Finding your Niche as an Entrepreneur: A Spirited Conversation with Ryan Malkin, Principal Attorney at Malkin Law

Ryan Malkin, Founder and Principal Attorney of Malkin Law, a boutique law firm specializing in the alcohol beverage industry joins Enterprise Radio.

This episode of Enterprise Radio is in association with the Legal Corner.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Ryan Malkin discuss the following:

  1. How did you get into alcohol beverage compliance/law?
  2. Can you walk us through what you do for brands and what sets you apart from boutique law practices?
  3. What advice do you have for any listeners who want to start their own alcohol brand?  What’s the first thing they should do?
  4. What are some of the common mistakes you have seen people make when trying to launch a brand or grow distribution?
  5. How easy is it to have your brand acquired by a large, global supplier?

TIP: Getting an alcohol beverage product into the market can be relatively straightforward. Having that product succeed and be acquired by a major supplier is much more difficult. Many people get into the industry with the hopes of being the next Casamigos, but getting to that type of an exit is few and far between and takes a lot of effort. Like many other industries, the alcohol industry is very small so reputation and relationships matter.


Ryan Malkin is an attorney focusing on alcohol beverage law. He has extensive experience providing guidance to suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, agencies, and third parties within these regulated industries. As an attorney for a major global wine and spirits supplier, Ryan concentrated on supporting the sales and marketing teams to ensure compliance with rules and regulations in all 50 states. Ryan utilized his experience and knowledge of the industry to help craft compliant programs to help global brands outperform others in their categories.

Prior to his work at Pernod, Ryan was an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. He investigated and prosecuted all manner of crimes, with an emphasis on long-term white collar crime investigations. Ryan gained unprecedented skills and an understanding of state governmental agencies.

Ryan’s passion for the alcohol industry began as a staff writer for SmartMoney. He specialized in travel and hospitality writing, with an emphasis on the beverage alcohol industry, covering both brands and category trends. His articles have appeared in such publications as Beverage Media, Liquor.com, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, DJTimes, and Esquire to name a few.

Ryan is a regular contributor to Artisan Spirit magazine and SevenFiftyDaily and was on the editorial board of the Florida Bar Journal. Ryan is also counsel to the American Craft Spirits Association.

Website: malkinlawfirm.com

Social Media Links:
Facebook: @malkinlaw
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/malkinlaw
Twitter: @malkinlaw


Additional resources: 

*Learn how Big Time Shirt can help your business grow


People also listened to this: Smarter Law is the Future

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top