Spirits are distilled culture, time, craftsmanship and taste.
In a single sip.
A spirits love affair
I am an independent fine spirits expert and concept designer, driven by a love of art and a late romantic spirit.
During the past 15 years, I’ve tasted thousands of spirits and visited and studied more than 50 distilleries — from the windswept Scottish Highlands, to the rustic Armagnac and Cognac regions, and on to the most fascinating rum distilleries in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Barbados.
I’ve put this experience to work by bottling Cognac and Armagnac Single Casks as Co-Founder of the Independent Bottler Grape of the Art and by advising RumX, the largest Rum-Platform in the world.
Ranging from tailored recommendations to the development of exclusive limited-edition bottlings, I’ve also helped enthusiasts, brands, and collectors select exceptional rums, whiskies, brandies, and wines.
Working closely with many renowned spirits brands and distilleries, I today develop exklusive, award winning bottle series and cask selections in which the contents, label, and history speak a common language. My approach is not to fulfill customer wishes as a traditional designer. My work stems from my own aesthetic vision: a clear, recognizable and opulent signature inspired by the old masters of the renaissance, baroque era and beyond.
Tasting experiences as meditation
Like an artist, I see each bottling as a work of art—a combination of distillery and barrel character, visual language, materiality, and culture. My aim is not only to design products, but to further develop the visual and intellectual aesthetics of the spirits world.
There is a deeper longing behind my passion. Enjoyment is more than consumption. Through spirits and wine, in combination with art, music, and literature, I explore the nature of things.
A glass can open up a conversation, a mood, a memory, a perspective. I see my work as an invitation to smell, taste, hear, and see more consciously—and thus to expand one's own consciousness.
Whether I am curating a high-end bottle series, accompanying a barrel selection, or introducing people to a special drop, my goal is always to create genuine experiences—sensual, aesthetic, and spiritual.
An established, international network
Through my business activities and countless visits to trade fairs throughout Europe, including with my own stand, I have been able to build up a huge global network over the years. From independent bottlers and producers to collectors and bloggers, there are few players I haven’t met.
Do you need a specific bottle or are you looking for a cask for a particular vintage?
Regardless of the spirit category, I can help you.
Rob Bauer—that’s rather like having RUF on a Porsche (or Brabus on a Mercedes), and that’s hardly a bad endorsement.
— Serge Valentin, Whiskyfun.com
Liquid philosophy meets product photography
When it comes to flavours, I don't stop at creating series and selecting cask. Since I also enjoy writing about liquid gold and want to offer my readers a more vivid taste experience and a little guidance in the vast world of spirits and wines, I combine product photography with my independent, colorful tasting notes.
