Curiosity as a competitive edge: William H. Macy on craft spirits and exploration

Executive overview

Most people reject things they've never tried — and the same instinct limits careers, tastes, and businesses. Macy and GaryVee use the Woody Creek Distillers story to argue that curiosity and exploration are the most underrated traits in work and life.

Trying something once isn't enough — sustained exploration is what builds taste, confidence, and real conviction.

The Woody Creek origin story

• Distillery started in earnest in 2010, initially targeting a potato vodka modeled on Chopin
• The Aspen valley's potato-growing history gave the founders "historical permission" to believe it could work
• Macy joined as a neighbor and genuine partner — not a celebrity spokesperson
• Production began in 2012; vodka won double gold at San Francisco Spirits Competition in 2015; rye won the following year
• Macy's signature whiskey — 80% rye, 20% malted barley — was chosen blind from 14 barrel options

Craft vs. scale in spirits distribution

• In 24 states; Colorado accounts for roughly 70% of sales due to local infrastructure and sampling access
• Distribution challenge: large wholesalers prioritize high-volume brands, leaving small craft producers lost in the shuffle
• Small distributors care more but lack the reach; finding partners who offer both is the core business puzzle
• Trial is everything in consumables — great marketing only accelerates the discovery that a product is bad
• Direct-to-consumer is growing as liquor laws evolve; pandemic hit on-premise sales hard

The oyster thesis: explore before you reject

• Many people claim not to like things they've never actually tried
• Finding one whiskey or wine you like and drinking only that kills the value of the journey
• Exploring builds appreciation for your core go-to; exclusivity flattens it
• The pretentiousness around high-end spirits — scotch, wine — discourages people who'd otherwise enjoy them
• Knowing what you like without having the vocabulary for it is still valid; exploration fills that gap over time

Building a palate takes time and a moment

• GaryVee spent age 21–25 tasting 25–50 wines a day and couldn't differentiate for over a year
• The breakthrough came tasting an Amarone that tasted like a Snickers bar — not "red wine"
• Palate development is nonlinear; the click happens suddenly after sustained exposure
• Same principle applies to coffee, tea, spirits — any domain with depth rewards repeated exploration

Science, craft, and what gets lost

• Modern distilling and winemaking science has made catastrophic failures rare; the "man-made error" is nearly gone
• Automation reduces art; less room for the accidental genius of the past
• Woody Creek sources everything from Colorado — grain, water (Rocky Mountain spring) — as a deliberate terroir commitment
• Premium tonic matters in a gin and tonic the same way water matters in vodka: it's a core component, not a garnish