Exploring Life & Business with David Pick of Tennessee Craft Spirits, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Pick

David, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began travelling from London to Nashville in 2018 to make music TV shows and, while here, became introduced to the range and diversity of Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey. When Covid interrupted filming, I spent more time studying the production process of those spirits and, by joining the Nashville Bourbon Social Club, I had the opportunity to taste many more brands than I could have done alone. The experience of picking single barrels at Lux Row in Kentucky in November 2021 was so exciting and compelling that I enrolled into the Certified Bourbon Steward course offered by The Stave & Thief Society. When I discovered that it’s only been some 15 years that the law in Tennessee permitted production beyond George Dickel and Jack Daniel’s, the lights went on, and I could see the potential for a new business offering export sales to the independent, craft producers that have emerged into the market since 2009. My company currently represents 6 whiskey producers, a tequila brand and a mixed cocktail creator for international export business.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Over the decades, I have started several businesses and it’s never, ever smooth. The challenges for Tennessee Craft Spirits have included navigating the legislation, both federal and state, obtaining permits for wholesale, export and import and, most arduous of all, identifying freight companies who will carry alcoholic beverages for a start-up.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a one-stop shop. If you are an independent craft spirits producer, it’s likely that the prospect of export sales have not entered your radar. You are focused on selling within the US and gaining distribution in new states. You will not have the manpower, resources or logistics experience to handle individual importers in multiple overseas markets, and won’t want the risks associated with long distance accountings.

Similarly, if you are an importer in the EU, for example, you are unlikely to want to deal with each one of multiple small, independent producers in the US many thousands of miles away and on a variety of time zones.

Tennessee Craft Spirits (‘TCS’) simply enables the producers to sell to one US company for the potential to have their brands on shelves in London, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Toronto and Stockholm. TCS gives the importers and distributors in every overseas market access to the extraordinary variety of high quality spirits being produced by American independent craft creators through one supplier.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Don’t get me started!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tncraftspirits.com
• Instagram: @tncraftspirits