Checkout Chats: JW Wiseman, Founder of Curious Elixirs

In my living room, boxes of non-alcoholic beverages have begun to pile up—a physical manifestation of the "sober curious" movement's explosive growth. Among the boxes of Bero and THC bevvies sits Curious Elixirs, a pioneer that predates many of today's trendy NA brands by years.

As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, I sat down with founder JW Wiseman to discuss how this early entrant shaped the landscape we now take for granted. Curious Elixirs is proud to have earned over $47 million in revenue in the last five years with a 20.8x brand growth rate without any outside investment - rare in the CPG space these days! The company is predicting $2.5 million in sales for Dry January compared to $2 million last year, further evidence of the movement's momentum.

Background & Origins: Born from Necessity

Curious Elixirs began back in 2015, but its seeds were planted in the winter of 2012, when Wiseman had a personal wake-up call. After one particularly excessive night he realized his tolerance had reached concerning levels. "That kind of scared the shit out of me," he admits.

This realization sparked experimentation in his kitchen, but the leap to business came from an unexpected source: the great Martha Stewart. While watching her speak at Summit Series in 2015, someone asked if she'd ever doubted herself. Her immediate response, "Nope, Never," struck Wiseman like a lightning bolt, giving him the conviction to launch what would become Curious Elixirs.

In a full-circle moment, Wiseman proudly notes that Martha Stewart herself has become a fan of their products, particularly the elderflower champagne cocktail (Curious No. 7)!

The timing aligned with market insights that validated his hunch. Research showed that 75 million American adults didn't drink alcohol at all, while another 90 million consumed fewer than two alcoholic drinks weekly. Perhaps most striking: the top 10% of alcohol consumers were drinking 75% of all alcohol!

Wiseman's background set him up perfectly for this venture. A self-described "cocktail nerd," he had opened both a whiskey bar and a Brooklyn nightclub called Output, where he noticed many guests paying for tickets but minimally consuming alcohol.

Meanwhile, as head of marketing for Daily Harvest, he was learning about adaptogens and herbs from founder Rachel Drori. He would later implement this knowledge into Curious Elixirs' functional ingredients approach.

Product Philosophy: Flavor First, Function Second

"If it's not delicious first, if you're not making something that is really freaking good, none of the other stuff matters"

This flavor-first approach differentiates Curious Elixirs in a crowded market that sometimes prioritizes wellness claims over taste.

Rather than creating something that mimics alcohol, Wiseman focuses on crafting unique experiences that evoke familiarity while offering something new. He describes Curious No. 5 as a "smoked cherry chocolate old fashioned" that might remind you of Black Forest cake or "Cocoa Puff Old Fashioned" it's nostalgic yet novel. This balance creates what Wiseman calls his favorite hospitality experiences: "when you've had something where you're like, 'Wow, that reminds me of a chocolate cake that I had as a kid, but an elevated form of it.'"

The adaptogenic however elements come as a secondary benefit, offering what Wiseman describes as "tea level doses" rather than "supplement level doses." The goal isn't to "get people high" or "euphoric," but rather to help consumers subtly feel better and be able to connect better with people they're hanging out with.

Distinct Positioning: Beyond Alcohol Alternatives

Curious Elixirs embodies a philosophy beyond offering mere alternatives. The name itself is an invitation to approach drinking differently. With curiosity rather than habit. "Curious exist because I was drinking less," Wiseman explains, citing outings with a sober Broadway actor friend where "there was nothing interesting to drink." While competitors replicate specific spirits, Curious deliberately creates a third path that's neither alcoholic nor imitative. There's no "whiskey alternative" or "gin substitute," just numbered elixirs standing on their own terms.

Premium Distribution Strategy

The premium positioning extends beyond product formulation to their distribution strategy. You won't find Curious Elixirs in big box stores—"the same way you're not gonna find Dom Perignon" there, as Wiseman puts it. They target venues with knowledgeable staff who can educate consumers about the products and their ingredients.

In Nashville, for example, they're in Turnip Truck (their local Erewhon equivalent), where each location experiments with different merchandising approaches to find what works best for this still-evolving category. This experimental approach reflects the brand's recognition that "we have a lot to learn" about how best to merchandise their products in retail environments.

A Food Service-First Approach

While many early NA brands focused on retail, Curious Elixirs built its foundation in the hospitality sector. "That's where food and drink culture happens, and that's where it changes, it doesn't necessarily happen at a big box store."

His deep love for and experience with restaurants and bars as places "one part theater and one part nurturing" informed this strategy. "The best hospitality is like a warm hug from a friend that you've never met before," he says, appreciating how these environments can transport guests while making them feel cared for. In Wiseman's view, the best establishments are those where people care about ingredients, they care about taking care of people, and they care about making options for those of us who have different tastes or preferences.

This approach has yielded impressive partnerships. Curious Elixirs is the official non-alcoholic drinks partner of the James Beard Foundation and has poured at events ranging from TED conferences to Coachella. Rather than cash sponsorships, they donate product widely enabling them to support diverse events from "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" gatherings to queer comedy shows in Denver. This in-kind donation approach allows them, as a bootstrapped company without VC funding, to have widespread cultural impact.

The Broader Movement: Early Days of a Long Revolution

Despite being ten years into the business, Wiseman sees the non-alcoholic revolution as just beginning. "This is gonna take 40 years," he predicts, noting they're only a quarter of the way into a generational shift in drinking culture. He draws parallels to Prohibition's failure, describing "it as a bunch of people who didn't know how to have fun." Underscoring how challenging it is to change entrenched behaviors around alcohol.

Wiseman credits the influx of new brands with helping validate the space and creating "a rising tide that helps lift all boats."

This consumer education challenge mirrors issues in plant-based alternatives, where products like Impossible and Beyond were incorrectly assumed to be health foods rather than environmentally friendly. The NA space faces similar merchandising challenges; retailers are still experimenting with where these products belong whether it's with mixers, in dedicated sections, or elsewhere.

For Curious Elixirs, the long-term vision remains clear: "Whenever you go to any restaurant, any hotel, any conference, any theater, any comedy club, any house party, you're gonna have Curious behind the bar." They aim to collaborate with "cultural innovators" who are "changing culture one restaurant, one barstool, one seat at a time."