Coppersea: Emergence of the Microdistillery Movement

By the spring of 2013, Michael Kinstlick and Angus MacDonald had been running a microdistillery for less than a year. Coppersea, located in New York’s Hudson Valley, produced handcrafted spirits using a unique process based on techniques little-used over the past 300 years. The founders had coined the term Heritage-Methods distilling to describe their process. Although Coppersea was still working to develop a stable and consistent production process, it was already receiving attention for the fruits of its experimental runs. Jack Daniels (no relation to Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey), CEO of Wilson Daniels, a family-owned sales and marketing company, had contacted Kinstlick about a possible distribution partnership.

This case covers the emergence of the microdistillery movement and, specifically, the founding of Coppersea, its handcrafted approach to spirits, and its focus on authenticity. While a partnership with Wilson Daniels appeared to offer a solution to the extremely complex world of alcohol distribution in the United States, the case considers whether Coppersea was truly able to shift priorities and make the commitments that a partnership would require. It also raises questions as to whether such a distribution agreement would affect the appeal of authenticity.