“Louisiana Handcrafted Rice”. “Vodka” sits below, on the crawfish’s tail, creatively catering to rules preventing “rice” and “vodka” from being on the same line, since the term isn’t regulated yet. Courtney, a trained graphic designer, helped draw the final logo with their branding agency, DAf. The agency asked Mike questions to unearth the history that made a liquor from rice not only possible but a natural next step for the innovative farmer. The details can be seen on the label: “1896,” the year the Melecks arrived; “Providence,” an uncomplicated hope for good things ahead. As we sit at home and wait for better news this year, I can say with some experience that a chilly glass of J.T. Meleck vodka brings pleasure. But for its creators, quarantine cut off key marketing strategies, like tastings in grocery stores and craft distilling conventions. There remain opportunities to spread the word, including social media and a recent addition to the bottle itself. Now a cardboard crown details three awards J.T. Meleck scooped up from the American Distilling Institute in 2020: Best of Category, Best of Class, and a Double Gold Medal. The pandemic pushed the award ceremony into the virtual realm, but Mike jokes that he doesn’t care to compete again: “I can’t do better!” Periodic tastings give Mike good reason to believe the whiskey will be outstanding too when he begins to bottle it, in 2022 at the earliest. He plans to keep apportioning more of the rice crop to this venture as demand grows. Behind the whiskey barrels sits a pile of lumber from his grandfather Rufus’ farmhouse, which was destroyed by lightning years ago. “If we build a visitor’s center, we’ll definitely incorporate this wood,” he says. A farmer plots, then pivots when misfortune comes. A distiller puts his fortune in a barrel, sometimes for decades at a time. A man who met his love in another country, on a bus trip he almost didn’t take, knows it’s the steps and sips in between that can matter most. You take some vacations, says Courtney, and when you’re asked later if you had fun, you have to think for a moment. “This trip, you knew the whole time it was a thrill.” h
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