Sons of Liberty - A Revolutionary Spirit
In 2009, Mike Reppucci decided to follow his passion and venture into the world of distilled spirits. His decision led to the creation of many products that would, in less than a decade, be considered some of the world’s best.
Sons of Liberty received three SBA-backed loans which made it possible for them to continue expansion at different stages of their business. Since Repucci opened the doors he has demonstrated a level of excellence rarely achieved in any profession. The company and its spirts have been most recently recognized as: American Craft Producer of the Year (2017 Icons of Whisky), 2017 Best Flavored Whiskey in America (World Whiskies Awards), World’s Best Flavored Whiskey (2014 World Whiskies Awards), Best American Whiskey, 93 Points (2016 International Whiskey Competition), and Gold Medal (2016 Craft Awards International Competition). “We’re primarily a whiskey distillery, and when you look at the business model it’s one of the toughest models because you need to age your whiskey – it’s an aged product,” said Reppucci. “As you try and grow your revenue you’re actually making and aging more whiskey than you’re selling in the current year. For us, the loans helped us in the beginning to take our whiskey from a place where it was good, to now, where we’ve won international awards for it. It’s really allowed us to take our product to a whole new level but also grow the business with the respect to revenue too,” he added.
In 2017, Whisky Magazine honored Sons of Liberty by naming them the number one “Craft Producer” in the country, considering them an “Icon of Whisky”. The acknowledgment was further proof that this small business from Rhode Island could produce at a world class level. While the Whisky Magazine award was a welcome addition to their trophy shelf, it was not their first. According to Reppucci, the first time he realized they were creating a world class product was in 2014, “We won “World’s Best” from Whisky Magazine in their blind tasting, so we were the first U.S. craft producer ever to get a “World’s Best” designation out of London. We were one of 10 whiskeys rated best in the world,” he said.
As Sons of Liberty continues to achieve success they also keep their feet firmly in the small business community. As more and more amateur distillers begin to arise, Reppucci continues to offer support and assistance, “We’re an open book,” he said. “We’ve had many people come through who want to open a distillery and I share who my vendor is and what I do here. If you want to start a business and do something you love, like we did, we’ll help you,” he affirmed.