Liverpool Gin

Halewood Wines & Spirits has boosted its growing posh gin portfolio, bringing back the limited-edition Liverpool Gin Rose Petal and adding two variants of Whitley Neill.

The Liverpool distributor has re-released Liverpool Gin Rose Petal for a second year running, after its original 2016 Valentine’s run was “a resounding success”. The 43% abv spirit combined “the timeless floral and romantic aroma of rose petals with citrus for sharpness” said Halewood. It has an rsp of £45/70cl, and has rolled into northern branches of Harvey Nichols and wholesalers LWC, Select Drams and Hammonds of Knutsford.

Meanwhile, two new Whitley Neill variants - Blood Orange and Raspberry (rsp: £26/70cl) - are poised to roll into Morrisons this month, representing “a major milestone in the evolution” of the brand. Morrisons, which stocks Whitley Neill’s entire range, was the first of the mults to stock the fast-growing brand, retail sales have grown 209.7% to £7.1m [Nielsen 52 w/e 30 December 2017].

The latest flavours were “the embodiment of the Neill family’s legacy of experimenting with exceptional flavours, sourced from all over the world in order to make the most distinctive and intriguing spirits” said Halewood. They both have an abv of 43%.

The launch comes as Halewood’s growing focus on premium and craft drinks has helped turn round the fortunes of the Lambrini owner. It grew operating profits from £2.6m to £4.8m for the year ending 1 July 2017, with revenue up £2.03m to £216m. This time two years ago it was operating at a loss of £8.2m.