Park Street Insider Podcast

Park Street Companies
  • 4.9 (16)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

The Park Street Insider Podcast is a spirit industry-focused podcast dedicated to bringing you closer to the key brands, topics, and trends driving the drinks business. We host the spirits category's most influential leaders and entrepreneurs to uncover the business strategies, stories, and brand-building tips behind some of the biggest brands in the industry.  Whether you're interested in Agave spirits, whiskey, read-to-drink, low & no, or any other category, our hosts will bring you closer to the heart of what's happening in each. In each episode, hosts Emmett Strack and Andres Correa speak to spirits industry thought leaders to discuss the moves that shaped their careers, how they built some of the brands we all know and love, and some of the tools they can’t live without. They'll also zero in on the hottest subjects taking hold of beverage alcohol, keeping listeners up to date on the trends shaping spirits. Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Fill out the form below: https://share.hsforms.com/1MEb-81x2TXi3f15qO_yEpA4tip1

  1. 3d ago

    Diageo's Essential Bar & Consumer Trends Every Brand Needs to Know in 2026— Expert Talks

    Send us Fan Mail Bar trends don't wait for brands to catch up, and in 2026, the gap between brands that understand what's driving consumer behavior and those that don't is only widening. In this episode, Tom Cavanagh, Advocacy Manager at Diageo, breaks down the flavor trends, category shifts, and on-premise dynamics set to define bars this year. From the martini's striking resurgence and tequila's continued climb against a down market, to the texture-forward and bitter-led flavor profiles gaining serious traction with today's drinkers, Tom covers the shifts that should be on every brand's radar. But Tom's talk goes beyond trend-spotting. He makes a direct, data-backed case for why brand advocacy is the most powerful lever brands have for driving sales, and the numbers behind a single bartender's influence on consumer choice might surprise you. If you want to understand which trends are reshaping bars right now, and why the brands investing in real human relationships are the ones winning at the register, this is the episode to hear. Featured Guests: Tom Cavanagh, Advocacy Manager, Diageo Mentioned in this episode: Diageo Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here. Learn More About Park Street Sign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter. Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter. Check out Park Street's Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. Market Follow us for more industry insights on LinkedIn FacebookTwitterInstagram

    20 min

  2. May 20

    What the World's Top Bartenders Want: How Brands Can Land Placements and Win the On-Premise in 2026

    Send us Fan Mail Landing a placement at a top bar program doesn't happen by chance. It's the result of trust, timing, and understanding what the people behind the bar actually need from a brand partner. Recorded live at Bar Convent London, this fireside chat brings together Nidal Ramini, Advocacy Director for the EAA Division at Brown-Forman, Emanuele Mensah, Director of Liquid Nation, Giulia Cuccurullo, Head Bartender at Artesian at the Langham London, and Pietro Collina, Group Beverage Director at the Thesleff Group. A panel with deep roots in some of the world's most celebrated bar programs. Together, they unpack what brands consistently get wrong when approaching bars, why one-off activations rarely move the needle, and what a relationship worth investing in actually looks like from the operator's side of the table. From navigating the realities of an increasingly selective consumer to understanding how beverage directors and head bartenders think about menu building and brand partnerships, this conversation offers a candid, practical playbook for any founder or brand team looking to build real traction in the on-premise channel. Featured Guests: Nidal Ramini, Advocacy Director - EAA Division, Brown Forman Emanuele Mensah, Director, LiquidNation  Giulia Cuccurullo, Head Bartender, Artesian, the Langham London Pietro Collina, Group Beverage Director, Thesleff Group Mentioned in this episode: Brown Forman The World's 50 Best Bars Artesian Thesleff Group Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here. Learn More About Park Street Sign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter. Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter. Check out Park Street's Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. Market Follow us for more industry insights on LinkedIn FacebookTwitterInstagram

    46 min

  3. Apr 22

    2026 Spirits Market: Category Shifts, Flavor Trends & What They Mean for Your Brand— Expert Talks

    Send us Fan Mail The 2026 alcohol market is bumpy, but for brands paying attention to the right signals, the opportunities are real. In this episode, Giuseppe Gallo, Founder and CEO of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto and Savoia Americano, delivers a data-driven talk on the category and flavor shifts quietly reshaping what consumers reach for on the shelf and at the bar. He gets specific about the category and flavor shifts, gaining the most momentum with the new generation of drinkers, and why the brands catching on early are the ones best positioned to win. But he also goes beyond trends, tackling the harder strategic questions around distribution, sustainability, and what it actually takes to build a brand that lasts. He also breaks down how the M&A strategies of major beverage giants have fundamentally shifted in the last 24 months, and what that means for independent brands navigating a crowded market. If you're trying to understand where the new generation of drinkers is heading, and how to position your brand to meet them there, this episode is the place to start. Featured Guest: Giuseppe Gallo, Founder & CEO, Italspirits - ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto & SAVOIA Aperitivo Watch on YouTube:  The Key Trends in the 2026 Alcohol Market Mentioned in this episode: Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Savoia Americano Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here. Learn More About Park Street Sign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter. Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter. Check out Park Street's Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. Market Follow us for more industry insights on LinkedIn FacebookTwitterInstagram

    16 min

  4. Apr 8

    AI in Spirits: The Tools and Strategies Every Brand Needs to Know— Expert Talks

    Send us Fan Mail AI is reshaping the spirits industry, and for founders willing to embrace it, the opportunity is real. In this episode, recorded through Park Street University's AI for Spirits Marketing series, Justin Noland, Vice President of Digital Experience for Treasury Wine Estates, and Antonia Fattizzi, Founder and President of Cork and Tin, get specific about where AI can immediately win back hours in your week,  from condensing long email chains and preparing for vendor meetings to analyzing social media ROI without an agency. Then they go deeper, sharing practical frameworks for weaving AI into your brand's day-to-day. They'll give you an idea of how to write prompts that actually work using Justin's 'Brilliant Intern' framework, and how to structure your website so that tools like ChatGPT and Gemini start citing your brand as the authoritative source for spirits recommendations. If you've been curious about AI but unsure where to start, this episode makes the case for why it might be the most powerful marketing tool your brand isn't using yet. Featured Guest: Antonia Fattizzi, Founder and President of Cork and Tin Justin Noland, Vice President of Digital Experience for Treasury Wine Estates Watch on YouTube:  AI for Spirits Marketing Pt. I: The Great Equalizer for Craft Beverage Brands AI for Spirits Marketing Pt. II: Putting AI Into Practice for Small Brands Mentioned in this episode: Cork & Tin Treasury Wine Estates Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here. Learn More About Park Street Sign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter. Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter. Check out Park Street's Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. Market Follow us for more industry insights on LinkedIn FacebookTwitterInstagram

    34 min

  5. Mar 25

    Former Campari CEO's 6 Steps for Spirits Brand Expansion— Expert Talks

    Send us Fan Mail Building a spirits brand in one market is hard. Building one across multiple continents, at the highest level of the industry, is a different game entirely, and few people have played it better than Matteo Fantacchiotti. A 25-year veteran of the drinks industry with senior leadership stints at Diageo and Carlsberg, Matteo briefly took the helm as CEO of Campari Group before turning his attention to a new challenge: becoming Partner and Chairman of the Board at Cygnet Distillery, where he's applying everything he's learned to building a super-premium gin brand from scratch. In this episode, recorded live at Bar Convent Berlin, Matteo shares his six-pillar blueprint for luxury spirits brand expansion: from building sustainable brand value and prioritizing the right markets, to why the smartest brands think in cities rather than countries. We explore the hard truths around funding and resource allocation, the people decisions that make or break international growth, and why the best advice he can give any brand looking to expand is to go fewer places, and go much deeper. Featured Guest: Matteo Fantacchiotti, Partner and Chairman of the Board, Cygnet Distillery Watch on YouTube:  The 6 Pillars of Luxury Spirits Brand Expansion Mentioned in this episode: Cygnet Distillery Campari Group Diageo Carlsberg Group Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here.  Learn More About Park Street Sign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter. Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter. Check out Park Street's Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. Market Follow us for more industry insights on LinkedIn FacebookTwitterInstagram

    18 min

  6. Mar 11

    Former Pernod Ricard Chief Whiskey Officer Kaveh Zamanian on Building a Bourbon Brand— What It Takes

    Send us Fan Mail Not many people can say they've founded a bourbon distillery and run one of the world's largest whiskey programs. Kaveh Zamanian isn't most people. A prolific whiskey brand founder and former Chief Whiskey Officer at Pernod Ricard, Kaveh built Rabbit Hole Distillery from a creative vision into a brand compelling enough to catch the eye of one of the world's biggest spirits companies, and when Pernod Ricard came calling, he didn't just take the deal, he took the wheel, going on to lead their whiskey program at the highest level. In this episode, Kaveh reveals what it really takes to build a bourbon brand with a creative mindset: from the founding principles behind Rabbit Hole Distillery, to the realities of being acquired by a global spirits giant, to how he architected a portfolio strategy that balanced heritage and innovation. We explore the surprising link between whiskey and human psychology, his approach to brand building that goes beyond the liquid in the bottle, and the leadership lessons learned from running one of the industry's most storied whiskey programs. Featured Guest: Kaveh Zamanian, Founder, Rabbit Hole, Mary Dowling, and Mash & Mallow Whiskey Companies Mentioned in this episode: Rabbit Hole Distillery Mary Dowling  Mash & Mallow Pernod Ricard Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here. Learn More About Park Street Sign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter. Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter. Check out Park Street's Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. Market Follow us for more industry insights on LinkedIn FacebookTwitterInstagram

    41 min

  7. Feb 25

    How to Launch a Beverage Alcohol Brand: A Data-Driven Framework— Expert Talks

    Send us Fan Mail Before you invest in liquid, labels, or a launch strategy, the most important question any founder can ask is: does this brand actually have a viable path to market? This Expert Talk features Felipe Gonzalez-Gordon, Partner and COO of Colangelo & Partners, delivering a data-driven framework for launching a spirit, wine, or RTD brand in today's saturated market, drawn from his presentation at Bar Convent Brooklyn 2025. Felipe walks through the financial and strategic groundwork that separates brands that scale from those that stall: how to size your addressable market realistically, how to model capital requirements, and how to allocate marketing spend without burning through runway prematurely. The episode also tackles brand positioning with precision, examining how founders can identify and defend a differentiated position on the shelf in a category where retailer fatigue and distributor consolidation make first impressions increasingly important. Featured Guests: Felipe Gonzalez-Gordon, Partner & COO, Colangelo & Partners Mentioned in this episode: Colangelo & Partners Watch on YouTube:  How to Launch a Beverage Alcohol Brand: A Data-Driven Framework Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here. Learn More About Park Street Sign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter. Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter. Check out Park Street's Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. Market Follow us for more industry insights on LinkedIn FacebookTwitterInstagram

    17 min

  8. Feb 11

    The On-Premise Playbook: A Guide to High-Value Bar Partnerships— Expert Talks

    Send us Fan Mail As on-premise venues navigate an increasingly fragmented spirits landscape, the relationship between brands and bars has reached a critical inflection point. This Expert Talk features Chris Maffeo, the Founder of MAFFEO DRINKS, to examine why most brand-bar partnerships fail before they begin, and how misaligned incentives, from listing fees that deliver no ROI to guest shifts where brand managers never appear, erode trust on both sides. Chris explores the disconnect between boardroom strategy and bar-floor execution, introducing a practical "if-then" framework for sustainable partnerships that balances bartender personal brand-building with genuine brand advocacy. Chris reveals why treating activations as transactions rather than relationships undermines everyone's bottom line, and demonstrates how accountability gaps, from finance teams demanding immediate returns to bartenders rotating between competing portfolios, can be transformed into long-term value creation. Featured Guests: Chris Maffeo, Founder, MAFFEO DRINKS Mentioned in this episode: MAFFEO Drinks Watch on YouTube:  The On-Premise Playbook: A Guide to High-Value Bar Partnerships Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here. Learn More About Park Street Sign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter. Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter. Check out Park Street's Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. Market Follow us for more industry insights on LinkedIn FacebookTwitterInstagram

    16 min
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Trailer

4.9
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

The Park Street Insider Podcast is a spirit industry-focused podcast dedicated to bringing you closer to the key brands, topics, and trends driving the drinks business. We host the spirits category's most influential leaders and entrepreneurs to uncover the business strategies, stories, and brand-building tips behind some of the biggest brands in the industry.  Whether you're interested in Agave spirits, whiskey, read-to-drink, low & no, or any other category, our hosts will bring you closer to the heart of what's happening in each. In each episode, hosts Emmett Strack and Andres Correa speak to spirits industry thought leaders to discuss the moves that shaped their careers, how they built some of the brands we all know and love, and some of the tools they can’t live without. They'll also zero in on the hottest subjects taking hold of beverage alcohol, keeping listeners up to date on the trends shaping spirits. Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Fill out the form below: https://share.hsforms.com/1MEb-81x2TXi3f15qO_yEpA4tip1

Information

  • Creator
    Park Street Companies
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Park Street Insider Podcast
  • Show Website
    Park Street Insider Podcast

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