Published on November 11th, 2021 | by Darren Paltrowitz
0The Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr. On His JETWAY Brand, Wine, Food Pairings, Future Plans & More
For 20 years, Albert Hammond Jr. has traveled the globe as guitarist for The Strokes and in support of his own solo albums. These memorable journeys have inspired his new venture JETWAY, a naturally-uplifting ultra-premium wine seltzer. Unlike hard seltzers, JETWAY does not contain cane sugar or artificial flavors. The brand’s first 2 offerings — a Sauvignon Blanc and a Rosé of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon — are sourced from the McNary Vineyard, which overlooks the Columbia River in Washington State. Both are blended with distinct and rare ingredients that enhance well-being – including elderflower, yerba mate, Fijian ginger and yuzu, all of which hand-picked by Hammond Jr..
Albert Hammond Jr. has tapped Ben Parsons as JETWAY’s Chief Operating Officer. A renowned winemaker and brand builder, Parsons pioneered the canned wine category, which was named as one of the most important wine trends of the decade. Throughout his 20-year career, Parsons has worked to dispel elitism and mysticism in the world of wine while bringing a quality, disruptive product to the masses. The JETWAY Family also includes investors Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Nick Hoult, Coran Capshaw, Robert Schwartzman and Zoey Grossman. Now available in stores and restaurants in the Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego — as distributed by Scout, an independently-owned craft alcohol wholesaler based in San Diego — JETWAY was notably available at The Strokes’ October 2021 shows at Los Angeles at The Forum and Outside Lands in San Francisco.
On November 11, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with Albert Hammond Jr. via Zoom, as embedded below. Beyond JETWAY — which is 100 calories per 8.4 fl. oz. can with no sugar added, while gluten-free and vegan-friendly — we spoke about his histories with food and wine, future plans, musical influences and my hometown of Long Beach, New York. More on Hammond Jr., the JETWAY drinks, and the overall JETWAY brand can be found by clicking here, here, here, here and here.