Today marks the start of a new era for the UK’s oldest fine wine and spirits merchant. For the first time in its 326-year history, Berry Bros. & Rudd has opened a shop that is solely dedicated to the sale of spirits.
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The new store at No.1 St James’s Street sits side-by-side with the Berry Bros. & Rudd shop at 63 Pall Mall. The stores will be run by two separate teams but are connected by an interior door, ensuring customers wishing to browse both stores have a seamless experience.
Although the shop is new, the relationship between the family-run business and spirits is not.
‘It’s important to remember that the sale of spirits is not a new thing for Berry Bros.& Rudd,’ said Geordie Willis, member of the family and brand experiences & creative director at Berry Bros. & Rudd, at the shop launch event. ‘We actually had 69 cases of spirit and wine on the Titanic.’
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It marks a profitable time to be staking a more solid claim in the spirits business. Berry Bros. & Rudd reported a 42 per cent growth in spirits revenue year-on-year, with sales increasing across sake, bourbon and most whisky and an increased bottle spend across categories. Some studies suggest that between 2022 and 2027 the premium spirit market is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.3 per cent.
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The shelves of the new shop are stacked with almost 1,000 different products, from Berry Bros. & Rudd’s own lines like No.3 London Dry Gin, to industry titans like The Macallan and Bowmore whisky, Clase Azul tequila and many more.
To commemorate the opening Berry Bros. & Rudd, which is also highly regarded as an independent bottler, has released an exclusive bottling of Bowmore 1997, priced at £1,000. Of the limited 100-bottle run, 25 will be available in store and 75 online.
Willis added: ‘We are delighted to open the doors of our first Spirits Shop as the latest iteration of our centuries-long commitment to curating the finest and rarest selection of spirits. The growth in premium spirits shows that our customers have a huge appetite for beautiful and rare liquids and the selection has been carefully curated, to offer a truly exceptional range and experience at the Spirits Shop.’
