Barrels full of rum, at the distillery near Belmopan, Belize.
One Barrel Rum
Barrels full of rum, at the distillery near Belmopan, Belize.
Click here to see a few things about Belize, rum, the liquor business and me.
Well, I had a little legal trouble with my website, specifically a trademark dispute regarding the trade name of the distillery. It seems that I can't use that trade name, although the brand names "One Barrel rum" and "1 Barrel rum" are okay. So, I'm bringing my website back up with guidance from my attorney. This legal trouble also forced the distillery to change their lables, which is going to take some time. Further, it's caused me to close down my operation-I was unable to order any product with the old labels, so I was essentially out of business through the end of summer. Oh, and summer is just about the busiest time of year in the rum business. Ouch!
Butterfly, at the Trek Stop, near San Jose Succotz, Belize.Lots of folks have commented on my "new" website at the old URL. That's no longer my website. It's owned and operated by the distillery. No doubt about it, the site is a lot slicker and more professional-looking. My web strategy has always been content driven. To me, when I google a brand name like One Barrel and get to a website, I want to know how I can get the brand. I don't want to see flash animations or other gee-gaws, I just want to find out some things about the brand and, most importantly, where I can get it. Content, that's what I want. And, I suspect that content, actual facts, is what you're looking for, so that's what my site is all about
Buying One Barrel rum
Of course, most folks are looking for a place to buy 1 Barrel rum, and I get many e-mails from people who want me to sell them a case or a bottle. Liquor laws won't allow me to sell directly to consumers at the retail level, unfortunately. I hold an importer's license, which allows me to bring the rum into the USA, and I own licenses in various states so that I can sell to wholesalers in those specific states. So far, I've had sales in California, Oregon, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Utah, Arizona, Vermont, Montana, West Virginia, Indiana, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, as well as the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. I also hold wholesaler's licenses in California and Arizona, which allows me to sell to retailers in those states.
In states that have state liquor stores, known as "control states", buying One Barrel rum requires a special order from the nearest state liquor store. The liquor store sends the special order request to the state warehouse, who contacts me. I ship the rum to them via FedEx, and they sell it to the retail customer.
Other states, those with a free-market liquor system, are more difficult for me to get started in. These states have an old, post-prohibition distribution system called the "three tier" system that's supposed to make it more difficult for gangsters to control liquor profits at the wholesale and retail level. Basically, the three tier system requires different people to own each level of distribution. At the source, there's the importer or manufacturer. In the middle tier, there's the wholesaler or distributor. At the end of the supply line is the third tier, the retailer, who may be a bar or liquor store. Retail customers, who want to buy some One Barrel to enjoy at home or at their local bar, may only buy from a licensed retailer. That's the law, and as an importer I can't sell to the retail market except by going through an independant wholesaler and also a retailer. As you might expect, selling through the three tier system is more complicated initially, but after we get a retailer and a distributor sold on One Barrel rum the system is actually more efficient and less expensive compared to the system used in control states.
The bottom line is, if you normally buy your alcohol at a state liquor store, ask them for a special order. If not, contact me. If there's a distributor in your state, we can get the rum to you with a minimum of effort. If, on the other hand, your state doesn't have a distributor yet, we'll have to start working on that.
There's also the mail order option. Mail order, especially via the internet, is popular these days. One Barrel rum is at many internet retailers, including Houston Wines in Texas and Internet Wines in Illinois. Ask to see if your state has any laws regarding shipping liquor before you order.
Cabanas on the shore, Tobacco Caye, Belize.I'm rebuilding the site, so please e-mail me if you want to know how to buy One Barrel rum, or if you want to know anything else about the brand. I'll do my best to answer your questions, I promise.
H A P L.L.C.
P.O. Box 293
Chandler, AZ 85244
(480)964-1937
