96 / 102
P
People should be a bit more adventurous and get out and try differ-
ent brands. It’s great to have a go-to smoke, whether it’s a
Partagás
, a
Macanudo or another brand. If it’s a good cigar, it’s a good cigar. But
be willing to try something new and unfamiliar to you. You don’t want
to invest all your money in one product and then have it not sell well.
It’s almost always worth giving someone a chance to see how a product
does. If a product has a good enough name behind it, people may buy
it once, but will they come back and buy it a second time?
There are certain heritage brands we’ll bring into The Party Source
because we know they will sell. For example, I think A.J. Fernandez’s pop-
ularity is getting to the point where a lot of people are willing to take the
risk on anything he does. With his cigars, I don’t need to try
them; I just have his new products sent to us. However,
for brands without that following or for those that
are less well-known, you need to try it first and
ask yourself if it’s established enough and if
it is worth taking a big risk on or if doing a
smaller buy-in and letting it grow organi-
cally makes more sense.
The same applies to spirits. In talking
with both of our liquor buyers here at
the store the other day, I asked them
what they know about Ron Barceló, a
Dominican rum made from sugar cane
juice. Neither of them knew much about
it, having never tried it before. I imme-
diately went to the shelf, cracked open a
bottle, and we all sampled it. It was actual-
ly surprising how good it was for the price. I
honestly think that it deserves a bit more credit
than some of the ratings I’ve seen it given, because
it’s got a bit of complexity to it. It has a really nice nose
on it—you get a lot of the barrel in the nose on it. It’s sweet
and spicy and has more than a touch of coffee to it. It reminded me of
a Kahlúa: It wasn’t a coffee additive flavor but had that sweetness and
just a hint of that flavor. It isn’t expensive at all—usually right around
the $20 mark.
Ron Barceló rum is very drinkable. It’s good by itself, but it would be
great in a cocktail as well. If you’re looking for a substitute for Myers’s
dark rum, it would be a good choice. People usually use that as a float
on top of their daiquiris or Bahama Mama-type drinks. I also thought
a Painkiller cocktail would be the best way to use it—mix Ron Barceló,
pineapple and orange juice, and a little bit of coconut cream.
It has a nice spice profile to it but with the sweetness, a nice maduro
cigar with a little depth would go well with it. Try the new Oscar Madu-
ro from Oscar Vallardares with it. The Oscar Maduro has a candela leaf
wrapped around the bottom half of the cigar. It’s one of the best madu-
ros I’ve had in a long time. It’s rich, and it’s got a lot of coffee and choc-
olatey notes to it. It's just an absolutely fantastic cigar. Warped’s El Oso,
a maduro line they have made in El Titan Bronze down in Miami or the
new Mr. Brownstone from Esteban Carreras would also be good choices.
At its price point, a product like Ron Barceló is not a high risk, so
it should be easy to get a customer back in the store to buy it a second
time. Plus, you will have sold your customer a quality product at a great
price, so now you’ve also gained their trust. If a cigar or
spirit is good enough in quality, it will do well as long
as you have floor presence and somebody who
cares enough to get out into the aisles and help
the customers. When the customer sees the
excitement you have for a product, it’s easy
to make that sale.
With a smaller brand, if you let it
grow organically, it will usually pay
off. A lot of smaller companies are
willing to offer you a deal or a better
buy-in because they want to see their
products on your shelves. They may
even be willing to give you a free fac-
ing in order to get you to buy more so
they can win more shelf space in your
store. When brand owners are willing to
work with you to get a better floor presence,
you may end up with some free product, giv-
ing you a better profit margin out of those cigars.
At The Party Source, we allow a lot of our facings to
grow organically before we bring in a new size or product
from a company.
One of the best things about being in this industry is being able to
try everyone’s products. There’s so much variety, whether it be with
spirits or with cigars. There are so many different options out there,
yet people tend to get stuck in a rut and always smoke and drink the
same thing. Be adventurous. See what else is available and learn what
else might be interesting.
TB
Nick Douglas is the assistant humidor manager/buyer
for The Party Source in Bellevue, Kentucky.
SPIRITS
[ 92 ]
TOBACCO BUSINESS
[
SEPTEMBER
/
OCTOBER
|
17 ]
Try Something
Different
Retailers often rely on well-known brands that will sell, but
taking a chance on something new or boutique can pay off,
reports
Tobacco Business
’s spirits writer.
BY NICK DOUGLAS