Berry Bros. & Rudd to open first Spirits Shop with 1,000 fine products

On 2nd April 2024 Berry Bros. & Rudd, the UK’s oldest fine wine and spirits merchant, will open its first ever dedicated Spirits Shop at No. 1 St James’, selling a range of almost 1,000 products from around the world, in an ambitious expansion of the existing Wine Shop.

The opening is driven by the growth in the spirits category and increasing appetite for premium-plus drinks, as Berry Bros. & Rudd reports +42% revenue growth in spirits year on year, with increasing sales across Sake, Bourbon and most whiskies, and increased bottle spend across categories.

Berry Bros. & Rudd has a long heritage in spirits, as well as fine wines, from pioneering Cutty Sark in the 1900s, to developing the multi-award winning, ultra-premium No.3 London Dry Gin. Known for expertise and curation, the team will offer exciting, unusual and rare liquids from the new Spirits Shop, where refurbishment has taken place with careful consideration of the heritage of the building as well as the materials and suppliers used.

To commemorate the opening, Berry Bros. & Rudd have chosen a cask from Bowmore to produce a special bottle which will be available exclusively from Berry Bros. & Rudd from the new Spirits shop and at bbr.com/bowmore-1997. The liquid is 1997 Bowmore Single Malt Scotch Whisky which will be 26 years old at time of bottling, ABV c55% and there will be only 100 hand numbered bottles available. The period is widely regarded as one of the strongest points in Bowmore’s history and independent bottlings of their whiskies are very rare, and access to casks such as this is extremely limited. The Spirits Shop site will also include a Spirits Reserve Room which will feature products from the world’s top producers and distillers as well exclusive single cask bottlings.

Geordie Willis, Brand Experiences & Creative Director at Berry Bros. & Rudd, says of the opening;

“We are delighted to open the doors of our first Spirits Shop as the latest iteration of our centuries-long commitment to curating the finest and rarest selection of spirits. The growth in premium spirits shows that our customers have a huge appetite for beautiful and rare liquids and the selection has been carefully curated, to offer a truly exceptional range and experience at the Spirits Shop.

The space has been carefully restored; the interior will use reclaimed oak barrel staves from old whisky casks alongside a beautiful solid elm tasting table. The Elm used for the table came from the Brodie Castle Estate in the heart of Speyside – home to some of the world’s most celebrated whisky distilleries.”