The Root, Published By: Angela Johnson
If you’d offered Amani Macaulay and Chima Burey a flavored whiskey six years ago, they probably would have given you some serious stink eye. But these days, the Miami-based friends have made flavored whiskey their business, and it’s paying off.
The pair are the founders of Duke & Dame, a salted caramel whiskey brand with only 1 gram of sugar per serving. Now, a hard-core whiskey snob might be hesitant to try the brand. But for me, the idea of a whiskey that tastes like a Werther’s Original candy sounds like something that could only exist in my dreams. So I jumped at the chance to sit down with Amani and Chima – and taste the whiskey, of course – to learn more about the story behind their brand and how they are winning the fight for shelf space in a market full of big-name brands.
Macaulay and Burey don’t come from a spirits-making background. But the pair, who previously worked in corporate finance, consider themselves “whiskey guys” who know what they like – and what they don’t. “A lot of the [flavored whiskey] offerings were not something you would sit at home by the fireplace and sip,” Macaulay said. “They tend to be overly sweet, syrupy, and have an artificial element to the taste.”
In a market that already included flavored offerings from well-known brands like Fireball, Jack Daniels’ Tennessee Honey, and Crown Royal Apple, the pair saw the competition as a sign that their idea had potential. And they set out to make their dream a reality. Read more
