Meet Keith – Liquor Manager
Don’t let his gruff appearance fool you; Keith Haze is one of the best in the business. He knows more about wine, beer and liquor than just about anyone we know. Just give him five minutes and he will turn you on to something new that will be outstanding and make you a fan for life.
Keith was kind enough to let us take a peek into his head with this fun Q&A.
Name: Keith Haze aka Dr. Haze, the booze whisperer, Curmudgeon, Pretty, Pretty Princess. I collect nicknames easily because I am a force of nature.
Where do you live? Charlotte, NC – right over by the airport
Where are you from? Chicago, IL but have spent most of my life in California
What’s your sign? Aries, but I do not believe in astrology.
What’s your favorite movie? The Big Lebowski- it’s the greatest movie ever made!
What’s your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving combines drinking, food, and football. What is not to like?
Why do you love what you do? I love booze. I love how many different types there are. That there is an endless combination of drinks to be made and enjoyed. I love how it can start a conversation, enrich an evening, and make an occasion. A bottle of Champagne turns a Tuesday into an event. A special bottle of Single Malt makes an average day a spectacular one. Every week I find new items to try, new cocktails to make, and it is so much fun taking you guys along for the ride!
I decided in college that I wanted to find better beer. I knew that the garbage being served at parties was not the top of the mountain. My best friend and I found a British Import store and we just bought all that they had. It was a switch that turned on and has stayed on. I bought my first bottle of Scotch on my 21st birthday, it was Chivas, and I hated it. I kept buying it and kept hating it. I bounced around from whiskey to whisky (crown, Jameson, makers, Woodford) until I found Johnnie Walker Black. That was the one that felt right, and then one day I tried Laphroaig and it was all over, I knew I would be a scotch drinker forever. It was as though the heavens parted and the sun shone right down on me through the roof of that bar in Japan. When it comes to wine, there were two major events that lit that fire. The first was buying my first thirty-dollar bottle, it was Bordeaux, and it was wonderful. For the first time I could see how complex a wine could be. The second event was, I had a big date, and I wanted to impress her, so I picked out an expensive Italian wine by myself. We both hated it! I vowed to never let that happen again so I bought a wine book and started to study.
My favorite thing to drink is Vintage Champagne; there just isn’t anything better. If your whole life you have been drinking cook’s, korbel, and have been topping out on Veuve Cliquot, do yourself a tremendous favor and pick up a vintage bottle of Champagne and experience one of man’s greatest inventions.
Who is your favorite sports team? Da Bears. I might consider California home but I will always root for my Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks and Cubbies. That was how I was raised and it stuck!
Where do you go for fun? I love Las Vegas because I can get almost any drink and almost any food. I like how democratic it is as well; it is one of the few places where the rich and the middle class rub elbows. But anytime I can go to San Francisco, Rome, or Osaka a great time is guaranteed.
Why do you love working at Southern Spirits? Southern Spirits is a happy place for me; because we have awesome customers, I work with a fantastic staff, have an owner who gives me the freedom to be myself. Before I worked at corporate stores and was not allowed to go and get the best stuff out there. I had no ability to special order things for customers. I could not set up awesome tastings. I was handcuffed and handicapped.
We are lucky to have Martha and Ron, tag teaming in the wine department. They work tirelessly to stretch your dollar as far as possible. They taste new wines each week to figure out the absolute best deals for you guys, and the level of customer of service that they provide is exemplary. They actually listen to what you are saying instead of guiding you into “their brand” looking at you total wines! Or just ignorantly directing you to one of the six wines they have actually tasted.
Over in beer we have the incredible Summer. She has elevated what was once a sad afterthought into literally the best beer store in either state and the best I have ever been to. What you are getting with Summer, is a person who is dedicated and passionate about the craft and about maintaining the stores excellence. It is truly a beer lovers paradise over there and I love having so many awesome surprises waiting for me when I walk over there. Not to mention all the fantastic mixers she has brought in. What is the use of having every wonderful spirit in the world if your mixers suck? Well that is another problem she solved. We have amazing mixers and are still adding more!
My staff includes the lovely J, she would be the beautiful and smiling woman that greets you at the door Wend-Saturday. A more pleasant checkout you are unlikely to experience.
Jackie, is still learning, but is smart and friendly and a welcome addition to the team.
DB, already has a great following among you all, but for those that have not met him, he is constantly improving and expanding his knowledge base. He asks the best questions about all the new arrivals and gives excellent recommendations.
Eric, you might have heard him quacking like Donald, or you might have learned the history of Vodka from him, but if you have not, stop by and ask him anything you like. He is another studious employee that is interested in every new item, tastes all that I purchase (which is a lot!) and does a wonderful job articulating the pluses and minuses of all the products he tries.
Sherry, our long term no nonsense cashier who can tell you where anything is in a split second, answer the phone and ring up seven people while juggling four minis and sipping on her morning coffee. Every team has a secret weapon and she is mine.
What makes this group so special is that if they put it in your hand it is because they have tried it. If they tell you something, you can count on it. They will try to save you money way more often than they will try to spend it. It might seem like they are on commission but they are not. They are on a mission to make sure you walk out with the best version of what you want. It is a pleasure to manage them.
