Sons of Liberty Beer & Spirits Co. | Emerging Manufacturer
The Sons of Liberty Beer & Spirits Co.’s success as an emerging manufacturer came about in part due to its innovation and quality product, but also due to its ability to see opportunity and grab it by the horns.
The distillery, brewery and tasting room has been able to revamp its business structure as the result of a change in Rhode Island law in recent years, said Bryan Ricard, head of marketing.
“The law allowed for more on-site consumption,” said Ricard. “Before, we could only sell a small bottle” of product to customers. “Now, we can serve 36 ounces of beer or 4.5 ounces of alcohol.”
Sons of Liberty began in the fall of 2011.
Owner Michael Reppucci, who worked in the family finance business but enjoyed making wine, launched the company with his own funds. He learned to make whiskey from a craft-whiskey consultant with a background in chemical engineering who was a retired master distiller at Maker’s Mark, said Ricard.
Ricard, educated in marketing, was “making sandwiches at Panera” but left that job to come work with Reppucci and Chris Guillette; now the company team is made up of about 20 people, Ricard said.
The company makes American single-malt whiskey from beer – something Reppucci didn’t see anyone else in the market doing at the time he opened Sons of Liberty.
One of the challenges in whiskey manufacturing, said Ricard, is that it calls for an owner to invest in lots of materials and equipment upfront, and then wait – for years – for the product to be ready.
New England offers some advantage in whiskey-making over other parts of the country, however, as does Sons of Liberty’s location at Peace Dale Mill in South Kingstown.
The region’s temperature differential from season to season helps.
“In the warmer climate, the whisky expands to the oak, grabs the flavor of the barrel. In colder winter months, it brings the flavors into the whisky,” Richard said.
The other location advantage? The company’s home at the mill had plenty of expansion space. After the law changed and Sons of Liberty could offer more drinking on-site, it was able to take over adjoining space and added bars, seating and games.
“It was the birth of a completely new business,” Ricard said.