LIFESTYLE DISTILLED - About getting crystal clear.

Hi friends, I trust you are all enjoying the arrival of summer here in Alberta.
If you've been following WLD for a while now, you've might have noticed a few big projects that we have ticked off the list over the last couple years.

If you're just tuning in, welcome. Here's a quick snapshot of some major milestones in the Wild Life's recent timeline.

2022 - We launched our tasty canned cocktails in a variety of flavours/animals.
2023 - We moved our distilling operation into a larger facility in Canmore, adding increased production capacity. 
2023 - We rebranded our spirits bottles across the lineup. 
2022 - future... We released our first whisky, and have been peppering in exciting releases over the last 18 months; more to come of course ;)

Wild Life 5 Year Single Malt. The first sip...

I recently took a trip to Mexico with my wife, Freya. We spent a week in a sleepy beach town on the Pacific and surfed, read, played crib, lounged in the hammocks, and watched the waves. It was perfect. During the trip I read a book by Simon Sinek called 'Start With WHY'. I had read it 8 years ago when Keith and I were starting the business, but for some reason I decided to re-read it. This time around, it landed so much harder than the first time, and I was thoroughly impressed with how many nails Sinek hit on the head. 

The premise of the book is that people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Sinek succinctly articulates 'The Golden Circle', dividing up a company into 3 concentric circles. These are labelled WHAT, HOW, and in the middle is WHY. 

The WHAT'S are the easy part. WHAT do we do? We make whisky, gin, vodka, canned cocktails etc., we offer tastings, craft cocktails and tours, we attend markets and events, and spread the good WLD word. 
The HOW'S add nuance. HOW do we do these things? We use Alberta grain, we are small batch, we ensure attention to detail, we are authentic, we have fun; This is HOW we do the WHAT. 

But the WHY is where it gets harder to explain. Sinek details that the WHAT and HOW originate in the logical, language-based areas of the brain; the neo-cortex. We can connect words and meaning to actions/products and easily articulate these 2 rings of the circle. These 2 are easy to explain, and where many companies live forever. But the WHY is seated in the emotional, limbic part of the brain. And this area is non-language based... Meaning it's super hard to put into words. It's a feeling, a sense, a value, a belief, a hard to explain reason or mantra. And this makes it very difficult to put onto paper and share with the team, our friends and family, and you, the #WLDCommunity, what our WHY really is. But it's so important!

The WLD x Sinek brain dump

Over the course of the week in Mexico, my brain churned as I read. I put the book down periodically to jot notes and ideas, to try and get some words onto a page that I felt expressed our WLD WHY accurately. It was a refreshing mental exercise that left me with added layer of clarity in terms of what makes use different, and why we do what we do.

Here's the long version of where I landed: Wild Life Distillery exists because we believe in Lifestyle over everything else. We are here to inspire stories of sharing a delicious beverage with friends in the mountains. There are 100,000 ways that you could explore the Rockies and do this, but it's not the what and how that are really the point here. It's a simple, foundational feeling that connects us all. The WHY we, and you, are rooted in the mountains is because this lifestyle inspires us, it's a balance that informs every ounce we pour. 

Here's the short version: Lifestyle Distilled.

These 2 words sum up what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. It's something that Keith and I are passionate about, and we love being able to share our passion with you through WLD Spirits. 

So what makes us different? I don't think it's any one thing, but rather it's everything. We make great products, we do it honestly and authentically, and we are inspired by lifestyle over everything else. 

Lifestyle Distilled.

I hope that made sense, and perhaps resonates with you. Anyone brave enough to commit to reading a few long paragraphs online these days is a hero in my books.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've got any golden nuggets to add and just want to chat about the concept. My email is matt@wildlifedistillery.ca 

Enjoy summertime in the Canadian Rockies. 

- The WLD Boys 

Keith and Matt @bridgettebarcanmore cocktail comp.