=== Races | Economy | Buildings & Organizations ===

====== MIKULIĆ INC. ======

===== Overview =====

  * **Founding Year:** 2626
  * **Founders:** Vinko & Zora Mikulić, siblings and former [[last_frontier_university|Last Frontier University]] chemistry majors
  * **Headquarters:** [[Mikulić Inc. Distillery|Mikulić Inc. Distillery]], [[Hope|Hope Region]]
  * **Original Purpose:** “To bottle the soul of Old-Earth craft in every pour.”

From a single copper pot-still built out of cryo-tube sheeting, Mikulić Inc. grew into [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]]’s boutique spirit house. Unwilling to chase volume, the siblings capped output, sealed each ceramic flask with hand-poured wax, and let scarcity stoke desire. Connoisseurs praised the brand as the antithesis of mass-market [[space_drinks_inc|Space Drink Inc.]], while frontier drinkers grumbled it was “too pricey for a proper binge.”

===== History =====

==== Hand-Built Beginnings (2626 – 2627) ====

  * December 2626 — first batch of Slivovitz trickled from a double pot-still fired by recycled heater coils.
  * Early 2627 — [[nano-honey|Nano-Honey]]-spice Krupnik launched; ceramic crocks cured in repurposed cryo-tube oak racks.

==== Quiet Expansion (2628 – 2629) ====

  * Wait-lists formed in [[New Kourou|New Kourou]] and [[Morningstar|Morningstar]]; lottery allotments shipped via the [[new_kourou_courier_service|Courier Service]].
  * A tasting lodge opened in the distillery— reservation only.

==== War-Time Concessions (2629 – 2630) ====

  * Small batches of extra-strong Field Medic Tincture (60 % ABV) supplied to [[volunteer_army_of_man|Volunteer Army of Man]] triage posts.
  * Distillery protected by local militia; output never scaled.

==== Federalisation & Closure Status (2631 onward) ====

  * When the [[federal_confederation|Federal Confederation]] nationalised all private alcohol production, Mikulić Inc., employees of the [[federal_allotment_agency|Federal Allotment Agency]] dismantled the hillside distillery, seized every pot-still, and folded the remaining stock into the state-run [[Federal Beverages Manufactory|Federal Beverages Manufactory]] in Hope. 

===== Distribution & Business Model =====

  * **Ceramic-Flask Exclusivity** — porous clay keeps spirits cool; every flask stamped & wax-sealed.
  * **Quarterly Lottery** — taverns register for a keg or crate
  * **Tasting-Lodge Invitations** — six guests per session, barter-only admission (rare fruit, sheet music, medical nanites).

===== Product Line — “Heritage Spirits” =====

| # | **Label** | **Style & Flavour Note (ABV)** | **Quick-Play Quirk** | **Bottle Price** |
|-|—|—|—|—|
| 1 | [[Slivovitz Superior|Slivovitz Superior]] | Double-pot plum brandy, oak-smoked (48 %) | +1 Con saves vs. cold for 1 h | 22 K |
| 2 | [[Krupnik Gold|Krupnik Gold]] | [[Nano-Honey|Nano-Honey]]–clove -clove liqueur, silky heat (42 %) | Remove 1 level Exhaustion; -2 Insight for 1 h | 20 K |

===== Competitors =====

| **Enterprise** | **Edge** | **Weakness** |
| — | — | — |
| [[space_drinks_inc|Space Drinks Inc.]] | Scale, distribution, catchy marketing | Mass-market flavour dismissed by purists |
| [[Pilswerke Inc.|Pilswerke Inc.]] | Legendary [[lebensfreude_lager|Lebensfreude Lager]]; Reinheitsgebot mystique | Output so scarce most fans never taste it |

===== Legacy & Impact =====

  * **Taste-Over-Volume Mythos –** Although the stills were scrapped, stories of Mikulić’s obsessive quality control inspire outlaw micro-distillers and hobby chemists across the Belt.
  * **Ceramic Craze –** Empty wax-sealed flasks became prized heirlooms; in Hope it is still fashionable to display one on the family altar as a symbol of “lost refinement.”
  * **Black-Market Icon –** Since 2631 every surviving bottle is contraband. A single intact flask of Slivovitz or Krupnik can trade for 5–8 × its original price and occasionally sparks thefts from private collections.
  * **Federal Recipe Blueprint –** Internal memos from the Federal Beverages Manufactory reveal that today’s “Standard Celebration Spirit” copies Mikulić’s nano-honey–spice profile — proof that, even in dismantling the brand, the Confederation couldn’t ignore its superior flavour.

===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====

  * **Rare Spirits, Rare Trouble —** use Mikulić bottles as high-value barter, forgery targets, or diplomatic gifts.
  * **Poisoned Batch Panic —** counterfeit Krupnik causes illness; trace sabotage to rival smugglers

===== Related Pages and Further Information =====

  * [[beta_age|Beta Age]]
  * [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]]
  * [[Hope|Hope Region]]
  * [[Mikulić Inc. Distillery|Mikulić Inc. Distillery]]
  * [[space_drinks_inc|Space Drinks Inc.]]
  * [[pilswerke_inc|Pilswerke Inc.]]
  * [[Federal Beverages Manufactory|Federal Beverages Manufactory]] (Gamma Age)

**Beverages and spirits of Mikulic Inc.:**

  * [[Slivovitz Superior|Slivovitz Superior]]
  * [[Krupnik Gold|Krupnik Gold]]