Bristol Distilling
Bristol Distilling Co is a Bristol-based independent craft distillery that handmakes vodka, gin, rum, agave spirit and premixed cocktails on a single 500L copper pot still, selling directly to consumers via Shopify and to independent UK venues through a dedicated Unleashed Software trade portal and 10L refill drum program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBristol, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Bristol Distilling does
Bristol Distilling Co (legal entity THE BRISTOL DISTILLING COMPANY LTD, UK Company Number 10638872) is an independent craft distillery headquartered at Unit D Malago Vale Trading Estate, St. Johns Lane, Bristol, BS3 5BQ, United Kingdom. The company handmakes craft spirits on a single 500L copper pot still and sells across five product categories: Vodka, Gin (and Gin Liqueurs), Rum, Agave Spirit (tequila-style), and Cocktails & Liqueurs (premixed cocktails). Its stated mission is 'more independent venues pouring independent spirits', with an explicit counter-positioning against multinational incumbents Diageo and Pernod. Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees and there is no public funding beyond a 2021 Crowdcube raise of approximately $235,271. The company has no subsidiaries, no parent, and no disclosed institutional ownership.
The business operates a dual go-to-market model. Direct-to-consumer sales are run through a Shopify-powered storefront at bristoldistilling.com with broad payment-method support (Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, iDEAL, Shop Pay, Visa, etc.) and global shipping configuration, supported by Facebook and Instagram organic channels and a newsletter. Trade/wholesale sales are run through a dedicated Unleashed Software B2B portal (bristoldistillingco.store.unleashedsoftware.com) targeting independent UK hospitality venues, complemented by a 'Refill Revolution' offering of 10L bulk drums intended to displace bottled supply from major distributors. Pricing for both consumer and trade customers is not publicly disclosed, and the trade portal is gated behind login.
Operationally, the company is a single-site, single-asset producer with no public API, no proprietary software product, and no AI/ML capabilities in evidence. It is GDPR- and CCPA-compliant across its DTC website. There are no documented acquisitions, leadership changes outside of founder Jake Black, regulatory actions, M&A events, or product launch dates beyond the static product taxonomy on the website.
Bristol Distilling firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bristol Distilling
- Legal name
- THE BRISTOL DISTILLING COMPANY LTD
- Website
- https://bristoldistilling.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Bristol Distilling Co is a Bristol-based independent craft distillery that handmakes vodka, gin, rum, agave spirit and premixed cocktails on a single 500L copper pot still, selling directly to consumers via Shopify and to independent UK venues through a dedicated Unleashed Software trade portal and 10L refill drum program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bristol Distilling industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Spirits
- NAICS
- Distilleries (312140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Distilled Spirits Production & Distilling (AFAFAAAC)
Keywords
Where Bristol Distilling is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bristol
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bristol Distilling business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct-to-consumer spirit sales: Sale of bottled craft spirits (vodka, gin, rum, agave spirit, premixed cocktails & liqueurs) to end consumers via the company's own Shopify online storefront. One-time hardware-style purchases of bottled product.
- Trade/wholesale venue sales: Wholesale supply of spirits to independent hospitality venues (bars, restaurants) via a dedicated Unleashed Software trade portal, with a mission of displacing incumbent distributors such as Diageo and Pernod.
- Bulk refill drum sales: Sale of 10L refill drums to trade customers as a 'refill revolution' alternative to bottled purchases from major spirits companies, generating recurring bulk-supply revenue.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Bristol Distilling product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bristol Distilling Co handmakes craft spirits (Vodka, Gin and Gin Liqueurs, Rum, Agave Spirit, and Cocktails and Liqueurs) on a single 500L copper pot still at its Bristol distillery. It sells bottled spirits directly to end consumers via a Shopify-powered online storefront and supplies independent UK hospitality venues through a dedicated Unleashed Software trade portal, including a 10L refill drum format positioned as an alternative to multinational suppliers such as Diageo and Pernod.
Product overview
Bristol Distilling Co operates a single craft spirits brand under one unified product family rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture: every product is hand-distilled in Bristol on a 500L copper pot still and sold through the same Shopify-powered online shop and on-trade channels. The portfolio comprises five core spirit collections — Vodka, Gin (and Gin Liqueurs), Rum, Agave Spirit, and Cocktails & Liqueurs (Premixed Cocktails) — each surfaced as a dedicated collection page, alongside a B2B "Refill Revolution" trade offering in 10L drums aimed at independent venues moving away from multinational spirit groups.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Vodka Handmade craft vodka distilled in Bristol on Bristol Distilling's 500L copper pot still, sold to independent venues and direct consumers as part of the core spirit range.
- Gin and Gin Liqueurs Handmade craft gin and gin liqueurs produced in Bristol on a 500L copper pot still, distributed to independent on-trade venues and via the online Shopify shop.
- Rum Handmade craft rum produced in Bristol on Bristol Distilling's 500L copper pot still, positioned for independent venues alongside the rest of the spirit range.
- Agave Spirit (Tequila) Handmade agave spirit (tequila category) distilled in Bristol on a 500L copper pot still, extending Bristol Distilling's craft range beyond its gin, vodka, and rum lines.
- Cocktails and Liqueurs (Premixed Cocktails) Ready-to-pour premixed cocktails and liqueurs made from Bristol Distilling's house spirits, designed to make pouring independent craft cocktails straightforward for independent venues.
- Refill Revolution (10L Drum Refills) B2B refill program offering 10L drums of Bristol Distilling spirits so independent venues can pour independent craft spirits in place of large multinational brands; orders are placed through the separate Unleashed Software trade portal.
Companies that use Bristol Distilling
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bristol Distilling technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Bristol Distilling partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ShopifycoreShopify hosts and powers the Bristol Distilling Co online store at bristoldistilling.com, providing the e-commerce platform, payment processing integration, and storefront infrastructure for direct-to-consumer spirit sales.
- Unleashed SoftwarecoreUnleashed Software provides the dedicated trade/wholesale ordering portal at bristoldistillingco.store.unleashedsoftware.com, used by independent hospitality venues to place B2B orders with Bristol Distilling.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Bristol Distilling competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chase Distillery: Herefordshire-based UK craft distillery producing vodka, gin and liqueurs on copper pot stills with both DTC and on-trade distribution; closely mirrors Bristol Distilling's farm-to-bottle craft spirit profile and multi-category portfolio.
- Sipsmith: London-based craft gin and spirits distillery, founded as an independent copper-pot-still producer - the closest direct analogue to Bristol Distilling's handmade, copper-pot-still craft positioning in the UK on-trade.
- Isle of Harris Distillery: UK craft spirits distillery producing gin and whisky with a strong regional provenance story, DTC store and on-trade distribution; comparable artisanal positioning to Bristol Distilling's Bristol-provenance narrative.
- East London Liquor Company: East London-based independent craft distillery producing vodka, gin and rum on copper pot stills with both DTC and UK bar-channel distribution; closely matches Bristol Distilling's urban craft distillery, multi-spirit model.
- Warner Edwards (Warner Edwards Distillery): Northamptonshire-based independent UK craft gin distillery selling through DTC and the UK on-trade; comparable scale, copper-pot-still craft model and independent-venue target customer.
- Edinburgh Gin (Ian Macleod Distillers): Scottish craft gin and spirits brand with copper-pot-still production, DTC and on-trade UK distribution; directly comparable handmade craft positioning and UK independent-venue customer base.
- The Lakes Distillery: Cumbria-based UK craft distillery producing gin, vodka and whisky in a copper-pot-still heritage distillery with DTC e-commerce and on-trade presence; comparable multi-category craft spirits producer at a slightly larger scale.
- Tarquin's Cornish Gin (Tarquin's Southwestern Distillery): Independent UK craft gin and spirits distillery hand-made in small batches on copper pot stills; directly comparable handmade-craft, multi-spirit, DTC-plus-trade model to Bristol Distilling.
Broad incumbents
- Diageo: Named incumbent competitor in Bristol Distilling's 'Refill Revolution' pitch; the world's largest spirits company with unmatched UK distribution, marketing budgets and on-trade relationships against which Bristol Distilling positions its independent alternative.
- Pernod Ricard: Named incumbent competitor in Bristol Distilling's 'Refill Revolution' positioning; global spirits multinational whose UK on-trade dominance the Bristol Distilling trade proposition is explicitly built to disrupt.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bristol Distilling social profiles
Digital presenceBristol Distilling compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Bristol Distilling financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bristol Distilling leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bristol Distilling funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bristol Distilling M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bristol Distilling
What does Bristol Distilling do?
Bristol Distilling Co handmakes craft spirits (Vodka, Gin and Gin Liqueurs, Rum, Agave Spirit, and Cocktails and Liqueurs) on a single 500L copper pot still at its Bristol distillery. It sells bottled spirits directly to end consumers via a Shopify-powered online storefront and supplies independent UK hospitality venues through a dedicated Unleashed Software trade portal, including a 10L refill drum format positioned as an alternative to multinational suppliers such as Diageo and Pernod.
Is Bristol Distilling a public or private company?
Bristol Distilling is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bristol Distilling founded?
Bristol Distilling was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Bristol Distilling based?
Bristol Distilling is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bristol Distilling make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct-to-consumer spirit sales are the primary driver. The others are trade/wholesale venue sales and bulk refill drum sales.
Who are Bristol Distilling's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chase Distillery, Sipsmith, Isle of Harris Distillery, East London Liquor Company, Warner Edwards (Warner Edwards Distillery), Edinburgh Gin (Ian Macleod Distillers), The Lakes Distillery and Tarquin's Cornish Gin (Tarquin's Southwestern Distillery). Broad incumbents are Diageo and Pernod Ricard.
Does Bristol Distilling have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bristol Distilling.
What industry is Bristol Distilling in?
Bristol Distilling's product category is Craft Spirits. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFAAAC, Distilled Spirits Production & Distilling. Its NAICS code is 312140.