Lightspeed
March 11, 2025

How Baxus Is Bringing Whiskey Onchain | Tzvi Wiesel

In this episode, Jack Cubc hosts Tzvi Wiesel, founder and CEO of Baxus, a pioneering onchain spirits marketplace on Solana. They delve into how Baxus is revolutionizing the liquor industry by leveraging blockchain technology to address inefficiencies in alcohol distribution and create a more transparent, efficient market.

Revolutionizing Alcohol Distribution

  • "The biggest problem we're solving is the secondary market... legally in the United States, the only way for them to be sold is either at a liquor store or at an auction."
  • Baxus addresses the antiquated alcohol distribution system by creating a transparent, efficient marketplace.
  • The platform allows collectors to trade spirits like stocks, offering real-time pricing and eliminating auction inefficiencies.
  • By tokenizing bottles as NFTs, Baxus provides instant settlement and global access, reducing the time and complexity of traditional trades.

Whiskey as a Store of Wealth

  • "Whiskey literally was the first store of wealth in the United States... it's how they preserved their work."
  • Whiskey's deflationary nature makes it an attractive asset, with limited supply driving up value over time.
  • Baxus enables whiskey to serve as a stable store of wealth, contrasting with volatile crypto markets.
  • The platform's model reflects historical practices where whiskey was used as currency, highlighting its enduring value.

Real DeFi Applications

  • "We can tell you actually where the yield comes from... it's not all about the lending ponies."
  • Baxus uses onchain DeFi protocols to offer real loans backed by whiskey casks, providing liquidity to liquor stores and collectors.
  • The platform's DeFi wing supports operational funding for businesses, offering lower interest rates than traditional credit options.
  • By integrating blockchain, Baxus ensures transparency and security in lending, addressing issues like whiskey cask fraud.

Market Dynamics and Consumer Trends

  • "Alcohol is in a downward trend... but premium products are actually all growing."
  • Despite a general decline in alcohol consumption, premium spirits are seeing increased demand.
  • Baxus capitalizes on this trend by connecting brands directly with their most loyal consumers.
  • The platform's data-driven approach helps brands optimize distribution and pricing strategies.

Key Takeaways:

  • Baxus is transforming the spirits market by leveraging blockchain to streamline distribution and enhance transparency.
  • The platform's innovative use of NFTs and DeFi protocols offers new financial opportunities for collectors and businesses.
  • Baxus exemplifies how blockchain can solve real-world problems, providing a model for future crypto applications.

For further insights and detailed discussions, watch the podcast here: Link

Baxis, led by founder and CEO S Vel, is shaking up the antiquated alcohol distribution industry, providing a transparent and efficient marketplace for buying and trading spirits. Vel outlines the inefficiency of traditional alcohol distribution, explaining how Baxis allows consumers to trade collectible spirits like stock, by leveraging crypto innovations for real-time, global transactions. “Imagine if you were mailing stock certificates...Whiskey trades take longer than that now,” Vel notes, highlighting how Baxis aims to modernize an industry long overdue for change.

Revolutionizing Alcohol Distribution

  • Baxis, led by founder and CEO S Vel, is shaking up the antiquated alcohol distribution industry, providing a transparent and efficient marketplace for buying and trading spirits.
  • Vel outlines the inefficiency of traditional alcohol distribution, explaining how Baxis allows consumers to trade collectible spirits like stock, by leveraging crypto innovations for real-time, global transactions.
  • “Imagine if you were mailing stock certificates...Whiskey trades take longer than that now,” Vel notes, highlighting how Baxis aims to modernize an industry long overdue for change.

Crypto as a Stable Store of Value

  • As the crypto market fluctuates, Vel argues that whiskey, with its deflationary nature, emerges as a stable store of value.
  • Unlike volatile meme coins, whiskey bottles, particularly limited editions, don't lose 80% of their value overnight.
  • This creates a unique investment opportunity for savvy investors looking for both safety and potential appreciation.
  • Historical comparisons trace whiskey's role as a store of value back to America’s earliest economies, drawing parallels with crypto's aspiration to serve as “digital gold.”

Navigating Market Challenges and Consumer Trends

  • The spirits market faces headwinds, including the rise of dry January and economic uncertainties.
  • However, Vel positions Baxis to navigate these trends by leaning into premiumization.
  • Consumers increasingly favor quality over quantity, reflecting a broader cultural shift towards mindful consumption.
  • Vel predicts a resurgence in social drinking culture, bolstered by high-quality products, as people seek more refined experiences, emphasizing that “people are drinking better, not more.”

Integration with Defi and the Blockchain Ecosystem

  • Baxis seamlessly integrates decentralized finance (Defi) technologies, allowing liquor stores and collectors to collateralize whiskey for loans.
  • Through partnerships with crypto-native platforms like Loop, Baxis offers operating capital at competitive rates, bridging traditional businesses with innovative financial solutions.
  • Vel explains, “It comes from real business yields,” distinguishing Baxis from less transparent Defi schemes.

The Strategic Use of Blockchain Technologies

  • Capitalizing on blockchain for tracking and verifying the authenticity of whiskey barrels, Baxis addresses rampant fraud concerns.
  • Vel emphasizes the importance of maintaining proof of existence and ownership via blockchain, which enables a transparent and secure marketplace.
  • This commitment to transparency also underpins Baxis' strategy to improve efficiency in brand-to-consumer interactions, bypassing the confining layers of traditional distribution networks.

Future Prospects and Industry Transformation

  • Vel envisions Baxis as not just a marketplace but an ecosystem for wine and spirits, forecasting its growth into a full financial ecosystem for these industries.
  • Projects on the horizon include collaborating with global brands for pre-sales to optimize distribution logistics.
  • Baxis' venture into fractionalizing whiskey ownership utilizing SPL standards highlights potential new liquidity opportunities, poised to reshape how spirits are traded and valued.

Conclusion: Pioneering a New Era for Real Assets on Chain

  • Baxis’ narrative is a testament to the transformative power of strategically integrating blockchain with real-world assets.
  • Vel’s forward-thinking approach suggests a future where digital and tangible assets coalesce, offering investors diversified opportunities and more accurate market signals.
  • For Crypto AI investors and researchers, Baxis exemplifies the potential of crypto to innovate traditional markets, presenting an exciting frontier in the evolution of digital finance.

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