How To Make Wine : Interview: Phil McDaniel, CEO of St. Augustine Distillery

Monday, August 16, 2021

Interview: Phil McDaniel, CEO of St. Augustine Distillery

Volume 366 | August 16, 2021

Phil McDaniel, CEO of St. Augustine Distillery

In 2014, Philip McDaniel opened the doors to the St. Augustine Distillery in the Nation’s Oldest City. Now McDaniel is taking some time to sit down with Park Street University and talk about his experience getting his craft spirits brand up and running and how building strong relationships with customers helped St. Augustine pivot during the pandemic.

In fact, St. Augustine Distillery prides itself on the consumer experience, hosting 165,000 visitors annually since their opening, according to McDaniel. This year, the distillery expects to welcome their one-millionth visitor. McDaniel also reveals some of the key tips he's learned along the way that have spurred St. Augustine's growth.

On financing a craft brand, McDaniel advises, "Sell your product as often as you can, as profitably as you can at your tasting room. I know it sounds obvious, but a lot of newbies in the craft space go in with no understanding of the tremendous marketing costs and sales support involved with building their brand. So, in order to generate the support dollars you’ll be expected to provide to your distributor, retail, and on premise partners, sell as much as you can from your tasting room and reinvest those dollars to support the growth of your wholesale business."

Read the full interview with Philip McDaniel.