A leftover batch of malt offered Dennis Hurkmans and Ezra Leeger a unique opportunity. In 2015, they saw the potential and created a whisky, a 'single estate whisky'. The special thing about this whisky is that not only the water, but also all the ingredients used come from the same farm. Moreover, no artificial fertilisers or pesticides are used.
The sustainable whisky, which goes by the name 'Bus Whisky', has been entering the market since 2019. Dennis notes that there are already 2.5 million whisky lovers in the Netherlands, of which 300,000 are single malt lovers. Bus Whisky has not gone unnoticed, as it received a sustainability medal at the Global Green Awards in Hong Kong. The gold medal? That one went to Bus Whisky. Bus Whisky's success story is not standing still, however, and thanks to current technological advances, Dennis believes he can make new strides soon.
Before Bus Whisky can explore those new frontiers, they want to meet the needs of the Dutch market. Due to the huge demand and success of Bus Whisky, the delivery time of a bottle of whisky has increased to about six months.
Dennis and Ezra saw an opportunity to work together with everyone who cares about Bus Whisky to make the whisky world a little nicer. They decided to launch a sharefunding campaign with a goal of €575,000. This will allow them to realise all their plans. Full of enthusiasm, the sharefunding trail started, with the slogan 'make sure you don't miss the bus'. The goal was for Bus Whisky to remain the most sustainable whisky label in the world.
In July 2022, that bus was certainly not missed. As many as 219 investors jumped on board and became co-owners of Bus Whisky. Expectations were exceeded and €1,000,000 was raised within about 24 hours. Dennis and Ezra's confidence and passion spread beyond the Heische Hoeve. Where there is passion, opportunities arise and for Bus Whisky these opportunities are worldwide.
The figures
- Number of sharefunding rounds to date: 1
- Capital raised: €1,000,000
- Number of shareholders: 219
- Website: www.buswhisky.com
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