This was a complete " first " when we had David Walz approach me and ask me where he could set up for caricatures? I had never had such a request and so I stumbled/mumbled a bit to myself being an artist myself if I had heard him correctly? I had and so I showed him where he could set up shop and we were off. I just had to direct people over to the Balvenie DoubleWood 12-year-old ( aged/matured in two separate casks : first cask of Whisky Oak, second cask of Sherry Oak ) table after the beer Lancaster Brewing Company - 4 types, Peroni Italian beer ) and wine tastings ( a LYRARAKIS Crete 2008 Vilana dry white, $13.49 : and a Greek LAFKIOTIS Nemea Agiorgitiko dry red, On Sale for $10.99 ) as we had four things happening ( five if you count the caricatures separately.
I did not get a chance to try the BALVENIE 12-Year-Old but would have liked to very much if not for all the activity in the store at the time. Sales seemed good on it with positive impressions. And everyone liked getting their caricatures made. One women asked : " How long will it take " as she sampled the BALVENIE 12-Year-old and then she posed for hers to be made soon after.
It was cleaver merchandising to have the caricatures made as gifts and souvenirs. Those that had theirs done will talk about it often and with the label of Balvenie on each caricature it will remind them for years to come as they look at it that it was the Balvenie. They will also most probably buy it when they need or want a single malt scotch for themselves or for a gift. As I said : brilliant marketing here : have fun, taste your product and possibly make a customer for life? What else could any product want?!? Not much ...
Some of the customers that tried the BALVENIE 12 year-old are very good customers of ours at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits already. Others were new ones. We need both always.
As you can see I have taken pictures of the caricatures being made and then later of the people posing for me with their caricatures by their sides. I think that they are pretty good really. What do you think?
BALVENIE single malt scotches already sell really well in our store at 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. ( Tel : 202-363-4265,, sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ) and I think this evening will only help us sell more from now on. We should do this again. It was fun and relaxed our customers and got them a bit more acquainted with us and our store. That is all very good.
It was fun to have so many things going on in our store at once. I think people warm to that almost immediately once that they realize that it is for them and that they are included in all of it if they wish.
Being the wine manager I am happy that we were tasting a good Greek red as well as a good Crete white. They sold well, too. Some of our customers did not know that they made wine in Greece. Most were happy to try the two wines and as a result discovered the vineyards of both LAFKIOTIS in the Peleponese region of Greece as well as Crete's LYRARIKIS winery and the indigenous grape called Vilana that is crisp and dry with high levels of bright, forward, fleshy acidity. The Nemea made from the Agiorgitiko grape ( also called the Saint George ) is better-known and this one reminded me of a lovely medium-to-light-bodied version of a southern Cotes du Rhone crossed with a red burgundy. We have sold it well now for more than a year.
I will probably think of more but want to get this posted now on Monday night at 11:45 PM here at home in northern Virginia on December 6th, 2009. It's time for bed now.
Happy Holidays 2009 to one and to all this season and be sure and return to our store in our nation's capitol to buy some of these marvelous products from us while you still can. They will make excellent gifts either for yourselves or for your friends...
Cheers and enjoy these photos now ... TONY
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