Cross-Category Innovation: Bridging Tequila and Whisky Markets

Sometimes the most powerful innovations come from the simplest observations. In my conversation with Michael Ballantyne, founder of Storywood Tequila, we explored how a single moment of changing glassware led to creating an entirely new category bridge between tequila and whisky - and the strategic lessons that emerged from that journey.

The Glencairn Moment

We discussed the exact moment that changed Michael's entire approach. He was trying to get his whisky-drinking friends to appreciate tequila with him, but they kept asking "Where's the salt and lime?" Then his wife made a suggestion that seems obvious in hindsight: "If you're trying to get people to drink it like a whisky, why don't you just put it in a whisky glass?"

The next time his tequila-skeptic friend came over, Michael poured tequila into a Glencairn glass without revealing what it was.