New York distributor, Remarkable Liquids, grows 6,000 percent by repping craft

The story of Albany-area, N.Y., wholesaler Remarkable Liquids falls into one of our favorite categories of beer tales — start with nearly nothing, work like a marathoner, live like a hermit, represent small businesses and then succeed like a boss. Today, Remarkable Liquids services 36 suppliers via a 59,000-square-feet warehouse space in Altamont, N.Y. Its distribution area spreads from Buffalo to New York City. Just recently, the company was ranked No. 36 on Inc.’s 5000’s fastest-growing companies list because it’s grown by more than 6,000 percent from 2012 to 2015.

Wow. And how?

By representing craft breweries, but don’t think it was as easy as jumping on the craft bandwagon over the last four years. According to this excellent article on the Albany Business Review:

When Spencer Noakes first started his craft beer distribution company, Remarkable Liquids, in 2012, he drove the truck, met with suppliers and loaded the warehouse. He kept a laptop and printer in the truck to make sales as they drove.

“We’re in a four-year storm,” Noakes, the general manager of Remarkable Liquids, said. “For the first 2 1/2 years we had a futon in our conference room and someone slept here every night.”

This isn’t Noakes first rodeo (he’s started and sold a distributorship before), but we can’t help but still be impressed with the effort and result. Today, Remarkable Liquids distributes local brands like Nine Pin Cidersworks from Albany, Jack’s Abbey Craft Lagers in Framingham, Mass., Two Roads Brewing Co. of Stratford, Conn., and a whole lot of others (just check out the website). And the company has no plans to slow down. Back to the article:

He expects growth to continue into 2017, though not at the same scale, with sales reaching more than $12 million in 2016 — an increase of $5 million from last year.