Berry Bros. & Rudd acquires interest in The Cotswolds Distillery
Britain’s oldest wine & spirits merchant has purchased a minority stake in The Cotswolds Distillery, a producer of super-premium spirits based in Stourton, Warwickshire. As a result of the investment, Emma Fox, CEO of Berry Bros. & Rudd, will join the board this year.
The investment was part of the distillery’s 'Cotswolds 2.0' funding round, which also included existing and new private investors, aimed at increasing production and sales of its Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky.
With this new injection of capital, the business also plans to boost its sustainability credentials, building a bio-diverse wetlands ecological treatment system and related landscaping works.
According to The Cotswolds Distillery, it welcomes over 100,000 aficionados to its visitor centre and two satellite shops. The brand is currently the best-selling English whisky and has secured national listings in Waitrose, Sainsburys, Tesco, Majestic, Amazon & Ocado.
Cotswolds Distillery founder Daniel Szor commented: “We could not be more delighted with the results of our funding round, in particular our new partnership with Berry Brothers who like us stand for excellence in fine spirits, as we further build our brand through increased national and international distribution.”
Emma Fox added: “We are delighted to have partnered with Cotswolds Distillery. We look forward to supporting and accelerating their international expansion and helping them maximise the growing global opportunity in New World Whisky. We're also delighted that our investment will help boost their sustainability plans as this is an important part of our role in the industry to ensure we’re building a resilient and sustainable future for generations to come.”
Meanwhile, Berry Bros. & Rudd is celebrating the 325th anniversary of its founding by launching a bespoke collection of premium UK spirits. Featuring BBR's first ever bottling of an English whisky, the collection also includes a Portsmouth Rum and six Scotch single malt whiskies.
According to BBR, “the Spirit of Yorkshire 2017 PX Finish Cask #2237 celebrates the fertility and rich biodiversity of the Yorkshire Wolds, producing spirit from barley cultivated in-house. Using the iconic Scottish Forsyth stills, the distillery has been making sweet, soft Single Malt since 2016.”
Jonny McMillan, Reserve Whisky Manager at Berry Bros. & Rudd, added: “This first ever English Single Malt bottling by Berry Bros. & Rudd is a nice little piece of our history, and is happily an excellent whisky also. It is the first of four English Single Malts we will be bottling this year as part of our very special 325th anniversary of Berry Bros. & Rudd, so watch this space for more.”
The 2023 Spring Release includes the Spirit of Yorkshire 2017 PX Finish Cask #2237 (£125.00), Portsmouth 2019 Cask #5 (£69.00), Glen Elgin 2013 (£70.00), and Ardmore 2012 Cask #9 (£75.00).
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