How did you get into the drinks trade and what has your experience been so far? I have worked in the drinks trade for about 15 years. I studied wine initially at Plumpton, getting my WSET Level 4 Diploma and then working in the independent wine trade for several years. I had by that stage developed a greater interest in spirits. I joined Atom Group (parent company of Master of Malt, Atom Brands and Maverick Drinks) in late 2013. Here I worked in both compliance and spirit education. Over several years and thousands of hours of research I continued to evolve and develop, as the company itself grew and expanded. As well as leading the spirit regulatory side, I was delivering spirits education and became one of the first WSET accredited Level 3 Spirits educators. Can you tells us more about your new venture, Distilled Knowledge? Since leaving Atom I have created Distilled Knowledge, which seeks to impart the knowledge I have about spirits to companies of all sizes. My business offering is split into 3 main sections and focuses on my 2 areas of expertise, which is spirits knowledge and education, along with regulatory compliance. UK Spirit Brands
 What are some of the issues you have encountered most often with spirit brands? Too many to name! Getting from a raw material to being on the shop shelf as a bottle of spirits can be incredibly complex. I did often see significant issues with labelling, pack sizes, spirit definitions, export issues, allergen declarations, and many more, which could easily have been avoided with the right advice. Individual company requirements, especially Product Line Forms, for retailers or distributors can also vary greatly too, so it can be a real challenge.
How much juniper needs to be in a recipe to actually be a gin? The answer is at least some. Certain spirits like Brandy, Pastis or Rhum Agricole require a minimum amount(s) of chemical compounds per litre established through chemical analysis, which affect their flavour profile. All 3 categories of gin have no such requirement for juniper, the regulations state only that it should be flavoured with and taste 'predominantly' of (common) juniper. This has become almost impossible to enforce, as everyone has a different perception threshold (the smallest amount that something can be detected) of the aromatic compounds found in juniper. So it's become rather pointless, because as long as there is some juniper in the recipe, it can be claimed it is predominant, as you might taste juniper much more strongly (wink wink) than the person next to you who can only taste the other flavours.
Why there are still EU regs in the UK? It's very complicated! Regardless of personal opinion on the matter, simply put, a large number of laws which are still part of UK law, originally came from the EU, and as such are still shared with most of Europe. When the UK left the EU, most of these laws were retained, unchanged. However the UK now has the capability to change laws going forward, which move away from these EU-wide Directives. The EU can also change its laws, which the UK does not have to now adopt. Which means as time goes on, unless there is a change in situation, there will be a gradual drifting apart in the legislation between the UK and the EU. Could the UK definition of Gin change from the European definition? Absolutely! The main point of interest for us is that some of these UK laws, which were from the EU originally, include major things like food labelling, packaging (which is why we've seen 'pint' bottles become legal in the UK for wine in the News) and very importantly for us, spirit definitions. We could potentially see a change made in either the EU definition(s) which is then not adopted in the UK, or vice-versa, of household spirit categories like Gin, Vodka, Rum and even Whisky, leading to different category definitions as we have between the UK and the US for example. This could have a major impact on production and export cost, especially for bigger brands.
What are some of the key pitfalls and considerations for gin brands when starting out? I might be biased here, but not putting enough resources into making sure your product is compliant before you go selling it. Most small businesses are mainly concerned with increasing sales, anything other than increasing sales is often seen as unnecessary cost. To use a football analogy, Compliance is like a goalkeeper, while Sales are your strikers. Goalkeepers are not as glamorous, but I've seen so many companies make relatively basic errors which have cost them a fortune, all because they've neglected to make sure their products are right and have become consumed with just increasing sales. What are some of the key pitfalls and considerations for growing gin brands? Some laws, like allergens, are effective for everyone immediately. Others such as Modern Slavery legislation, only kick in when you get to a certain size. There's no warning or letter when you hit a certain turnover, you don't get told this now applies to you now. You're just expected to know. Obviously scale also increases risk too. A print error on 50 bottles isn't a big deal, the same error on 500k bottles is a massive one, and this is why bigger companies often spend much more time and money on compliance and getting things right.
What is your experience of dealing with retailers and their demands?
All retailers are not all equal. Generally speaking the bigger the retailer, the more demanding they are in terms of compliance and things over and above the required legislation. Spirits have quite a few exemptions, like nutritional info on labels, so some may require things which are not actually required and can be pushed back. Some are also incredibly demanding, with the most detailed of new product line forms. Mentioning no names of course, but some retailers pride themselves, for example, on how free of additives their product lines are. Proving this is not really done by them, it's done by the producer. If you really want to be with a particular retailer, fine. However if you are just chasing a sale, seriously consider if it's worth it. To get in touch with Richard or to find out more about Distilled Knowledge, email [email protected] or visit www.distilledknowledge.co.uk. Comments are closed.
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