As Parliament returned in January 2023, the UK Spirits Alliance ramped up engagement with MPs from across the political spectrum. In February, our ‘State of Spirits’ pamphlet landed in the inbox of all MPs, raising the profile of the industry in parliament, with letters going out to influential Conservative backbench […]
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News: Member engagement
In our campaign ahead of the Budget in March, we heard from distiller Matthew Russell from Copper Rivet Distillery in Kent. He spoke with GB News about the pressures facing small distillers at present, and the need for recognition from the Government that small distilleries across the UK are struggling […]
Read MoreMeet our Members: Wharf Distillery
Who are you, and what’s your role? Laurence Conisbee. I am the founder of Wharf Distillery. I run the distillery and am still actively involved in day to day production and product development whilst building the distillery team. How long have you had the distillery open? We started distilling […]
Read MoreMeet our Members: Little Quaker Distillery
Who are you, and what’s your role? Paul and Leanne Colman (Owners) How long have you had the distillery open? Three years now What inspired you / the company to start distilling? Born out of a desire to escape from the daily grind of the rat race and a mutual […]
Read MoreMeet our Members: Batch Distillery
Who are you, and what’s your role? Phil Whitwell – Director & Founder How long have you had the distillery open? 2014, 8 years What inspired you / the company to start distilling? Batch Brew Limited originally began producing bottled craft beers in Winchester, selling to local bars and restaurants […]
Read MoreMeet our Members: Lost Loch Spirits
Who are you, and what’s your role? I’m Peter Dignan (owner) and like any small business my role is anything that needs doing and anything I need to do. How long have you had the distillery open? The distillery opened in 2017. What inspired you / the company to […]
Read MoreMeet our Members: Stockport Gin
Who are you, and what’s your role? Paul & Cheryl Sharrocks, Owners and Founders How long have you had the distillery open? We set the company up in Nov 2018 and launched our first gin in March 2019 so just over 3 years. What inspired you / the company […]
Read MoreMeet our Members: Sacred Spirits
Who are you, and what’s your role? Ian Hart, Founder and Distiller How long have you had the distillery open? 2008 (14 years) What inspired you / the company to start distilling? Naturally curious and fascinated with science and distillation from an early age, Ian Hart would eventually gain a […]
Read MoreMeet our Members: Thames Distillers
Who are you, and what’s your role? I am Charles Maxwell the managing director of Thames Distillers Ltd How long have you had the distillery open? Thames was established in December 1996 What inspired you / the company to start distilling? I/We were inspired to establish Thames as the stills, […]
Read MoreMeet our Members: Forest Distillery
What’s your name and role? Karl Bond. Co-founder What inspired you / the company to start distilling? A love of spirits, combined with a shared interest in distillation with my wife Lindsay. How long have you had the distillery open? Forest Distillery opened in 2015, but our story began in 2013 […]
Read MoreCreators of world famous Downton Abbey Gin fear US tariffs
North Yorkshire based distillery, Harrogate Tipple, fear a huge blow to the UK spirits industry if Donald Trump’s administration imposes another round of punitive tariffs on popular British goods – including their famous ‘Downton Abbey’ gin and whisky. The craft distillery who employ around 20 people in North Yorkshire only […]
Read MoreForest Distillery’s Spirited Success Story
Local distillery can continue to grow and innovate with a stable duty regime. Local MP, David Rutley, was recently invited to meet with Mr Karl and Lindsay Bond, owners of the award-winning Forest Distillery, to learn more about recent successful developments with their business. Karl and Lindsay were also keen to win […]
Read MoreDidsbury Gin named Distiller of the Week by UK Spirits Alliance
Didsbury Gin have been named Distiller of the Week by the UK Spirits Alliance. On receiving the news, Liam from Didsbury Gin said: “Being recognised as distiller of the week by the UK Spirits Alliance is a nice moment for us at Didsbury Gin, it is another step on our journey […]
Read MoreUK Spirits Alliance reacts to the Chancellor’s update
Reacting to the Chancellor’s summer update in the House of Commons, a UK Spirits Alliance spokesperson said: “We welcome any measures to support the recovery of the hospitality sector, which is a vital part of the UK economy and one of the hardest hit by Coronavirus. It will be great to see […]
Read MoreChancellor’s local gin distillery Masons demands cut to tax on spirits
Spirits traders have urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak – who is MP for Richmond where Leeming-based Masons Gin resides – to lower the excise duty burden imposed on alcohol manufacturers. It comes as figures released by the UK Spirits Alliance revealed the scale of Yorkshire’s role in the recent boom in […]
Read MoreSpirits duty cut in the budget would boost the economy, report says
Cutting the duty paid on whisky and gin would lead to an overall increase in revenues and help boost the economy, according to a think tank co-founded by Margaret Thatcher. A report by the Centre for Policy Studies identifies the alcohol duty on spirits as a key levy that the Government can […]
Read MoreDistillers urge Treasury to slash ‘gin and tonic tax’ to boost spirits
Spirits in this country remain among the highest taxed in the world with almost £3 in every £4 going to the Treasury. There has been a boom since 2014 when freezes and cuts in tax have seen revenues rise by nearly a quarter to £735 million. Tory MP John Lamont […]
Read MoreTrudy Harrison MP: Lakes Distillery continues to grow as it benefits from the Conservative’s decision to freeze duty on spirits
Lakes Distillery continues to grow as it benefits from the Conservative’s decision to freeze duty on spirits. This has allowed the successful business, nestled on the shores of Bassenthwaite, to continue to expand and create employment. Trudy Harrison, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Copeland, was invited to the attraction to […]
Read MoreGutenberg Sample Post
This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a placeholder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content. If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, […]
Read MoreUKSA response to the Conservative commitment to duty reform
Responding to the Conservative’s commitment to reform excise duty, a spokesperson for the UK Spirits Alliance said: “We welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to reforming an excise duty system that is unfit for purpose and which is holding back the continued development of a national business success story. “The UK […]
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