John Lennon’s wonderful verse from Beautiful Boy...“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Those words couldn’t ring more true in the year 2020. And with that, I bring the unfortunate news that our Tequila Plata has been delayed and will not arrive before the holidays.

Our first bottles arrived in Mexico last week and were on track to be bottled and shipped back in time to fulfill all orders before the holidays. Our distillery anxiously opened the first case of empty bottles, only to discover that the coating and ink had rubbed off during shipment. The vast majority of the bottles received were unusable and production was halted.

Meanwhile, I was taking a small, off-the-grid, break in Death Valley as this all unfolded. When the news finally reached me, I was devastated, heartbroken, and a few tears were shed. I know it sounds dramatic, but I’m sure you can empathize with how incredibly frustrating this year has been. I was really hoping that the launch of KOKORO’s first spirit would escape the clutches of 2020, but unfortunately, this year has been busy making other plans…

It's not all bad news though. While we've been frantically working to deliver our Tequila Plata, we’ve also been putting the finishing touches on our ultra-premium Tequila Plata Limitada. These limited-edition, hand-crafted and hand-numbered, ceramic bottles are only 45 days from completion. We are also finalizing our unique packaging that pays homage to KOKORO’s gift-giving origins. In appreciation of our customers’ early confidence in us (and our investors’ patience), we are going to upgrade all existing pre-orders to this exclusive release. If our customers would rather have a refund, we can make that happen too. Whatever it takes to make things right.

2020 has been a year of adapting to a constantly challenging landscape, and after all that has taken place, we need to draw inspiration from these meaningful reminders to not rush to a destination, but rather to savor the journey and stay true to our vision and intent. While we may have to wait until 2021 to taste our delicious tequilas (and other spirits!), I have a feeling we’ll all be more deeply appreciative as we continue to celebrate our friendships & communities well into next year. Please stay tuned. There will be a lot more to share in the coming weeks.

As always, I am ever so grateful for your support in KOKORO Spirits. Please enjoy a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers,

Howard