm for RTDs reveal about this generation's values, purchasing habits, and consumption behaviors? On this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, host Emmett Strack sits down with Ruby Honerkamp and Rob Minucci, Co-Founders of Talkhouse Enco...

Send us Fan Mail The tequila industry faces mounting regulatory and legal challenges with Mexico's Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) restricting additive-free marketing claims while high-profile lawsuits are questioning major brands' "100% agave" labeling practices. These developments are reshaping how producers operate in an increasingly transparency-focused market. The Park Street Insider Podcast welcomes back Billy Erickson, sales and marketing manager at Tequila Fortaleza and member of ...

Send us Fan Mail The global trade and tariff landscape is constantly evolving, making it imperative for beverage-alcohol brands to stay in step with the latest updates on U.S. policy. What began earlier in the year as focused measures on Canada, Mexico, and China has expanded into a comprehensive global tariff strategy with far-reaching implications for the beverage alcohol industry. The Park Street Insider Podcast welcomes back Alison Leavitt, Managing Director of the Wine and Spirits ...

Send us Fan Mail In 2025, the spirits distribution landscape has become increasingly competitive, with traditional powerhouses like RNDC, Breakthru, and Winebow facing new market pressures while brands struggle to secure distribution partnerships in an oversaturated environment. As distributors become more selective about their portfolios, the brands that are successfully breaking through the noise are taking fundamentally different approaches to partnerships and market positioning. In this e...