We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tk Burtin-Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tk below.
Tk, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
My parents always taught me that there is no such thing as failures, yet there are lessons learned. As I got older, this made more sense to me and I was able to apply it in many different situations. It seemed like every time I got close to reaching a goal, I got knock back 4 or 5 steps or had to completely start over. Although very frustrating, I couldn’t dwell on any of those experiences, just learn, apply the learnings and keep going.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My brother and I released Red Hazel whiskey in October 2020. Although it was an idea we started working on in 2018, the opportunity to pull everything together and opportunity release came after we were both impacted by the pandemic and it was perfect timing. Our goal with creating Red Hazel was to introduce the sipping community to a new way to enjoy rye whiskey. Red Hazel is a spiced whiskey, blended with rye, 70 proof and spiced with cinnamon. It is not your average cinnamon whiskey, we developed this brand to be something that whiskey drinkers and non-whiskey drinkers could enjoy whether neat or in a cocktail. In 2020 we release online only, today we are available on shelves in Georgia and Florida, and we ship to select states. In 2023, we received multiple awards, including Silver Bartenders Spirits Award, Silver LA Spirits Award and Silver Whiskies of the World Award, with more to come. In addition to our newfound accolades and locations, we also received investment from Pronghorn Co.
Upcoming events:
Taste of Black Spirits Detroit in September 2023
Whiskies of the World Atlanta October 2023
https://www.pronghorn.co/
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Having an understanding of the wine and spirits industry, individual drive and persistence, as well as a good balance of skillsets between my brother an I have been the most impactful in this journey.
Advice I would give someone early in their journey would be to do your research, have a plan, and execute. Don’t allow anything or anyone to hold you back from achieving the goals that you have set out for yourself or your business.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
It is so easy to get overwhelmed when you are starting a business, wearing multiple hats, working a full time position, and trying to live life with a family lol. I am personally still working on finding the right time for self care, but the truth is there is never a right time because I am always on go. I have started to journal weekly to get my overwhelming thoughts on paper, exercise has been a great help (I love spin class, never thought I would say that), and being intentional on getting rest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.redhazel.net/
- Instagram: @RedHazelOfficial
- Facebook: Red Hazel Official
- Twitter: RedHazelWhiskey
Image Credits
Charaun-Bomb Brands Photography
