How the Cofounders of Taste Select Repeat Are Making Whiskey Culture More Inclusive
Pierre Auguste
Breaking into the world of whiskey can seem daunting for those who aren't already embedded in the culture.
O.J. Lima and Pierre Auguste, the cofounders of e-commerce liquor store Taste Select Repeat, have carved out a space for whiskey lovers — new and old — to enjoy a curated selection of unique and rare spirits within an inclusive community since their online shop launched in 2020.
The cofounders, who've been picking barrels together since 2018, have grown their 200-person mailing list into a 1,500-member program that offers their exclusive single barrel whiskey picks, plus virtual and in-person tasting events. More importantly, TSR has attracted people of color, women and young people — who've been traditionally excluded from the mostly white boys club of whiskey — to freely explore and build a community through their love of spirits.
PEOPLE spoke to Lima and Auguste over Zoom to discuss TSR, how they're disrupting the industry and why inclusivity is the key to the future of whiskey culture. The edited and condensed version of the conversation follows.
Pierre Auguste
PEOPLE: What did you feel was lacking in the industry and how did you go about fulfilling that need?
LIMA: We decided to tackle a few basic needs on different fronts. To start, there weren't a lot of barrel picks in the Northeast and New York in particular. The tradition of selecting single barrels of whiskey has been more popular in the South, so we wanted to bring it to our local area and beyond for the culture to grow. We also wanted to create better, more inclusive tasting events.
I had been to a few whiskey events and normally, I would go and see a pretty homogeneous group of people — mostly white men of a certain age. Pierre and I both felt in our hearts that we shared this deep appreciation for whiskey culture but we didn't really love any of the events we had been to. There were not a lot of people of color and almost no women. The whiskey part of it was fun but the rest was not. We knew that we wanted to create a cooler community that would welcome a mix of nerds, novices and people who've been barrel picking for a while to make things more fun and engaging. As we picked more barrels, threw more events and continued to find our way, we also decided on embracing e-commerce over a storefront.
The liquor space, for the most part, is a three-tiered system. There's a supplier, distributor and a retailer, and we realized that we'd fit best as retailers so we could keep throwing events and curating our own picks. We also wanted to switch things up and embrace social media because most retailers aren't really doing that.
Has choosing e-commerce made you more accessible to build on creating that community aspect?
AUGUSTE: Absolutely. We definitely cater to a much wider age group and demographic, for sure. We've also found success with people who've wanted that comfort of being behind a screen to explore without feeling judged. The comfort that brings has allowed us to grow.
How has your clientele evolved since opening in 2020?
LIMA: We started with a mailing list of 200 people and now, we're up to 1,500 in our member program. We're about 50/50 people of color to white people and about 35 percent women. Forty percent of our clientele are under the age of 35.
Pierre Auguste
Our customer base reflects the new demographics of American whiskey, which has shown that the growing market is basically people of color, Black and Latin in particular, with more women and people in the 21- to 34-year-old range. We've attracted this client base because they're able to see themselves represented on our site, the events we hold and the distilleries that we work with.
How has the liquor community responded to TSR now that you've really established yourselves?
LIMA: It's surprising to me how quickly we've been accepted by the eyes of the industry. For us to come from someplace totally different and have people say they respect us, want to work with us and know our value is really comforting, and is definitely a pat on the back for the work that we've put in.
We also receive a lot of love from people of color and women who have told us that they're happy we exist because we're an example of where people think the industry needs to go. On top of that, it's compounded by suppliers saying, "It's 2022 and we really do need to diversify these companies."
Pierre Auguste
It's definitely an issue if you don't have women at your company or if you don't have anyone in your marketing department that represents your client base. Those aspects are changing in the industry, but I've only been seeing that within the last two years. It's still new.
What's your own personal relationship with whiskey? Where did that passion come from?
AUGUSTE: I was a late bloomer when it came to alcohol. My first experience with whiskey was in early 2000, somewhere around 2006. I had a friend who was crashing on my couch and he was a big whiskey drinker. I was not. He got me into drinking whiskey with ice and sweet tea, and we'd have a glass to unwind at home after work.
One night, we went shopping to pick up more whiskey and he stops me dead in my tracks and says, "We need to get that." I looked up at the top shelf where he was pointing and saw a hundred-dollar bottle of whiskey. I told him no, we didn't need it and he said, "Trust me." We bought it and brought it home. I started taking out the ice and sweet tea and he immediately said no as he grabbed two regular glasses and started to pour.
Pierre Auguste
I still remember that sip. I had no clue at the time but this was a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle. I forget if it was a 15- or 20-year-old, but you can't find it anywhere today for less than $1,500. That was a kind of "aha moment" for me. I started exploring and trying different bottles so other people could experience that "aha moment". I began putting on tastings with some of my friends that weren't that big into whiskey and from there, it's been amazing to see people discover new tastes and find their own entry into this world.
What can people expect from TSR next?
LIMA: We started with American whiskey, and we're looking to add scotch, Japanese whiskey, tequila and mezcal. We're also planning on traveling to visit many different locations to see how things are made and learn about each culture. We want to ultimately expand the company to be more of a marketplace than just a liquor store.
Since COVID, we've noticed that more people are trying to spend more quality time with family and friends. When they meet, they want the best food and drinks to be a part of these special moments and people have told us that we've helped facilitate the drinks part for them. Once we expand into a marketplace, we'll be able to offer a lot more products that will contribute to that: barware, glassware, cocktail kits, all sorts of other things. We also want to make sure we continue to highlight other independent businesses, so we're sourcing products people have made and are proud of. And for those who don't drink, we plan on including products, like barrel-aged coffee and barrel-aged maple syrup, so everyone can participate.
