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Letter to the editor

Spirits are top shelf; what they need is shelf space

This distillery has wowed critics, but it needs distributors.

By JODIE TILLMAN
Published June 10, 2007

Henry Kasprow, 46, and his father, Ted Kasprow, 72, run the 3-year-old Empire Winery & Distillery in New Port Richey. Their family owned and operated distillery Empire Wine Spirits recently won awards for their vodka and citrus-flavored liquours.
	[Julia Kumari Drapkin Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Julia Kumari Drapkin Times] Henry Kasprow adjusts a display of award winning bottles of citrus-flavored liquours and vodkas in the brewing room of Pascos only distillery Empire Wine Spirits. Despite their success in competition Henry Kasprow said hes had a terrible time trying to compete with the big foreign companies for space on shelves.

NEW PORT RICHEY - One day last summer, the proprietor of a California gourmet grocery received two bottles from an acquaintance in Florida. One bottle held orange liqueur, the other mead.

The proprietor opened the bottles, took sips and declared the drinks "marvelous." He wanted more, and he wanted to put them on his shelves.

This yearning of a well-connected grocer eventually got New Port Richey's Empire Winery & Distillery in the California market. One small success story, but many more are needed: When you're a mom-and-pop alcohol producer, you're competing against recognizable brands with slick and pervasive marketing campaigns.

"As a virtual nobody, you've got to prove yourself, " said Henry Kasprow, a 46-year-old Lutz resident who runs the 3-year-old Little Road distillery with his father, Ted. "I want to show the American public that we have the highest quality products."

Those who know top-shelf liquors say the Kasprows have a special operation with plenty of potential. The key, they say, is for Empire to continue to find appreciative audiences, especially those with connections.

"These people are artisans, " said Rick Mindermann, a manager at Corti Bros., the California gourmet grocery that now carries Empire's mead, its orange and lime liqueurs, and its vodka.

A family legacy

Empire, which employs six people, makes small batches of liquor applying old-fashioned methods, using honey and fresh fruit from Florida in its liqueurs and distilling its rye-based vodka six times in copper pot stills. The products sell in a handful of Tampa Bay area stores and restaurants.

Vodka, the country's most popular liquor, is the biggest seller for Empire, too. Bottles run about $30, the same as other high-end vodkas.

This potent and neutral spirit is in the Kasprows' blood: Henry Kasprow's great-grandfather ran a distillery in Poland until the start of that country's communist regime. When Henry was 9, he and his mother fled the country and joined Ted, who had escaped two years earlier, in Canada.

The family ran auto dealerships and auctions in Canada but never lost the desire to once again run a distillery. They eventually settled in Florida, where they thought the state regulations were less restrictive than some other states, and where they could find a ready supply of fresh citrus for their liqueurs.

"We decided to step back in the family history, " he said.

Small among giants

Empire's old-style craftsmanship - it makes its vodka in single batches from start to finish - means a more sophisticated taste for vodka aficionados, said Bill Owens, who runs a California organization called the American Distillery Institute. He visited Empire recently while researching a book on the industry.

By contrast, he said, most of the best-known vodka companies do not even do their own distilling: They buy their neutral grain spirits from one of four industrial-sized distilleries in the Midwest. The vodka companies then blend and bottle the product, dedicating much of their budget to marketing.

Craft distillers could eventually see the same boon that speciality beer makers enjoy. Owens noted they may also benefit from a growing interest in locally grown, organic food.

"There's going to be a real renaissance, " he said.

Word of mouth

But here's where the tricky part for Empire comes in: As many fans as the company might have, it is the distributors it must ultimately win over.

America's system of alcohol distribution requires producers like Empire to score contracts with major distributors if they want to penetrate the retail sector.

But most of the big distributors have tied up their business with major producers, such as Absolut, Kasprow said.

Alcohol distributors do more than ship alcohol: They are a big part of the salesmanship, helping retailers decide where products should go on the shelves and organizing promotional events.

Empire sells its products in a limited number of Tampa Bay area stores and restaurants, including in a storefront at its plant. It uses small distributors, including one, T & TK Distributors LLC, registered to Kasprow's wife, Barbara. In California, Corti Bros. persuaded a medium-sized distributor to bring the Empire products to its store.

Without the marketing power of a Grey Goose, Empire depends on serendipitous tastings and word of mouth.

And as much as he likes talking about his vodka, Kasprow stays quiet about the precise methods of his family's distillation process.

"It's a very important art that many old distillers take to their graves, " he said.

Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report. Jodie Tillman can be reached at 727 869-6247 or jtillman@sptimes.com.

Fast Facts:

Empire's honors

Empire's vodka, V6, won the gold medal at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Robert Plotkin, an industry consultant and judge, described the vodka as "imminently smooth, highly aromatic."

Empire Winery and Distillery is at 11807 Little Road, New Port Richey. It can be reached at (727) 819-2821 or www.empirewineryand distillery.com.

[Last modified June 9, 2007, 20:39:12]