A 25-year-old Elmira native is hoping jazz legend Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington's popularity t... Elmira native blends sound
A 25-year-old Elmira native is hoping jazz legend Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington's popularity translates into a huge demand for the high-end cognac he is planning to launch later this year.
The cognac is bottled in a heavy crystal decanter with a gold-plated crown and "The Duke" signature in gold on the glass. The box bears an exclusive picture of Ellington's silhouette and is accompanied by a bottle tag with the quote: "It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing."
Shaw graduated from James Madison University in 2003 with a bachelor business administration degree in marketing. He was introduced in 2004 to his business partner, Seth White of Houston, by Mike Fredo, an Elmira native who is pursuing a singing career in New York City.
White and Fredo attended Professional Children's School in Manhattan, which boasts actress Uma Thurman, actress/singer Brandy Norwood and drummer Buddy Rich as former students. Paul Ellington, Duke's grandson, also attended.
White's father played drums in Ellington's jazz orchestra when it was led by Duke's son, Mercer. The two developed a friendship that filtered down to their sons.
Aware of Shaw's connection with the liquor and wine industry -- his mother owns GCP Discount Liquors in Grand Central Plaza in Horseheads, and his father recently opened Shaw Winery in Dundee -- Paul Ellington and Seth White approached Shaw with the idea of putting Duke's name on a quality wine or distilled spirit brand.
The Ellington family would cooperate with the project by allowing Duke's name and likeness to be used -- for a licensing fee based on sales volume. After some discussion, it was decided that cognac would be the beverage of choice.
Why? Because cognac, said Shaw, has a history dating back centuries and is arguably the most luxurious distilled spirit on the planet. It is produced by doubly distilling special white wines made in the Cognac region of France and then aged in oak barrels.
Cognac comes in three grades. The "VS" grade is stored in casks for at least two years. "VSOP" grade is aged for at least four years. The top grade, "XO," is stored for at last six years.
As befitting the reputation of its namesake, Duke Ellington XO cognac has been aged for 20 years. The suggested retail price is $150 for a 750 ml. bottle.
The project's biggest challenge, said Shaw, was selecting a cognac house in France to partner with. He relied on the Internet to help with the search.
The next step was finding a U.S.-based importer that could distribute the cognac to each of the 50 states. Enter Harbrew Imports of Freeport, N.Y.
Shaw anticipates the first shipment of Duke Ellington cognac to arrive in early fall -- already bottled and in gift boxes. He and White, 31, have formed S&S Development LLP as their project's business entity.
Several print and online publications, including trade journals, lifestyle magazines and musicians' magazines, have already published or plan to publish articles about the new brand.
The beverage will be sold at every jazz club where the Ellington orchestra makes an appearance. It also will be available at The Blue Note international chain of jazz clubs and at B.B. King's clubs, which are all owned by the same parent company.
Shaw has also pre-sold placements at upscale liquor stores in Manhattan and the Washington, D.C., area. To say he's excited about the project is an understatement.
"It will be a novelty item for jazz lovers, but it will also be a call brand of cognac," said Shaw. "This is the first cognac with Duke Ellington's name on it. He was an icon, and his dress and music had a lot to do with it, and the cognac is very subtle and classy, it's done in an upscale way."
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