Rachel Jane Macauley

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Coffee Conversations : Michelle Ly of Vinn Distillery + TOAST 2015 Ticket Giveaway

Hello there, be prepared for a Vegas post take over next week… but for now I have something WAY more important to share with you. 

I was contacted to attend Toast Portland this year. Toast is “The Original Artisan Spirit Tasting Event.” Lucky for you, I also am giving away a ticket! The event is going to be amazing. The list of exhibitors is impeccable. I also got the chance to interview one of the distillers. You know I love a good interview! I used my Coffee Conversations questions and adapted them a bit. 

I interviewed Michelle Ly of Vinn Distillery. Vinn is known for their Baijiu, which is, “a traditional distilled alcoholic beverage, and is considered to be the national drink of China. “” (Vinndistillery.com). She has an amazing story behind her products, a must read. Vinn is one of the many outstanding products being showcased at Toast! Stay tuned after the interview to learn how you can win a ticket to the event…

Q:  What is your coffee drink of choice?
                A: My favorite cocktail is a Bloody Mary but I typically find myself pouring a drink straight from the bottle and enjoying it neat.
Q:  So, what’s your story?  How did you end up here?
                A:  My family and I are originally from a little town called Ha Coi in the Quang Ninh Province in North Vietnam.  We lived in a village of about 1200 people who spoke primarily Chinese.  In late 1978, our village was escorted out of Vietnam and shipped off to China because we were of Chinese decent.  We landed in a tiny town in Guangzho (aka Canton), China.  We stayed there for just a few months before some villagers got our dad drunk on Baijiu and convinced him to sail 70 people from the village to Hong Kong.  We sailed for 57 days before finally getting towed to shore as refugees.  We stayed in Hong Kong for 6 months before we were sponsored by a little church in Wilsonville we fondly know as Frog Pond Church.  Our family has stayed in Oregon since.  Our dad established Vinn Distillery in 2009 to introduce Baijiu to America – the drink that brought us here.
Q: Who is your role model and why?                 
             A: My mom and dad.  They have more courage than anyone I know.  At the age of 30, they hauled 5 children under the age of 10 around the world to a country where they didn’t have any family or friends and didn’t know the language.  I was traumatized just moving to California!
Q: What are your favorite activities to do in your free time?
A: Of the little free time I have for myself, I enjoying chasing a little white ball around the golf course. 
Q: What is your proudest achievement?
                A: Being gifted with my son
Q: Your house is burning down, what three items do you grab?
                A: Old photos and journals, the vase my dad wrote our life journey on, and old handwritten letters from family
Q: What was the best thing that happened to you this week?
                A: My twin nephews were born on February 26th!  Two amazingly beautiful gifts to our family.
Q: What is in the fridge?
                A: Lots of fruits, vegetables, and mom’s left overs – she cooked a feast for the end of the Chinese New Year celebration so we have lots of left overs.
Q: You can invite 8 people to your dinner party. Who is on the list?  And who is your first alternate guest?
                A: The first people that comes to mind is my family
Q: What is your favorite dish?
                A: I have so many, it’s hard to choose – it depends on my mood at that moment.  But the one thing I can never turn down it ice cream.
Q: What is one piece of advice or quote that you try to live by?

                A: Do unto others as others do unto you
I love, love her story! Thank you very much for sharing Michelle. I am excited to try Baijiu at Toast and learn even more about what Vinn has to offer. Speaking of Toast, lets do that give away. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment below answering this question:
What is your favorite cocktail? AND What is your favorite brand of spirits? 
The winner will be chosen on Thursday evening and emailed. The event is 3/7/2015 from 4p-10p
Tickets to Toast are also available online! Hope to see you there! 

Love, Rachel xo 

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Comments

  7. My favorite cocktail is a margarita with fresh lime juice, silver tequila and cointreau. I don't really have a favorite spirit, but I'm willing to try them all (responsibly). 🙂

    Reply

  8. What an amazing sailing adventure! My go-to cocktail is an old-school old fashioned with Bullet Rye! I like mine made with a lemon instead of an orange and no soda:-)

    Reply

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