The world of Web3 is constantly evolving with different entities from all over the globe working tirelessly to bring their unique offerings to an ever expanding international audience. One such project has its sites set on creating the world’s first decentralized spirits distillery. Yes indeed, by harnessing the power of blockchain technology and working with a range of NFT projects across the cryptosphere, ChainSpirit hopes to build a Web3 liquor brand by the community, for the community!
Have You Ever Heard of Soju?
I’ll admit I never even knew of the existence of Soju before exploring ChainSpirit (and yes, I am a little embarrassed by that fact). According to them, it’s a “clear distilled spirit” with a history dating back well over a thousand years. It’s expertly crafted using a selection of rice, water, and a natural fermentation starter known as nuruk . Now if you’re a connoisseur of spirits, you may already have a replete knowledge of Soju and its properties. From what it seems, it’s a pretty unique liquor, and it’s also what ChainSpirit believes will serve as a key component in their unique value proposition.
Of course the very real product that ChainSpirit offers (appropriately named $OJU to mimic popular crypto tickers) is only the beginning here. As I already mentioned, ChainSpirit is in the process of building a community-owned liquor brand with some unique NFTs functioning as a form of membership for holders. Now that isn’t anything particularly new in the NFT space of course, but what exactly does membership to ChainSpirit grant you? Well, you’ll get…
- Exclusive access to the Members’ Lounge in South Korea
- Governance and voting rights
- Pre-sale access to future liquor NFT collections
- Access to IRL events that take place at various locations around the world, and
- A whole lot more
OK, so if you’re in South Korea, there’s definitely a little more incentive since you’ll be able to visit the Members’ Lounge and enjoy some real hospitality. Of course if you’re happy to travel, then this shouldn’t be a problem for you either. But who knows? Maybe ChainSpirit will open up Members Lounges all over the world down the line?
Collaboration at Its Core
Now I could of course go on about the rewards you can receive by purchasing 1 of the 111 Founder’s Distillery Membership NFTs or 1 of the 10,000 Genesis Distillery Membership NFTs, but you can just visit ChainSpirit’s website and find all that out for yourself (trust me, it’s worth checking out). What I would like to talk a little more about is this:
This is something I find very, very intriguing. I’m a big advocate of collaboration (I do write for MSQ.io, after all), and while many NFT projects tend to devolve into tribalistic echo chambers that discuss floor prices and ignore anyone outside of their immediate area of influence, ChainSpirit is actually encouraging collaboration and community building through friendly, equitable competition.
What I’m talking about is ChainSpirit’s JPEG Bottleground Application . With this initiative, anyone with a PFP NFT that has the full commercial rights granted to them as the holder can submit their entry in order to stand a chance to co-launch a $OJU collection using their JPEG! The process if very simple and only takes a couple of seconds, and as long as your NFT makes the grade, you can go ahead and enter it into the competition!
I think this particular approach to marketing and bridging the worlds of the digital with the physical is nothing short of genius. In fact, Gary Vee thinks that this may well be where NFTs are headed, and we even wrote an article about it, so you should totally check it out (after reading this piece first, of course).
A huge issue with NFTs is that they lack utility, and the utility that is offered is often not all that great. The fact is, if NFT communities stay in their comfort zones and never venture outside of the Web3 bubble (and it is a pretty small bubble right now), there’s virtually no way they’ll be able to meaningfully scale.
This is why ChainSpirit’s approach is particularly innovative as they allow NFTs to attach their own brand and culture to a physical product that exists in the real world, one that will almost certainly be enjoyed by a wide range of people. By casting the net fairly wide and being a little discerning with what they decide to use, ChainSpirit is looking to build a lasting, sustainable culture that focuses on true decentralization and inclusion.
The ChainSpirit Distillery
A project as ambitious as ChainSpirit needs some serious resources and infrastructure behind it. This isn’t your friend Tony’s generative 10K collection he conjured up while he was high as a kite in his parents’ basement. No, this is a serious endeavor with actual locations and infrastructure underpinning it. Quite frankly, the prospect of being able to be part of a project where I have some stake in a whole-ass distillery is pretty damn cool!
So here’s some info about the distillery itself:
- It’s located in the Gwangju, Gyeognggi province of South Korea
- It’s a total of 2,364 square meters (25,446 square feet)
- It’s 3-stories high
- It’s a factory building legally reserved and authorized to produce alcoholic beverages
Simply put, these guys ain’t playin’ around! ChainSpirit already has everything they need to produce their Soju and distribute it to people all over the world! Despite the fact that their audience is international and spans a number of cultures, there’s several elements of ChainSpirit that are distinctly South Korean (OK, obviously the Soju itself, but hear me out). I like that it has a modern sensibility but also somehow manages to incorporate techniques and elements drawn directly from the annals of Korean history and culture. To my mind, ChainSpirit is celebratory and something that is meant to be enjoyed and influenced by, well, everyone!
A Whole Bunch in the Pipeline
ChainSpirit actually has two roadmaps. Yes, you read that right, these guys have one roadmap for the ChainSpirit project itself, and another Community Roadmap. Each roadmap is divided into 5 interconnected phases, and for your convenience, here’s the current Project Roadmap:
So we’ve got NFTs issued by ChainSpirit themselves that will entitle holders to membership to the ChainSpirit DAO with all kinds of benefits. We’ve got collaboration with partners producing other forms of liquor and eventually the push to produce the world’s first spirit powered entirely by a unified, dedicated community. What’s not to like? And of course, if you already have an NFT, you can enter the JPEG Bottleground competition and stand a chance of having your NFT featured on a perfectly crafted bottle of $OJU!
Building a Lasting Community From the Ground Up
ChainSpirit are hard at work getting the word out about $OJU and winning over the hearts and minds of people all across the NFT space. Ultimately they hope to help people have fun, feel a sense of belonging and make the world a better place through community-based initiatives that will also help fund charities and give back to those who are less fortunate.
They’ve only been around for a few months, and we’re currently experiencing something of a bear market, so right now NFT sales are taking a hit. However, this is the time where great projects build and bring disparate individuals and communities together. ChainSpirit is definitely one project that has a unique value proposition founded upon strong principles, community and collaboration. I think it’s a safe bet that these guys will continue to enjoy some great growth as time progresses.
Now, can I please get my own bottle of $OJU!? I’m dying to try some!
Make sure you follow ChainSpirit on Twitter and join their Discord so that you can keep up to speed with the latest news and developments. And don’t forget to get your submissions in for the JPEG Bottleground ! So what are you waiting for? Get to it!
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