Tito's Handmade Vodka VS, Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum

Tito's Vodka was interesting to read about.  The gentleman that started the company, Tito began his career in the oil industry in Venezuela.  Tito then moved back to Austin to begin working in the geology field, but also started a career in the mortgage business.  All the while Tito had a passion for making vodka and flavored vodka.
What would Walker say about the Tito brand of vodka?  I believe Walker would say that Tito and his vodka have an authenticity about them.  The brand has a story a "direct, demonstrable link to a factual back story." (Walker - Buying In - Pg. 15)  Tito always had a passion for producing vodka's but wasn't able to make it his life's work until later on in his life, when he had saved the money, altered his recipe, and purchased the property to begin distillation.
Tito has a passion for distilling vodka and it is evident in his background story and in his brand.  Tito's marketing for the vodka is genius! Tito's entire website is about the vodka, where to find the vodka, stories concerning the vodka, questions about vodka, and even a form to bring to your local establishment to start purchasing Tito's vodka.  Walker talked about the Pretty Good Problem - the liquor industry is no different.  Tito has managed to sustain a business in a brand sensitive market strictly on word of mouth advertising. What makes Tito's Vodka remarkable? Tito won 2 gold medals at theWorld's Spirit Competition and beat 72 other vodka companies both in flavors and non-flavored vodkas and he has done so by just word of mouth!!

Sailor Jerry's Navy Rum

"Sailor Jerry began as a small clothing line determined to honor the legacy of Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins by bringing his classic artwork to a wider audience. The brand espouses his traditional value system, supporting all different walks of creative individuals who feel as strongly about the nature of their work as Sailor Jerry did about his. (www.sailorjerry.com)
To be honest I was a bit confused as to how Sailor Jerry's started a rum.  The website doesn't really provide a lot of information on the rum brand, but does speak a lot about Sailor Jerry and his background.  While I was researching the website, I was reminded of the Tony Alva video we watched in class.  Sailor Jerry's is a brand based on an image "Sailor Jerry" and his artwork, not the actual product, just like Tony Alva being the image and his skateboards being secondary.
What would Walker say? "In the marketing world, the idea that shared consumer tastes add up to something like a community is a persuasive one."(Walker - Pg. 30)  Although the brand did  not start with an authenticity behind it, the community that surrounds the brands (artists and such) have developed an authenticity behind the brand and created a community.