Global Brands takes on Brewdog’s LoneWolf Spirits

LoneWolf Spirits, the distilling arm of Scottish craft beer company BrewDog, has confirmed a distribution partnership with Global Brands, allowing it to increase its presence in the UK on-trade.

The LoneWolf brand was officially launched in April 2017

LoneWolf distillery opened in 2015 with the brand officially launched in April 2017 with the aim of “disrupting the spirits sector” through a range vodkas, whiskies and gins.

Headed up by Steven Kersley, formerly of Diageo, the division will produce vodka, whiskeys and gins and claims to be the “only craft distillery in Scotland” to make its base spirit from grain “under one roof”, said Brewdog.

So far, the distillery has launched a LoneWolf London Dry Gin and a LoneWolf vodka, as well as a Gunpowder gin – made with oriental spices of pink, black and Szechuan peppercorns – a single malt barrel-aged vodka and canned gin and tonic.

Its distillery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, is home to the “world’s only triple bubble still” and the tallest rectification column in Europe.

Having signed a distribution deal with Global Brands, LoneWolf is aiming to increase availability of its range of spirits in the UK with the aim of growing retail sales by £40m over the next two years

“We created LoneWolf because the world of spirits is in danger of becoming complacent, and consumers deserve better,” said Doug Bairner, managing director of LoneWolf Spirits.

“We distil – actually distil – from scratch on our premises and are creating spirits all the way from grain to glass. Global Brands instantly understood this and our passion for people to be able to enjoy a truly crafted spirit when they go to a bar, restaurant or hotel. We had shortlisted three distributors who each had their own unique strengths. We chose Global Brands for the quality of their Franklin & Sons business, the innovative ideas they came forward with in the pitch process and the knowledge and enthusiasm of their people.”

Global Brands distributes and manufactures a range of alcoholic drinks, premium tonics, mixers and soft drinks, and has recently opened a sales and marketing office in Shoreditch, London.

“The UK’s demand for premium quality spirits and serves continues to rise, and we want to ensure we remain at the forefront of industry trends, so that we always deliver against the highest expectations,” said global brands founder and chairman, Steve Perez. “We’re continually investing in consumer research and customer relationships to do this, and drawing on this knowledge, we know LoneWolf will be a massive success in the premium-end of the on trade.”

LoneWolf is already available in Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsburys.