How four independent distilleries with very different formats launched. There are easy ways to set up an urban spirits startup, and then there’s East London Liquor Company, an ambitious vodka, gin and whisky distillery established in 2014. Its site also hosts a bar and the company runs a small distribution business, too. Founder Alex Wolpert brought years of experience in …
The great spirit leveller
How a new wave of craft gin makers took on the big beasts in the spirits industry. The past few years have been a boom time for those who make or sell booze. But rather than benefitting the handful of major drinks groups which, for decades, have enjoyed an uncontested hold over the market, it’s been a new set of …
Spirit pioneer Sipsmith
Sipsmith’s journey from garage to global domination. Ask anyone in spirits circles about the origins of the UK’s gin boom in the past decade and they will inevitably mention Sipsmith, the distillery that first began producing spirits in a garage in London’s Hammersmith in 2009. It’s come a long way since then and has been instrumental in breaking open the …
Distilling the details
The tactics small-scale producers used to change the landscape of the spirits industry. It takes some guts to enter an industry dominated by global players with very strong brands, in a category that was decidedly uncool, and with an obstructive and seemingly impenetrable licensing regime in place. It’s remarkable that a handful of entrepreneurs were able to make their mark …
‘Authenticity’ factor lured Beam Suntory to buy gin startup Sipsmith
Notions of craftsmanship appear to be steering the top end of the spirits industry, making startups attractive for takeovers. Pictures of Sipsmiths’ shiny copper gin distillery in Hammersmith are all over its website. A video ‘tour’ of the distillery fills the screen as soon as the page loads. In all of Sipsmith’s sales material, it sings nostalgically about the traditional …