The One(2)
One day after the launch, in the small office of Golden Grain Soju House, two men walked through the door at the same time. One was a short, bald man with sharp eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses, and the other was a tall Black man.
From the moment they laid eyes on each other, they radiated open hostility.
"You don't have much experience in handling a spirit of this style, do you?"
"Experience isn't everything. Without a distribution network as vast as ours, won't you hit a ceiling?"
They traded sparks with their glares, but neither continued the conversation, choosing instead to sit in silence.
Five minutes later, Jacob and an Asian man—myself—entered the office.
"Oh? You both arrived at the same time? Wasn't one of you supposed to have a meeting in thirty minutes?"
When Jacob asked, the tall Black man replied.
"I have a habit of arriving thirty minutes before any meeting. I'm Malcolm Lee, Vice President of Unity Spirits. If I'm intruding..."
"No, not at all."
After shaking his hand, the short, bald man introduced himself as well.
"Harold Burns, CEO of Burns & Company."
"Nice to meet you. Please, come in."
As they took their seats, Jacob glanced at me briefly before sitting across from them. While he could manage the production of the alcohol alone, he seemed to rely on me heavily when it came to dealing with people.
"I ended up having you both here at the same time by coincidence."
Jacob muttered it out of sheer awkwardness, but Harold pushed up his glasses and said,
"Where there is good liquor, competition is bound to follow. Do you have any water? This conversation is going to be a long one."
"Of course. Just a moment..."
I went to fetch some drinks on a tray, served them, and sat down next to Jacob.
A bottle of The One Premium Rice Vodka sat in the center of the conference table. Harold pointed directly at it.
"I was quite surprised when I tasted the first sample of 'The One.' It's clean, but it doesn't lack character. Perhaps because it was made by a farm that grows its own rice, the subtle aroma of the grain leaves a lingering presence. We saw potential in this spirit."
He set the bottle down and got straight to the point.
"This shouldn't be sold as a mass-market liquor."
Jacob's eyebrows arched slightly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"If it's an Eastern spirit, you have to sell the mystery. The aesthetics of restraint, the quiet negative space. We call this 'Zen Vodka.' Hotel lounges, Michelin-starred restaurants, wine bars... it should be sold quietly in those kinds of spaces."
His tone was calm yet filled with conviction. Jacob frowned and asked,
"Are you talking about the Zen Vodka that started being sold by Phillips Distilling Company?"
"You're aware of it?"
I knew it had been quite a topic when it first launched, but its popularity in California was currently fading to the point where it was hard to find. Naturally, Jacob had been curious enough to track a bottle down and try it himself.
Beyond that, the Japanese sake-based TY KU Liqueur had launched last year, and this year, the Hawaii-based sake brand Hana Flavored Sake had hit the market. It was a time when Japanese sake was just beginning to flow into the United States.
"I know it. Black bottle, bamboo illustration. It started selling in 2003, but now..."
Harold pulled out a tablet and showed a draft with the slogan, 'The One, Spirit of Balance.'
"We intend to create a story. We will brand the very mystery and quiet atmosphere of the East. The key is to grow the brand image. Furthermore, if you grant us the Exclusive Territory, we promise to pre-purchase 100 cases (1,200 bottles) every three months for the first year of the contract."
At this, Malcolm, who had been listening from the side, scoffed.
"That was a lovely artistic pitch. It differs from our approach in many ways."
Harold's face twisted in frustration, and Jacob, intrigued, asked,
"Then does Unity Spirits have a different strategy?"
"Of course."
He gestured lightly toward the bottle.
"The One needs to be turned into a 'Trend.' I believe it needs to enter bars in LA and San Francisco, fusion restaurants run by young chefs, and fashion week after-parties."
"You want to put an Eastern spirit in clubs? Are you trying to turn it into cheap swill?"
Harold looked appalled, as if the idea were absurd. Malcolm smiled softly and opened his palms.
"No. I don't mean cheap; I mean it needs to approach the public in a way that feels familiar. The younger generation these days wants both 'cool' and 'exotic sensibility.' In fact, the coolness young people talk about is based on a kind of superiority—the feeling that they are different from others. Do you know why the 'Zen Vodka' you mentioned is quietly fading away? Because people don't drink it in places where they can show it off to others. In that case, they have no choice but to seek out what is familiar."
He pulled out a prepared poster draft. Behind the bottle of The One, white rice grains were scattering like rain, and below it was the phrase, 'Asian Fusion Vodka.'
"We plan to brand The One as the liquor of a new era. Not just some curious drink from the East, but a cool spirit that the younger generation can use to show off their uniqueness. Additionally, if you grant us the Exclusive Territory, we will pre-purchase 500 cases immediately. That should tell you how confident we are in the success of The One."
Jacob looked back and forth between the two men. Both strategies seemed valid. One was quiet and dignified; the other was fast and intense.
"Let me discuss this for a moment."
Jacob, hesitating, pulled me up and walked outside the building.
"Which one do you think is better?"
"Wouldn't Unity Spirits be better? Harold kept mentioning Zen Vodka, which is practically dying, and he couldn't offer any other strategy."
"Hmm... that's true. And they did offer to pre-purchase 500 cases."
500 cases (6,000 bottles) at a wholesale price of $11 per bottle would come to $66,000. Ironically, these 500 cases alone already exceeded the revenue from the rice sold at the farm this year.
The rice needed to make these 500 cases was only 5 tons. Considering the farm had earned $58,000 from selling 200 tons of rice, it was clear that the revenue from selling raw materials versus processed goods was on a completely different level.
"Even if that weren't the case, Unity Spirits seems to have a firm picture of their own, while Burns & Company felt like they were just improvising because a new liquor had appeared."
"Okay. Got it."
Jacob returned to the office and reached out his hand to Harold first.
"Thank you for coming. But I think we'll have to sign with the other party."
Harold, perhaps having braced himself for this, accepted the result with a displeased expression.
"I see. I hope you won't regret this."
"Thank you for understanding."
Having been dealt a blow by Malcolm in the direct confrontation, Harold left the office bitterly. Malcolm, the winner of the contest, wore a triumphant smile and said,
"Choosing us is an excellent decision. You won't regret it."
"I certainly hope so. I look forward to working with you."
"I was curious about one thing. Usually, vodka comes in 750ml bottles, but is there a reason you used 500ml bottles while branding it as rice vodka?"
"Ah, that? The owner of the bar where I held my first tasting told me something. He said if it's the same as existing vodka, there's no reason for people to buy ours. If you only emphasize the difference in ingredients, the producer might think it's different, but from the consumer's perspective, isn't it all the same?"
"A good perspective."
"That's why we differentiated it by using a thin, slender bottle instead of the thick ones traditional vodka uses, and we reduced the capacity. I thought women might find large volumes burdensome. We also paid attention to the aesthetics of the bottle."
"Oh, I see. The fact that we initially decided to target the younger generation was helped greatly by the bottle design."
"My friend here runs a winery, and I was inspired by seeing how fruit wines like cherry wine have slender, pretty bottles."
"My goodness... May I ask, how old are you...?"
"My friend and I have just turned twenty-one."
His jaw dropped, and he wore an expression of disbelief.
"You mean you're distillery owners at just twenty-one?"
"That's right."
"I can't believe it."
He shook his head in amazement, then seemed to recall something. He looked at me and Jacob, raised his hand, and said,
"Instead of just this, why don't we brand the story between the distillery owner and the winery owner as well?"
"Pardon?"
"Think about it. A twenty-one-year-old distillery owner and a winery owner..."
"I'm not quite an owner yet."
As I shook my head, Jacob's eyes widened as he said,
"You make all the wine, though. You even taught me all your distilling secrets. You're also teaching Armando your vinegar secrets and Chloe about cherry and pear farming."
"Is that true?"
He looked straight at me in surprise, and I wore an uncomfortable expression.
"Haha, well, one thing led to another..."
"Excellent. I'll craft the concept properly. The concept of young farm-owner friends challenging the American liquor market. And The One will be your first challenge as a spirit. Do you have a second one planned?"
"For the second one, I'm thinking of a traditional Korean liquor feel rather than a clean vodka feel. I want to premiumize it."
"Like sake?"
"Something similar."
"Perfect. Good. You two... no, there are four of you in total, right?"
Unlike me, who frowned at a bad premonition, Jacob answered excitedly.
"Yes!"
"Would you four be able to spare some time for an interview shoot?"
"Which outlet is the interview for?"
Malcolm, one corner of his mouth raised, pointed at Jacob and said quietly,
"Blender."
At that moment,
"Oh my god! We're doing an interview with Blender?"
Blender Magazine was an American music and pop culture magazine published from 2001 to 2009. It was a publication that had a massive influence on young people, often featuring figures like Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Eminem, Beyoncé, and Maroon 5 on its cover. It was no wonder Jacob looked ecstatic the moment he heard it.
"As you know, Blender carries advertisements for spirits like whiskey and vodka, and our company's ads are in there too. So we can definitely appeal to the magazine. They'll certainly be interested. Because it's liquor made by young people."
"Of course. It's an incredible spirit. The wine this friend here made even won two double golds at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Two double golds from one winery for two different wines at the same time. Can you believe that?"
At Jacob's excited explanation, Malcolm looked at me with an expression of disbelief again and grabbed my hand firmly.
"What kind of ability do you have? I can't just sit still. If Blender won't do the interview, I'll make sure we get an interview in MAXIM, Rolling Stone... or even GQ."
"Look here. I know you're excited, but please focus more on Jacob than me."
At my words, he gave a strange smile and nodded.
"I see... you think Blender and high-end wine don't quite match in tone? Okay. I understand perfectly. Don't worry. Ah, and the wine distribution...?"
"We already have a distributor."
"Oh... that's a shame. But I hope you remember that Unity Spirits is always here to help you."
Malcolm, who said something that would have made Christopher turn in his grave and do backflips if he heard it, refocused on Jacob.
"If your friend makes the decision, I'll notify the magazine and schedule the interview. The magazine will surely be interested, but more than anything, it will be a huge help to your friends' business. As you know, it's Blender."
"That's right. Young people who enjoy liquor and clubs all read Blender."
"I'm already excited. The sight of young Americans holding 'The One' in one hand, listening to music, and chatting. I feel like I can see the future of The One."
I listened from the side, admiring Malcolm's captivating way with words. I didn't think he was lying, but I felt he was painting too rosy a picture. Well, time would tell the result.
The two men shook hands and signed the contract immediately. And the next day, a Unity Spirits truck arrived in front of the distillery and loaded up 500 cases of The One.
I didn't know what the future held, but one thing was certain: Jacob had $66,000 in his bank account right now.
That was the most important thing.