Wolves Whiskey, a unique collision of luxury lifestyle and craft spirits. Their first release is aptly titled, First Run. Here’s a look at what makes it so special, inside and out.
“I wanted to sip something with my people at my house that was truly different, something you couldn’t find anywhere else,” says Jon Buscemi. “[Karakasevic] brought some special Rye to the table and blended a juice that is balanced and rich. He’s an artist.”
What’s outside the glass is almost as stunning. Each bottle is wrapped in Italian sheepskin leather. It is hand cut, embossed, printed with UV light and affixed to the exterior by hand. The sturdy decanter is topped in maple wood cork.
“The idea for design was to not stray too far from what we do, since not all of us were proper whiskey drinkers by nature,” says James Bond. “We had to build it to live in something authentic that we would create no matter what the product would be. Leather bound bottles and hand crafted containers fits anyone’s vibe no matter what they drink.”
First Run will come out of the box wearing a $150 price tag. It’s not the most amount of money a bottle of California whiskey has ever commanded. In fact, Karakasevic’s primary distillery, Charbay, sells bottles of its Hop Flavored Whiskey for over $400. The point of separation for Wolves is that Bond and Buscemi are actively marketing the brand to the fashion and lifestyle set, as opposed to a targeted play to whiskey geeks. To wit, this new release won’t even be available at your local liquor store. Instead, just 898 total bottles of the luxury product will be sold exclusively at Reservebar.com and Flaviar.com. The websites serve specific markets, but not all 50 states even allow online delivery of distilled spirits.
Exclusivity, after all, is part and parcel to luxury. In the sneaker world, Bond has built lasting success with his Undefeated brand of premium apparel. Buscemi has found much of the same with his own self-titled line. With Wolves they hope to carry some of that magic to the whisky space–a segment already susceptible to cultish obsession. This could form the perfect storm of hype. We’ll know more after the First Run.
