A Toast to the Feminine ‘Spirit’

“There’s something missing here.” That’s ever the observation at the heart of invention. In the world of wine and spirits, three female-founded brands regarded the void specific to category. One asked, “Why are the only vodka brands within easy recall the same ones that have been dominating shelves for decades?” Another wondered if a wine enjoyed so easily by the sea might contribute to ocean preservation. One challenged the peat-saturated category of single malts with a non-Scotch-centric option—one that instead evoked the French notion of terroir. The haunting house of Harridan Like many stewing in 2020’s lockdown, Bridgette Taylor culled an interest in creating cocktails at home. The pandemic hit while Taylor was in her final year at Harvard Business School. Suddenly left with time to create all manner of spirit infusions, the first blush of Taylor’s career pivot from equity research and strategy roles came into focus. “I started to dream of founding my own vodka brand,” Taylor said. “I appreciated the fantastic storytelling in whiskey, tequila and gin—however, the vodka category felt dusty. I often wondered: Where was the innovation and newness in vodka apparent in other spirit categories?” Launched in December 2020, the story behind Taylor’s uniquely overproof vodka—at 44% ABV, or 88 proof—is a haunting one. “I was a Medieval History major during my undergraduate,” she told Adweek. “One element I kept returning to was the European witch trials, where tens of thousands of women were persecuted for no other reason than their independent lifestyles.” These stories inspired the vodka’s name, Harridan. The rarely used, antiquated locution is generally defined as "an angry, belligerent woman." It made for a most apropos tagline: “The Spirit of Defiance.” Taylor’s organic, corn-based vodka is saturated so thoroughly in its narrative that some of the bottles rest in notoriously haunted houses—including The Conjuring house. While Harridan celebrates all manner of heretics, fortune tellers and gothic goddesses, Taylor stresses that her vodka is for any person who identifies as a feminist. “I’ve had many liquor store owners refuse meetings with me, because they claim they aren’t looking to expand their vodka selection,” Taylor said. “Nine times out of ten, every vodka on their shelves were founded by men. If those at the gates don’t feel urgency to change, how can the industry become more inclusive?” Taylor feels the fix here is for consumers to hold bars, restaurants and liquor stores accountable by requesting female and diverse-owned products. “The media has done a great job featuring the innovation and leadership of women in the industry,” Taylor said. “Consumer awareness around female-owned products is certainly growing. I’m hopeful that the willingness of venues to rebalance their shelf space will follow.” The story behind Bridgette Taylor’s uniquely overproof vodka is a haunting one. Sea, sun, Souleil On the other side of the Atlantic, Marianne Fabre-Lanvin spent lockdown dreaming of days spent by the sea with friends and wines in plénitude de bonté—at the height of their goodness. Fabre-Lanvin was born in Languedoc, the largest wine-producing region in the world, to a family of vineyard owners and oenophiles. Her early career was spent as the director of Sud de France, an organization that promotes wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the United States. In 2017, she founded her New York-based communications agency, MFL & Co, specializing in wine publicity and travel. In 2020, the world of travel stood still. Suddenly, hosting journalists for sun-drenched wine tastings in the idyllic vineyards of the south of France became an elusive notion. During this time, Fabre-Lanvin began making organic wine with her childhood friend, Thomas Delaude. The project allowed her to spend more time with other close friends who collaborated on design and distribution. Souleil Wines launched in May 2021 with branding that immediately resonated—a name that evoked the soul, sun and soil with its play on the French "soleil" and a mission of ocean preservation at its heart. The brand’s social media campaigns call to mind the summertime spirit of the 1960s on the Côte d'Azur. Souleil’s joie de vivre was just the balm the wine world needed while summering in place. Beyond creating an easygoing wine that appeals to everyone at the table—or on the beach blanket—Fabre-Lanvin’s mission at the heart of Souleil was to do something for the greater good. “We launched our company as ocean lovers. It permeates our project and the partnerships we initiate. We give a portion of our profits to the 5 Minute Foundation, a non-profit that works toward ocean preservation.” Souleil Wines launched in May 2021 with branding that immediately resonated—a name that evoked the soul, sun and soil with its play on the French “soleil” and a mission of ocean preservation at its heart. Fabre-Lanvin believes the ever-increasing presence of women in the wine and spirits industry contributes to radical structural changes in roles and hierarchies within small and big companies. “Female-owned wine and spirits brands are clearly in the spotlight these days, but I think that professionals and consumers end up focusing on the quality of the product and the original story rather than the gender of the owners.” She’s looking forward to the day when the mention of anyone’s gender won’t be necessary because there won’t be any discrimination based on it. But at the moment, she relishes the sense of community from fellow female wine industry professionals who are keen to support other women’s initiatives. “If my participation as a female entrepreneur inspires others to follow suit,” Fabre-Lanvin said, “this would truly be a dream come true, as we must keep evolving as an industry and as a society.” 'French whisky is still a relatively unknown category to most Americans.' The leap from barre to Brenne From the age of 9 to 23, Allison Parc spent her life at the barre as a professional ballerina. Around the time her career in dance began to wind down, she started to fall in love with whiskies. As she expanded her knowledge, she was flummoxed why distilleries outside of Scotland only seemed to produce whiskies that tasted like Scotch, none that focused on the sense of place, smell and taste. She wanted to create the first truly terroir-focused, organic single malt made outside of Scotland. As the French originated the concept of terroir, she believed naturally the scotch should be made in France. After trying to land her concept with French distillers and being met with endless rejection, she decided to do it herself. In the process, Parc effectively revolutionized an entire category of spirits. “French whisky is still a relatively unknown category to most Americans, despite that there's now over 120 distilleries in France registered to or already making whisky,” said Parc. “It’s a number that now rivals Scotland!” Inspired by the French term for the part of the barley used to make whisky—"brin"—Parc created her single malt with a third-generation Cognac maker at his family farm-distillery in the heart of Cognac, France. When Brenne launched in 2012, Parc self-distributed her bottles via Citi Bike to New York City’s elite wine and spirits retailers. They could hardly keep it on shelves. On March 8, 2017—International Women’s Day—Parc signed a partnership deal to align Brenne with distributors across the country. A decade since the launch, Brenne crowns the shelves of some of the world’s most rarefied bars and spirit shops. “It’s important for distributors and liquor store owners to see consumers supporting companies who lead with diversity and that are creating elegant, unique, delicious products for reasons of environment, location and thoughtful innovation,” Parc said. “To me, these aspects are far more important than saying, 'Buy this because it’s owned by a specific gender.'” How about instead: “Buy this because you’ll never taste anything like this anywhere else—and oh, by the way, it was started by an ex-ballerina with a pretty cool story that will make you believe in following your own dreams, too.”