Eugene, Oregon-based Wolf Spirit announced Wendy Dunlap, formerly of William Grant & Sons, has joined the company as Vice President of Sales – National and On-Premise Accounts – overseeing the core portfolio, including Puncher’s Chance Bourbon, Tom of Finland Organic Vodka, Blood x Sweat x Tears Vodka and the soon-to-be-released Mr. Pickles Gin.

In addition, marketing veteran Tim Nicholls has been named the Managing Director of the company’s new Ready-to-Drink division, launching this fall.

Dunlap, a 30-year veteran of the spirits industry, will serve as Vice President of National and On-Premise accounts, which includes national and regional on-premise chains. For more than a decade, Wendy worked as the National Accounts Manager – On-Premise East for William Grant & Sons representing iconic brands, such as Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Hendrick’s, Sailor Jerry and Grant’s. Prior to that, she was a one of the leading National Account Managers on the Campari America sales team, serving a pivotal role as the Aperol Spritz and Espolòn Tequila were introduced to the U.S., in addition to the re-introduction of the iconic Negroni and Wild Turkey to America.

Reporting directly to Wolf Spirit CEO Bradd Levitan, Dunlap will tap into her more than three decades of experience and creativity to develop expanded opportunities across the Wolf Spirit portfolio. The recipient of more than 25 vendor recognitions over her career, in addition to top performance awards at both William Grant & Sons and Campari America, she is a proven sales driver, increasing sales across her accounts by an average of 15% over 10 years in her previous position.

“Given our alignment with Southern Glazers across the majority of the U.S., we have the distribution to capitalize on important national/regional accounts and build our brands in the on-premise,” said Levitan in a news release. “Wendy has worked on some of the most sought-after brands in the world and already has the relationships and leadership skills to make an impact on our sales immediately.”

Wolf Spirit will launch its new RTD Division in September, focusing on developing premium products within untapped categories in the RTD space, as well as upscaling established favorites and leveraging compelling, well-known intellectual properties. Leading the organization will be Tim Nicholls, a veteran marketing executive with extensive experience in the beverage alcohol industry both in the U.S. and the U.K.

Prior to joining Wolf Spirit, Nicholls was CMO of the iconic range of Hard Rock branded Ready-to-Drink Cocktails, which he launched in the U.S., Europe, Australia and Taiwan. He also held several lead marketing roles for Beso Del Sol Sangria, at the time America’s fastest growing Sangria brand, and Reed’s, Inc., owners of the U.S.’s leading Ginger Beer brand. Before working in-house in the spirits industry, he served as the Global Managing Director on the Diageo account and, subsequently, President at one of WPP’s most highly awarded agencies – Berlin Cameron.

“As we look to launch our first product this fall, Tim’s experience in the Ready-to-Drink and Ready-to-Serve cocktail category, together with his extensive knowledge of the overall spirits industry, will no doubt help propel Wolf Spirit to a new level with our planned entry into the dynamic world of RTDs,” Wolf Spirit Founder Umberto Luchini, to whom Nicholls will report, said.

Wolf Spirit’s most-recent release, Puncher’s Chance The Left Cross Bourbon aged in Jamaican rum barrels, received wide-spread acclaim, landing on multiple “best of” lists. In addition to the upcoming line of RTDs, Wolf will also soon launch a new Puncher’s Chance limited-edition bourbon and a new Northwest Pacific gin – Mr. Pickles, named after Wolf Spirit’s Master Distiller’s pit bull rescue pup, the Eugene distillery’s official mascot.

Find out more at http://www.ourwolfspirit.com.