Inside Whiskey as an Alternative Asset | Hunter Robillard, CO-Founder of ASM Capital

Описание: In this episode of The Wealth Roundtable, Prisca Akpai sits down with Hunter Robillard, CO-Founder of ASM Capital, for a deep dive into one of the most unique alternative investment strategies today: whiskey as a real asset.

00:00 Introduction
00:05 Hunter’s background and founding ASM Capital
01:10 From family whiskey business to selling to Diageo
02:10 From personal investing to launching a $250M fund
02:55 Who invests in ASM Capital (family offices, RIAs, fund-of-funds)
04:30 Scaling the fund and deploying capital by tranches
05:20 Why industry expertise is ASM’s competitive edge
06:15 Why whiskey works as an alternative investment
06:50 Education as the biggest driver of growth
08:40 Referrals, trust, and relationship-based capital raising
09:10 Marketing, conferences, and strategic partnerships
10:00 Partnering with Republic and leveraging technology
11:15 Using events and experiences to build investor trust
12:20 Why relationships still matter more than numbers
13:35 The biggest challenge: educating RIAs on alternatives
15:10 Competition in alcohol investing and niche expertise
16:30 Democratization of alternative investments
17:00 How whiskey investing actually works (barrels & aging)
19:45 Post-COVID shifts in alcohol consumption
20:20 Premiumization and health-conscious consumers
21:45 Why American Single Malt is the focus
22:50 Growth trends and market data behind single malt
23:55 American Single Malt vs Scotch and global whiskey
27:20 Advice for founders building niche investment strategies
29:30 Overcoming imposter syndrome and learning by doing
30:40 Where to learn more about ASM Capital
31:10 Closing thoughts

Hunter shares how ASM Capital grew from investing family capital to launching a $250M private placement fund focused exclusively on American Single Malt whiskey. A newly ratified category and one of the fastest-growing segments in distilled spirits.

In this conversation, we cover:

How whiskey investing actually works (barrels, aging, and value creation)
Why American Single Malt is different from bourbon and Scotch
The premiumization trend reshaping alcohol consumption
Why RIAs and family offices are allocating more to alternatives
How education and trust drive capital formation in private markets
Lessons for founders building niche investment strategies

Hunter also explains why industry expertise matters, how ASM partners with RIAs via platforms like SEI Access and iCapital, and why relationship-driven investing still wins even in a tech-enabled world.

This episode is part of The Wealth Roundtable, a series featuring candid conversations with CEOs, CIOs, and founders shaping the future of wealth management.
🔗 Learn more about ASM Capital: https://asm.capital
👤 Connect with Hunter Robillard on LinkedIn
🎙️ Hosted by Prisca Akpai

00:00 – Introduction
01:00 – From family whiskey business to private investing
03:40 – Who invests in ASM Capital (family offices, RIAs, fund-of-funds)
06:40 – Education as the key to capital raising
09:00 – Marketing, referrals, and industry credibility
11:20 – Using technology & experiential events to build trust
14:00 – The biggest challenge: educating RIAs on alternatives
17:00 – How whiskey investing actually works (barrels & aging)
20:00 – Premiumization, health trends & younger consumers
23:50 – American Single Malt vs Scotch & global whiskey markets
27:20 – Advice for founders building niche investment strategies
30:40 – Where to learn more about ASM Capital