our story
While Simplicity is our brand, our story is slightly more complicated.
We’re Chris & Chad,
Two friends who met in Business School and after a few late-night drinks on a barge in France, we decided we wanted to start a distillery together. After returning from our trip, we did what business students do, we laid out a rough business plan and identified gaps of knowledge. With each of us having several years of home brewing experience, we thought there would be a lot of crossover in distilling, and the truth is, not so much. From regulations, to equipment and process, distilling is more of a cousin to brewing than a sibling.
For the next 5 years, we took distilling classes, read dozens of books, and visited distilleries on multiple continents, including the U.S. and 8 other countries. In addition to our distillery visits, we sampled local spirits in an additional 10 countries, each experience increasing our knowledge and understanding. Local exposure to spirits like Cachaça in Brazil, Ginger Liqueur in Chicago, Soju in South Korea, and Genever in the Netherlands broadened our palates and expanded our horizons.
During this adventure, we quickly became aware of the burgeoning world of Gin outside the U.S., primarily focused in the U.K., Spain, Portugal, & Belgium, but with tentacles reaching worldwide. It was akin to the Craft Beer movement going on in the U.S., with both similar levels of variety, and dedicated fans. Like Craft Beer in the U.S., you could go to a bar in Spain, and have your choice of 50-60 different Gins, all with distinct taste profiles. We of course took like moths to a flame, and dove headfirst into sampling and understanding the different styles and presentations. In the end, we had developed a deep passion for Gin, while in the meantime having amassed a collection of over 120 Gins from all around the world. Our home liquor shelf is insane. :)
From there we landed on the concept of opening a Gin Distillery, but it became apparent that while we were “fanboys” of Gin, its unfamiliarity and complexities were intimidating to many of our friends and acquaintances. In our efforts to explain and endear Gin to our friends, we developed Gin & Tonic recipes, held sampling parties, and talked about it to an annoying extent, all with mixed results. The outcome of this process was something of kismet. While mixing some recipes to test while at a local concert, we realized that there aren’t any good options for Ready-to-Drink Gin & Tonic’s, let alone cocktails. When camping, picnicking, or going to outdoor concerts, we had to haul coolers of glass to make a decent drink.
This lead us to dive back into our experiences of the last few years, and overhaul our concept. We decided to re-expand our views beyond Gin, and try to bring some of the flavors we experienced to popular cocktails. One thing that stayed consistent throughout this journey was the need to keep it simple. There’s no need for overly ornate bottles, or verbose packaging if you make a great product.
