028 | Duncan McRae | Woven | Bottle Shops before Bars: starting at the liquid and work back towards the brand

Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis! In Episode 028, I had the pleasure of chatting with Duncan McRae, Co-founder of Woven Whisky and a Drinks industry veteran, having previously worked with William Grant's & Sons and Diageo. A living example of Building Brands Bottom Up. I hope you enjoy our chat. Main Topics Discussed: (00:00) Building Demand (03:08) Brand Awareness (08:58) Managing Relationships (10:44) KPI's & Incentives (13:46) "Blue Tick Moments": Becoming Known in the Ecosystem (15:40) Bottle Shops vs. On-Trade Growth (26:46) It starts with the liquid (32:00) Adapting Your Sales Pitch (37:52) Better Brand Training (44:35) Taste Profile before categories (52:00) Special Pours & Drawbacks About the Host: Chris Maffeo About the Guest: Duncan McRae About the product: Woven Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom. Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section. You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.