NB Distillery

What NB Distillery does

NB Distillery is a privately held, founder-owned craft spirits producer based in North Berwick, Scotland, operating from a purpose-built eco-friendly distillery on the outskirts of the town near Tantallon Castle. Founded in 2013 by Jamie MacDonald and Iain Bell, who began by experimenting with gin recipes in a home kitchen, the company moved to a commercial unit in 2015 when its NB London Dry Gin was voted World's Best London Dry Gin at the World Drinks Awards. The portfolio has since expanded to include NB Navy Strength Gin, NB Samphire Gin (distilled with hand-picked coastal samphire), a limited-edition 1832 Summer Gin, NB Citrus Vodka, and a four-SKU Scottish rum range (Overproof, Spiced, Full Bodied, Barrel Aged) made from Indian cane molasses and distilled in a custom Caribbean-style double retort pot still called Gaynor, built by John Dore & Co.

The business operates a hybrid revenue model combining direct-to-consumer spirits sales with an experiential layer. Spirits are sold through the company's own e-commerce storefront (free delivery on orders over £75), an on-site Cellar Door Shop open Wednesday to Friday 11am–4pm, and a refill initiative for returning bottles. Experiential revenue comes from the Ginspiration Experience (£28.50 per person), Cocktail Evenings (£40 per person), and Venue Hire for corporate and private events for up to 40 people, with bookings handled through FareHarbor. Pricing spans £30–£62 per 70cl bottle across the core range.

The customer base is structurally fragmented across individual spirits consumers, tourists to North Berwick and East Lothian, corporate event organisers, and local community buyers. The brand carries unusual cultural cachet for a sub-£5M craft distillery, including features in the Queen's 90th Birthday commemorative album and the Harry and Meghan wedding album, three consecutive years as the Brit Awards Afterparty gin, and a stack of IWSC, Global Gin Masters, and Scottish Gin Awards medals running through 2025. Distribution outside the UK appears limited to DTC e-commerce shipping; no wholesale, bar chain, or international distributor relationships are disclosed.

Name

NB Distillery

Legal name

NB Distillery

Website

https://nbdistillery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NB Distillery is a founder-owned craft spirits producer in North Berwick, Scotland, making award-winning gin, vodka, and rum using custom copper stills, and selling direct-to-consumer through e-commerce, a Cellar Door Shop, distillery tours, and venue hire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF), Mixed Alcohol Specialty Retail (Beer/Wine/Spirits Combined) (CRANABAH)

Keywords

• Craft gin distillery
• London dry gin
• Scottish rum production
• Distillery tours
• Spirits manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

North Berwick

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Spirits Sales: Direct sales of premium gin and rum products through e-commerce and Cellar Door Shop. Products include NB London Dry Gin, NB Navy Strength Gin, NB Samphire Gin, NB Citrus Vodka, and various rum expressions.
2. Distillery Experiences: Revenue from Ginspiration Experience tours (£28.50 per person) and Cocktail Evenings (£40 per person). Includes guided tastings and exclusive discounts on spirits.
3. Venue Hire: Exclusive hire of distillery space for special occasions, corporate meetings, team building events, and private parties. Basic venue hire fee plus agreed number of NB drinks per person required.
4. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers for Ginspiration Experience and other events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NB Distillery manufactures and sells premium craft spirits (London Dry Gin, Navy Strength Gin, Samphire Gin, Citrus Vodka, and a range of Scottish Rums) using the London Dry process and custom copper stills. The company sells directly to consumers through an e-commerce storefront, a Cellar Door Shop at the distillery in North Berwick, and offers paid experiences including the Ginspiration Experience distillery tour, Cocktail Evenings, and venue hire.

Product overview

NB Distillery is a multi-award winning eco-friendly distillery in North Berwick, Scotland, producing a portfolio of spirits and experiences. The core product line consists of NB London Dry Gin (awarded World's Best London Dry Gin in 2015), NB Navy Strength Gin, NB Samphire Gin, 1832 Summer Gin, NB Citrus Vodka, and a range of Scottish Rums including NB Full Bodied Rum, NB Spiced Rum, NB Overproof Rum, and NB Barrel Aged Rum. The company also offers experiential products including The Ginspiration Experience (distillery tours), Cocktail Evenings, and Venue Hire services. Complementary products include bundled gift sets, recipe books, and candles. All spirits are crafted using the London Dry process, with rum production using a custom Caribbean-style Double Retort Pot Still.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NB London Dry Gin (70cl) Award-winning London Dry Gin at 42% ABV, voted World's Best London Dry Gin in 2015. Clean and fresh with a smooth texture, peppery aroma, zesty orange, well-balanced spices, and earthy notes. Sold direct to consumers and through on-site retail.
• NB Navy Strength Gin (70cl) High-proof London Dry Gin at 57.2% ABV with intense flavor and strength of character. Gold medalist at The Global Gin Masters and Scottish Gin Awards in 2017. Sold direct to consumers.
• NB Samphire Gin (70cl) Elegant and complex London Dry gin distilled with hand-picked marsh samphire from East Lothian coastal areas, complemented by green tea, ginger, and vibrant citrus. Awarded Bronze at IWSC 2024.
• 1832 Summer Gin Limited edition seasonal gin product from NB Distillery's portfolio.
• NB Citrus Vodka (70cl)

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted World's Best London Dry Gin in 2015
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• John Dore & CocoreTechnology or IntegrationWorld's oldest and most revered rum still makers, custom-built the Double Retort Pot Still 'Gaynor' for NB Distillery. Also custom-built the gin still 'Gloria' to exact specifications. The Gaynor still is a smaller replica of the still used to make Mount Gay Rum in Barbados.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Isle of Harris Distillers: Scottish craft distillery producing award-winning gin with a heavily experience-led business model (distillery tours, visitor centre, hospitality). Closely comparable to NB Distillery in scale, Scottish provenance-led positioning, DTC + tourism revenue mix, and small-batch production approach.
• Eden Mill Distillery: St Andrews-based Scottish craft distiller of gin, whisky and rum, with a similar premium product portfolio, on-site distillery tours, and Cellar Door-style retail. Highly comparable on category mix, experience-driven GTM, and small-batch craft positioning.
• The Glasgow Distillery: Scottish craft distillery producing gin, malt whisky and other spirits with a strong visitor/touring business. Comparable in scale, multi-spirit portfolio, and reliance on direct-to-consumer sales plus distillery experiences.
• Pickering's Gin: Edinburgh-based small-batch craft gin distillery offering distillery tours and tastings at Summerhall. Closely comparable as a Scottish craft gin brand with direct sales, on-site experiences, and a single-site production footprint.
• Arbikie Distillery: Angus-based Scottish farm-to-bottle distillery producing gin, vodka, whisky and rum. Comparable across product mix (multi-spirit, including gin and rum), Scottish provenance-led premium positioning, and on-site tasting experiences.
• Dunnet Bay Distillers (Rock Rose Gin): Caithness-based Scottish craft distillery producing Rock Rose Gin and other premium spirits with locally foraged botanicals. Comparable on Scottish craft gin positioning, small-batch production, and DTC-led distribution.
• Caorunn Gin: Scottish craft gin produced by the same broader group as Hendrick's but marketed as an independent Scottish craft brand with locally sourced Celtic botanicals. Comparable on craft Scottish gin positioning, premium pricing, and award-led marketing.

Emerging players

• Port of Leith Distillery: Edinburgh-based vertical craft distillery producing whisky and gin with a strong tourism/visitor experience component. Comparable as a small Scottish craft spirits producer with an experience-led business model, though slightly larger and more capitalised.

Broad incumbents

• Tanqueray: Global incumbent gin brand owned by Diageo. Comparable as a London Dry gin producer — the very category NB Distillery won 'World's Best' in — but operates at vastly larger scale and serves as the mainstream benchmark NB Distillery differentiates against on craft and provenance.
• Hendrick's Gin: William Grant & Sons-owned premium gin with a distinctive small-batch, unusual-flavour-profile positioning and experiential marketing. Comparable as a premium craft-positioned gin that NB Distillery competes with for premium consumer occasions, though at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NB_Distillery
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcqyDPAOJByNoLuqnYlAXYQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/NBDistillery
• Instagraminstagram.com/nb_distillery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nb-gin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NB Distillery