Austin, Texas
December 2, 2020

Black Button Distilling, one of the top five craft distilleries in the USA, and the first grain-to-glass farm distillery in Rochester, NY since prohibition, selected Big Thirst Consulting as its partner to help expand its reach and sales in Texas. Big Thirst Consulting will provide sales management and distributor relations to help the distillery expand its presence to more retail stores and increase awareness among Texas consumers.

Black Button Distilling specializes in making grain-based spirits from locally grown grains from across western New York and malted barley from a malt house in Bloomfield, New York. Black Button distributes its Bespoke Bourbon Cream, Four Grain Bourbon, and Citrus Forward Gin in 15 states, (as well as exporting to Japan) and recently expanded distribution to Texas with RNDC just before the pandemic shut down many bars and restaurants. With a stronger focus on off premise sales necessitated by these closures, the distillery sought assistance from Big Thirst Consulting. 

“Selecting Big Thirst Consulting as our partner to help expand sales in Texas was an easy choice,” said Jason Barrett, master distiller and president of Black Button Distilling. “The Big Thirst Consulting team has big-picture thinking and extensive experience in sales enablement, distribution management, and local marketing, which is exactly what we need. They know the right people to help us get on the shelves in the right retail stores in the major metro areas and around the state.”

Big Thirst Consulting will help Black Button Distilling with market penetration in Texas to increase sales by working with the distillery’s national sales director, John Vogl, and its distributor partner Republic National Distributing Company. The firm will expand Black Button’s presence on and off premise statewide with a focus on independent stores, chain retailers, and e-commerce.

“We’re excited to be able to work with a venerable craft brand, like Black Button Distilling, to help them grow in Texas,” said Mark Shilling, partner, Big Thirst Consulting. “Their original plans for a statewide launch were greatly affected by the closure of bars, and restaurants. They make incredible bourbon cream, whiskey, and gin that we know Texans will love. Helping them enter this market and expand their presence in retail with the right sales management and promotions will be the key to their profitable growth.”

About Black Button Distilling
Black Button Distilling is the first grain-to-glass farm distillery in Rochester, NY since prohibition and one of the top 5 Craft Distilleries in the USA, according to USA Today’s 10 Best 2016 and 2017 Readers’ Choice poll. Founded in 2012 and housed in a 5,000-square-foot space near Rochester’s historic Public Market, Black Button Distilling specializes in farm to still products, using unique and all-natural ingredients from local farms to craft 4,000 bottles of award-winning spirits each week, distributed in 15 states and Japan. Black Button Distilling has been named to Inc. Magazine’s Top 5,000 list twice, making it one of the fastest-growing private companies in America two years in a row.

About Big Thirst Consulting
Founded in 2020 Big Thirst Consulting provides complete, integrated business services for distilleries to pave the way to profitable growth. The consultancy, created by spirits industry veterans, Matt McGinnis and Mark Shilling along with advisory board member, Joseph Castillo, helps distilleries including regulatory compliance, distribution, pricing, sales, and marketing to help you grow to the next level, faster, with better margins. Big Thirst Consulting has extensive experience helping start-up and growth phase craft and major brand distilleries streamline operations, increase sales, and manage distributor relations for market growth. The consultancy accesses the power of Big Thirst Marketing, a full-service agency, that fosters relationships between your brand and loyal customers.

Media Contact
Matt McGinnis
Big Thirst Consulting
Matt@bigthirstconsulting.com