Ivan Dixon made head of spirits at Enotria&Coe

Keen to strengthen its spirits arm, Enotria&Coe has appointed Harvey Nichols’ former wine and spirits buyer, Ivan Dixon, as its head of spirits buying.

“We are delighted to welcome Ivan to the team – he brings with him a wealth of knowledge of, and passion for, the premium spirits category.

“Working in partnership with our portfolio of suppliers, he will be instrumental in building the business spirits strategy in a market where the popularity of spirits shows no sign of slowing,” said Jon Pepper MW, Enotria&Coe’s buying director.

One of the quirky releases Ivan championed at Harvey Nichols: Belsazar Dr Loosen Vermouth

“Despite a challenging on trade environment there is still double-digit growth, and all at a premium level. As category leaders, we’re looking forward to Ivan’s insight and energy shaping cutting-edge trends,” Pepper added.

“I’m delighted to join the team at Enotria&Coe. We sell over 40m bottles a year, made up of hundreds of brands, to a huge range of customers across the UK. The acquisition of Coe Vintners in 2016 was the beginning of the spirits journey for the business, which I’m incredibly excited to now be part of.

“While the trend of spirits premiumisation continues, we have the portfolio, the systems and the people to deliver increasing success against a challenging economic backdrop,” Dixon said.

With 16 years of experience in the drinks trade, Dixon began his career at independent merchant the Portland Wine Company in Manchester before moving to London in 2005 to work for luxury department store Harvey Nichols.

Initially working in the wine department, Dixon broadened his remit in 2007 to spirits buying as his thirst for discovering the latest distilleries and cocktail bars around the world grew.

Working in the role for over a decade, Dixon most recently headed up the Harvey Nichols spirits, mixers and beer buying team, keeping the store’s offering fresh, dynamic and at the forefront of the latest spirits and craft beer trends.

Responsible for the on and off-trade sides of the business, Dixon also developed Harvey Nichols’ own-label spirits and cocktails at all of its stores.

He also championed quirky drinks releases like Forest gin, made from foraged botanicals from Macclesfield, and Belsazar’s limited edition vermouth with a Riesling base made by renowned German winemaker Ernie Loosen.

Dixon is a keen spirits judge for competitions like the IWSC, Concours de Mondial Spirits Selection and International Spirits Challenge.