Our First JMT Liqueurs Tasting: When the Flavour Speaks for Itself

Last week, we held our very first JMT Liqueurs tasting event, and I have to admit, it was a little nerve-racking.

We organised the event through Eventbrite, and at first, everything seemed to be going smoothly. Setting up the event was straightforward. We uploaded attractive photos of our bottles, created what we hoped was engaging content, and even invested in Eventbrite’s paid advertising to give the event as much visibility as possible.

Then came the bookings.

Or rather… they didn’t.

Despite all the effort we had put into promoting the event, we didn’t receive a single booking from someone who had discovered us through Eventbrite. The only bookings made through the platform came from friends and family who had received the event link directly from us.

Of course, I was disappointed.

But I reminded myself why we were organising the tasting in the first place: we wanted people to taste our liqueurs and experience the flavours for themselves.

So, we carried on.

We prepared everything carefully. We printed feedback forms, arranged the tasting glasses and, perhaps most importantly, put together sample bottles for our guests to take home.

We wanted the experience to go beyond a quick taste on the day. We wanted our guests to have the opportunity to discover the flavours again at home, share them with others and, hopefully, start a conversation around what makes JMT Liqueurs different.

And that's when the real purpose of the tasting became clear: sometimes, the best way to introduce a product is simply to let people experience it for themselves.

Then Something Unexpected Happened

As the event got underway, more people began to arrive.

Not everyone had come specifically for our tasting, but curiosity quickly took over. People started asking questions about the bottles: What were the flavours? How were the liqueurs made? And, most importantly, what did they taste like?

Then something even more encouraging happened.

People at the bar began ordering cocktails made with our liqueurs.

One person tried one.Then another.Then another.

Guests started telling the bar staff how much they enjoyed the drinks, which naturally encouraged others to give them a try.

And suddenly, we were seeing something that is difficult to achieve through an online advertisement: people were discovering JMT Liqueurs through their own experience, tasting, talking about and sharing the flavours.

That moment was incredibly encouraging. It reminded us that, while digital visibility is important, there is something uniquely powerful about letting people taste a product for themselves.

The Flavour Speaks for Itself

One of the things that made me particularly proud was the reaction to the natural fruit flavours.

We often talk about the fact that our liqueurs contain no artificial flavourings or colourings. We can write it on our website, explain it on social media and include it in our marketing materials.

But there is a big difference between reading “no artificial flavourings” and actually tasting the difference.

Our guests noticed the natural fruit character. They appreciated the freshness and authenticity of the flavours, and many were genuinely surprised by how different our liqueurs tasted from other flavoured spirits they had tried before.

That was exactly the experience we wanted to create.

By the end of the evening, we had received some wonderful feedback. People enjoyed discovering the different flavours, asked questions about how the liqueurs were made and, to our delight, several guests asked us:

“Can I buy a bottle to take home?”

That question meant a lot to us.

Because it wasn't just a compliment. It was a sign that people had tasted something they genuinely enjoyed, and wanted to experience it again at home.

What I Took Away From the Experience

Our first Eventbrite experience taught me an important lesson.

Getting people to click on an event online is one thing. Getting them to experience your product is something completely different.

The Eventbrite advertising didn’t generate the bookings we had hoped for this time, but the event itself gave us something far more valuable: real conversations, honest feedback and the opportunity to see people’s reactions as they tasted our liqueurs for the first time.

It also reminded me that building a brand takes time.

You can have beautiful bottles, great photography, a well-designed website and carefully crafted content, but sometimes people simply need to taste the product for themselves before they truly understand what makes it special.

And that is exactly why I want to organise more tasting events.

I want more people to discover JMT Liqueurs, explore our different fruit-infused flavours and make up their own minds about what they enjoy.

Our first tasting may not have gone exactly according to plan, but by the end of the evening, I was genuinely happy with what we had achieved.

People came. People tasted. People enjoyed. And people asked to take bottles home.

For a first event, I’ll take that as a success.

And I’m already looking forward to the next one.