Rum-maker Wester Distillery eyes global horizons after major turnover top-up

Rum-focused Wester Distillery, which is based in the west end of Glasgow, is toasting progress in 2021, including its annual turnover leaping to £1 million from £200,000.

The firm said the jump was due in part to it pivoting during the Covid-19 pandemic to focus on direct-to-consumer sales, with the closure or restricted opening of many trade outlets, and it is now looking to develop this part of its operations this year.

It secured a customer base of 35,000 people across the UK last year alone, and is aiming to at least double its client base in the coming year, with a number of new products planned.

The firm says its Chocolate Rum, made discarded Dominican cocoa husks, has seen 16,000 bottles sold since the product launched in April 2021. Picture: contributed.

The business has also set its sights set on international markets, with conversations currently ongoing with stockists in Germany and France, and it sees increasing demand generally for rum, citing figures from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association showing that between April and June 2020, an extra 1.3 million bottles of the spirit were sold compared to the same time period the previous year.

Over the past year Wester Distillery has seen a “notable” demand for its products, with its Chocolate Rum, made using rum infused with discarded Dominican cocoa husks, seeing 16,000 bottles sold since it launched in April 2021.

Co-founder Zander Macgregor said: “Since setting up the business in 2017 we’ve seen steady growth, but over the last year demand for our products has soared.” He added that the first two months of 2022 indicate that the firm is already on track to hit its growth targets for the year.

"We’re also engaging with potential trade customers to allow us to bring our in-demand products to consumers whether they are at home or in bars or restaurants,” he added. “Our team has also grown to allow us to achieve further growth, with two permanent members of staff joining the business in our bottling and order fulfilment teams.

“This year we have plans to bring even more limited-edition batches to our customers… We have big ambitions for Wester Distillery and can’t wait to see what the rest of 2022 brings.”

Separately, Scottish alcohol-free spirit Feragaia has secured B Corporation accreditation, “gaining recognition for its dedication to pursuing profit with integrity”, and saying it will be the only teetotal spirits business in Scotland to have achieved such status.

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