The second part of our Left Coast tour took us in and around Los Angeles, CA. Our primary reason for the visit was to work with Jean-Francois Rault, owner and producer of Cognac DuPeyrat. He was participating in the annual Expo West, organic trade show, held each year in Anaheim, and we were there to help. The show was very well attended and for the first time ever, they grouped all the organic wine, beer and spirits producers in the same ball room. Everyone agreed it was a good idea. The convention is one of the biggest in the industry and there was a lot to see, smell, taste and talk about.
Mr. Rault’s son Antoine was also present and together the four of us visited some of Heavenly Spirits’ top accounts in Southern California, including: High Time, Beverage Warehouse and the Hollywood location of K&L Merchants. We have been invited back to Hollywood later this year to participate in a “Speak-Easy” themed tasting and we hope to be able to do it. Just for kicks, we also stopped in to check out “Whiskey a Go-Go,” a landmark club in the American music landscape and a special request by Antoine. Altogether, the weather was fantastic for most of our four day visit, allowing us to move around quickly and comfortably. It was a great opportunity to meet so many fans of organic products and quality French spirits. California remains our largest market and so we will most likely need to visit ever more frequently in the future.