Dr. Malcolm Lloyd, founder/chairman/CEO of Old Nassau Imports and Double Cross Vodka, was killed in a car crash in Miami Beach on April 24. Known to some as “Dr. Vodka,” Lloyd, 42, had a degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins and a medical doctorate from Dartmouth Medical School.
Prior to getting into the spirits business with his godfather John Gellner about a decade ago, Lloyd worked at a biotechnology venture capital firm and later started a healthcare information technology firm that manufactured hand-held computers for doctors. He founded Old Nassau Imports and unveiled the ultrapremium Double Cross vodka in 2008.
Double Cross is made in Slovakia from winter wheat and Tatra Mountain spring water and distilled seven times. The luxury brand, named for the double cross symbol found in the Slovak flag and coat of arms, comes in a distinctive rectangular bottle etched with lines of Slovakian poetry. Double Cross is one of Cheers’ 2014 Rising Star Growth Brands: It sold 21,000 9-liter cases in 2013.
