27.01.22

9 things you need to think about when launching your own spirits brand

People are still as keen as ever to follow their passions to develop and launch new drinks brands in 2022, despite the last couple of years not being the kindest to the hospitality industry.  

Our ethos is about supporting the best of independent drinks businesses so we’ve experienced a lot when it comes to working with startup drinks brands.  Is 2022 the year when you take the leap to launch your own spirit brand? 

Here are 9 points you need to think about if you are launching your own spirits brand. If you’d like any further advice get in touch and we’d be happy to discuss how we can help.  

The first thing to consider is the potential demand for your new spirit.  What is the competition like? Are there any brands which are too similar? It’s important to carve out a niche or a clear point of different for your product.

Have you thought about how you are going to bring your product to market? The UK is one of the most competitive spirits markets in the world so you’ll need to have a strong message and branding.  It’s important the branding works in harmony with the messaging.  We recommend working with an experienced design agency to achieve the best results.

Have you thought about how you are going to bring your product to market? The UK is one of the most competitive spirits markets in the world so you’ll need to have a strong message and branding.  It’s important the branding works in harmony with the messaging.  We recommend working with an experienced design agency to achieve the best results.

There are lots of costs to consider when launching a spirits brand such as liquid R&D, branding, production, your staff, marketing your brand and working capital.  It is going to take time to get the word out about your brilliant new spirit. So be aware… a lot of costs are likely to be sunk into the business before healthy profits can be made!

Our advice is to develop the best liquid you can.  Even if you are looking at pricing your product at the lower end of the market, the product will always be judged like-for-like in taste tests against the competition. As an independent you can’t rely on marketing to drive demand so try to make the highest quality liquid you can to give you the best chance of success.

Our advice is to develop the best liquid you can.  Even if you are looking at pricing your product at the lower end of the market, the product will always be judged like-for-like in taste tests against the competition. As an independent you can’t rely on marketing to drive demand so try to make the highest quality liquid you can to give you the best chance of success.

Be generous and seek feedback! Try to get people from the industry as well as strangers to try your product and give honest advice.  We know for a fact that friends and family will always be overly positive… that’s not always a good thing.  Objective feedback is essential.

Branding is more than a logo, it goes deeper into the values of your brand and develops a connection with customers.  Find a branding partner who understands your brand and what you are looking to achieve.  The best brands have a story, logo and packaging which work in harmony.

Branding is more than a logo, it goes deeper into the values of your brand and develops a connection with customers.  Find a branding partner who understands your brand and what you are looking to achieve.  The best brands have a story, logo and packaging which work in harmony.

As your brand develops can you scale production? Will there be efficiencies or economies of scale to be gained which reduce costs once your sales hit a certain level? There can be hold ups with freight, ingredients and packaging being sourced from around the world so it’s worth having a plan of how you might deal with that.

Your team doesn’t have to be big to have an impact but you will need to consider juggling multiple jobs like sales, marketing, production and logistics.  Working with a spirits distributor like bbb drinks can help minimise your headcount whilst being a wealth of strategic resource.

Your team doesn’t have to be big to have an impact but you will need to consider juggling multiple jobs like sales, marketing, production and logistics.  Working with a spirits distributor like bbb drinks can help minimise your headcount whilst being a wealth of strategic resource.

The way you launch is vital to the success of your brand.  We all like a party but it’s more important working out the steps you’ll take to introduce your brand to potential customers and consumers.  Your launch campaign should happen over a few months as it takes multiple touches for prospective buyers to commit to a purchase decision.