Chris Liebau and OYESTER44 Vodka
Chris Liebau was 44 when he created his OYESTER 44 Vodka. Organic potatoes, traceable, planet-proof certified vervain, lemon balm and locally-sourced oysters go into the infusion of his small batch vodkas, and it is a 44° ABV spirit made for drinking with a fine seafood meal.
My live interview with Chris at BCB Berlin
Hi, can you introduce yourself?
My name is Chris Liebau and I am from the Netherlands, creator of OYESTER spirits and seltzers.
And what is your background?
I'm a true foodie. I've been in the food industry for the past twenty years. Before starting my own vodka brand, I was in the beer business for 8 years. Food and drinks are what really make me happy so it makes perfect sense to hang in here.
When was your company founded?
I founded the company in 2017, and I started off full time in 2018 with my maritime vodka. I began with my hard seltzers in 2020.
What is your vodka infused with?
I wanted to create a really “terroir” vodka with as many local ingredients from my native region. It’s infused with an oyster distillate, a bit of seawater, organic potatoes along with sustainably grown lemon balm, vervain and yuzu… that makes it unique. It’s a vodka with maritime footprint with characteristics specifically developed for seafood pairing. That was the whole idea: create the best spirit in the world to pair with seafood. Whether the fish or shellfish is raw, grilled, baked, steamed or fried: OYESTER is the best spirit to pair with it.
And how have sales been going since you started the company?
Well, COVID didn't have positive effects obviously. But yeah: it's going straight up again since the interest in terroir driven spirits is increasing just like spirits with a distinctive and credible story behind it. So yeah: happy to have plenty of traction. The figures are growing and we hope to export to the US and other relevant export markets next year. We are here at BCB to meet new partners, toast with old friends and we are ready for next year when the world is opening again after COVID. Early next year we’re expanding the range with new all-natural fruit flavored vodkas. These vodkas are going to be amazing and will open up new markets. I think premium vodkas are on the way back after the gin hype.
Right now, you are in Holland and Belgium. Where are you specifically targeting in the United States— are you looking for places on the seacoasts?
Yes, we will target for the east and west coast of the US, focused as well as on San Francisco, New England, New York and Florida. Then, Chicago where there are plenty of great oyster and seafood bars. I have something special planned with Charleston, South Carolina as well. Fantastic oyster bars there! Basically, everywhere there’s a flourishing seafood and cocktail culture: that’s where I want to be found on the backbar.
What makes you different from all the other products?
Of course, the story behind the product-- I don't know any other product with the same characteristics as my vodka. It’s a delicate oyster distillate made from actual oyster flesh and oyster shells pairing perfectly well with seafood. You can have it neat in combination with food: this is a vodka you will want to drink alongside a meal and it actually enhances the flavors of the food. It’s a lot of fun to play around with food and sip as you go. Apart from that, it is probably the best vodka you can imagine to have in a Bloody Mary or Dirty Martini. No doubt about that.
So I promised you yesterday I was going to taste some of the vodka straight, so now it's a very nice time of day to taste it. Ah, yes I am getting the saltiness and the oyster taste.
(Next, Chris shucks an oyster and pours out the juice). When you are shucking oysters, it attracts people… I get rid of the nectar, which is a bit too salty, and pour some vodka right into the shell. The first sip is kind of sharp, then it becomes really easy, soft and smooth.
What is the alcohol percentage?
It’s 44%. It’s called OYESTER44, and I was 44 when I founded the brand. It’s a magical number to me.
It's lovely. I love that little bit of saltiness to it. Really, really nice. And you also make different seltzers?
Last year in Holland we had a complete lockdown in on-trade. All the bars and restaurants were closed so I could hardly do any business because my vodka is predominantly sold at high-end HORECA outlets and restaurants. I had been thinking about hard seltzers for a long time because it fits my maritime DNA, and sets itself apart from all the hard seltzers in the market. We have Pomelo Punch and Tropical Punch flavors, low in calories, sugar, carbs, vegan and gluten free. It is only 4% alcohol based on grain alcohol, all-natural and has a pinch of natural sea salt. So yeah, that's what I did during the COVID lockdown. I kept busy. And I think I’m going to stay busy for a while…
And what about the Bloody Mary that you're offering at your stand? Let's try it out.
So, this is my signature Bloody Mary, with a standard tomato juice. And then I add some Sriracha instead of the Tabasco I use an additional hot sauce like Firelli. Instead of Worcestershire sauce I use Dashi Iri Ponzu Yuzu, because I am a big fan and it gives a lot of umami, then I add some smoked sesame seeds, some lemon juice, and that's it--Yeah, well, it's quite different. With my vodka this is most likely the best Bloody Mary in the world in my humble opinion!
And tell me the story about this ice bucket.
Well, this is an ice bucket that I developed for the summer periods. Of course, you have a lot of steel ice buckets but I wanted to do it differently. I wanted to have an alternative and then I found a bucket made from recycled fishing nets. It's kind of like plastic but it's all circular, sustainable and recyclable. So I have a bucket that functions as an ice bucket but once you're done you can leave your rubbish in the bucket and take it from the park or the beach so everything can stay pretty. You can also use it to carry the cans of hard seltzer, and 5 fit nicely inside. We sell it as a multipack and the bucket has a barcode on the outside. We really believe in the circular economy: it's made of 24% ocean-based recycled plastics and 73 recycled post-consumer plastic so it's a really good thing.
On your labels, OYESTER is spelled a red YE. Why is that?
YE stands for Yerseke in Zeeland, where I get my oysters from “De Oesterij”. Founded in 1906 this oyster and mussel farm is where I get my oysters. They supply their oysters to the best restaurants all over the world so I’m really proud to work with them. Yerseke itself is a lovely fishing village where basically all oysters and mussels are cultivated and traded by great companies and this is where you’ll have the best seafood places. All the fishing boats here have the letters YE on their crafts and this was a way to honor the place where I found the inspiration for my brand.
How many people are working with you?
I work with distributors and importers so it's a one man show until now, but I hope to have some sales and marketing support from next year on. My production is outsourced.
That was my next question-- so you have a company making the vodka for you?
I do a lot of the preparations myself. I shuck hundreds of oysters and prepare the mix of botanicals and macerates. But distilling is something different—I work with a great distillery, actually one of the best and oldest in The Netherlands in Schiedam; it's the Dutch capital of distilling. There’s a fantastic master distiller that helps me to distill the terroir of my vodka.
And what if someone came to you, let’s say Heineken. Heineken is been buying up some small producers, but they say that you can keep your name and your autonomy. If they came to you tomorrow with a nice offer and they said, “let us take it”. What would you do?
Being a proud Dutch I think Heineken is a great company: family-owned, marketing driven and brand and with an impressive global presence. Under the right conditions, the thought of cooperation to spread the word and build the brand is interesting of course. It would also help raise awareness for the Surfrider Foundation that I support. Of course, when you work with a global brand you have a global impact. I would love to have my brand all over the world. As long as I can keep my autonomy and retain the brand strategy.
Tell me about the Surfrider foundation.
It is a global foundation that protects beaches, fights for clean oceans and the protection of surf spots. I think that's a noble cause and I love to spread the whole idea of keeping the oceans clean. We donate a fixed amount of every can of hard seltzer sold to this cause.
On your website, you have a little mermaid logo with the words FAITH-HOPE-LOVE.
The mermaid is for our seaside origin and our motto is: Have faith, hold hope and embrace love. These words cover the path of our past, our present and our future. Just as they have always done, they will continue to give us the strength we need to bring joy to your world. This mermaid means a lot to me.
Chris, with a motto like that you can’t go wrong. Proost!
Five questions for Chris
Favorite salty treat?
Easy: oysters.
Vodka on the rocks or straight?
Straight.
Your fave shot at the end of a day:
My signature Bloody Mary oyster shot.
A spirits creator that you admire:
The Nolet family (Ketel One) and Elwyn Gladstone (Biggar&Leith).
How old were you when you tasted your first oyster?
Must have been really young. Let’s say 2 or 3 years old.