Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Walters.
Hi Chris, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In late 2015, I got bit by the bourbon bug BIG time, and I dove deep into the category. As I started to read reviews of different bourbons that I might want to buy, I noticed incredibly specific food-related language being used to describe the various bourbon by their “nose, palate, and finish.” The writers noted “hints of brown sugar, red apple, and vanilla bean on the nose. Black pepper and leather on the palate, and toasted oak and cherries on the finish.” I wasn’t getting ANY of those notes, maybe only “sweet” or “spicy” if I was lucky. So I knew there must be a way to train my palate to detect these notes, but I didn’t know how. My research led me to “bourbon nosing kits,” which are collections of aromas that you smell while nosing and tasting bourbon to train your nose on specific scents. I found a couple of options online, but all were hundreds of dollars, which definitely wasn’t in the budget. Plus, as a new bourbon drinker, those funds could be spent on my next five bottles! Instead of purchasing a nosing kit, I set off to create my own. Rather than going with the essential oil or perfume-based route, I raided my spice cabinet for natural ingredients and found vanilla extract, cinnamon, brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper and so much more. Almost immediately I found that by simply spending more time smelling these ingredients, it became easier to detect the notes in a glass of bourbon. I started posting photos of my personal nosing kit in bourbon FB groups, and interest started to rise for a commercially available natural ingredient version. And thus, Nose Your Bourbon was born.
Originally only selling a single version of the kit on Etsy, if I’ve since expanded to selling 3 versions of the kit via my website (noseyourbourbon.com) and through online retailers like Bespoke Post, Vintage Gentlemen, and Seelbach’s. As of today, I’ve sold more than 20,000 kits and now have 3 kit options available; the original bourbon nosing kit, the expansion kit, and the sample kit.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In the beginning, I had a really difficult time sourcing the cases that I used for my kits in bulk. I was buying them one at a time at 3X the cost that I eventually found them for. In fact, supply chain was such a problem early on that I thought the business was dead in the water. That was until I formed a relationship with the manufacturer directly and can now have cases produced any time that I need. Increasing shipping costs continue to be a problem, but I still offer free shipping on all orders because I know how important that is to consumers. Some of the ingredients were a bit challenging to source initially, but I have worked out those kinks along the way. To this day, I am a single employee business, so I wear all of the hats when it comes to marketing and advertising, product and business development, finances, etc. It has its benefits, but I can definitely see the advantages to having a team to help focus on some of those areas in the future.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Nose Your Bourbon kits are the only natural ingredient nosing kits on the market today. This helps me stand out, not only from a visual perspective but from an authenticity perspective as well. Given the choice, would you rather smell Tahitian Vanilla Bean or a clear liquid made in a lab that is supposed to smell like vanilla? Yeah…me too. I’m most proud of building the business from absolutely nothing to having sold more than 20,000 kits to date. I had a feeling that I was onto something, and it turns out others are resonating with the idea as well.
How do you think about happiness?
Helping people makes me happy. In all of the roles I’ve played in any job I’ve held, I’ve been the most happy when I know that my interaction with a customer has genuinely helped them. When I receive a review from a happy customer who has purchased one of my nosing kits and they tell me how much more they’re enjoying bourbon because of it, that’s the best feeling in the world.
Pricing:
- Original bourbon nosing kit – $69
- Expansion kit – $79
- Sample kit – $29
Contact Info:
- Website: https://noseyourbourbon.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noseyourbourbon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noseyourbourbon/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEox8sx6Qna3wkOu6_falRA
Image Credits
Terrell Photographic and Product by Tyler
