Simon Weiß
Fine spirits sommelier, whisky consultant and founder of the Idea Distillers
Phone: +49 6252 60 30 377
Email: s.weiss@idea-distillers.de
„Creating a masterly raspberry brandy or a whisky in which one can taste the wind that sweeps over Scotland’s barren landscape – for me that’s more art than trade. I am in awe of such an achievement and this also means that I serve only to guide my clients – and not to patronize them in any way.“
EXPERTISE FOR EXCELLENT DISTILLED SPIRITS
Ripe passion fruit … then sweet banana … strong tobacco … and a touch of smoke! Watching Simon Weiss catch fire for Caribbean rum or a rare craft whisky it’s highly contagious and you will soon find yourself fascinated by the old culture and traditional craft of distillation. Weiss, a business graduate, has been actively involved with noble spirits and rare, hard-to come-by bottles of spirits since 2006. In 2013, he founded his first business in Bensheim, a company focused on exquisite whisky experiences. And since this time he has never looked back.
The seasoned business consultant looks after marketing and sales matters for the Idea Distillers. He conducts complex target group analyses for major companies or even acquires high class cooperation partners for a small distilleries. He sees to it that premium spirits find their customers and vice versa. Over the years, the 34-year old sommelier, who easily connects with people thanks to his openness and approachability, has established a large network of both national and international players in the distilled spirits industry. This is something that both he and clients of Idea Distillers benefit from.
Education and expertise
- Several years of professional experience – as a senior consultant – in international business consulting with a focus on sales and marketing
- Manager of numerous projects for various customers and branches, among them, market research for products and services in Europe and Asia, sales optimization, customer acquisition, customer satisfaction and the strategic positioning of products
- Comprehensive experience in founding businesses: start-up consultation, founding of company offering ‘whisky experiences’, operative set-up of an online auction platform for whisky
- Business administration studies with a focus on marketing
- Training as a fine spirits sommelier, certification by WSET Level 2 Award Spirits, training as a craft distiller
- Personnel coaching for the hotel and restaurant business as well as for specialist dealers
- Numerous tastings, lectures & keynotes for events and premium spirits trade fairs