Piston Distillery
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersCheltenham, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Piston Distillery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Piston Distillery
- Legal name
- Weatherall's Distillery Ltd.
- Website
- https://pistondistillery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Piston Distillery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Distilled Spirits
- NAICS
- Distilleries (312140), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG), Spirits/Cocktail Bars Operated by Producers (THAFALAJ), Liquor Stores (Off-Premise Spirits Retail) (CRANABAA)
Keywords
Where Piston Distillery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cheltenham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Piston Distillery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Spirits Product Sales: Direct sales of bottled spirits including gins, vodka, tequila, and liqueurs through online shop and physical locations. Products sold in 70cl and 20cl sizes.
- Gin School Experiences: Immersive distillation experiences where participants learn gin history, select botanicals, and bottle their own gin. Offered at Worcester and Cheltenham locations.
- Ticketed Events: Revenue from comedy nights, jazz afternoons, gin bingo, live music events, and special tasting experiences at the Diglis Basin venue.
- Merchandise: Sales of branded merchandise including chocolate bars, bar blades, jigger shot glasses, and gift boxes.
- Gift Vouchers: Product gift vouchers (£10-£20) and Gin School vouchers (£115 for 1 person, £150 for 2 people) sold digitally or as printed versions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gin School Voucher for 1 person - immersive distilling experience |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gin School Voucher for 2 people - shared workstation experience |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Rose & Lychee Gin 70cl |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Core spirits 70cl range |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Event tickets - ticketed experiences |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise items |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Piston Distillery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Piston Distillery manufactures and sells a portfolio of 11+ award-winning craft distilled spirits centred on a 14-botanical London Dry Gin, including flavoured gin variants, vodka, tequila, limoncello, and an alcohol-free spirit (Piston Zero). The company also operates immersive Gin School distilling experiences at Worcester and Cheltenham locations and runs a ticketed event programme (comedy, jazz, bingo) from its Diglis Basin venue, complemented by branded merchandise and gift vouchers.
Product overview
Piston Distillery is a UK-based craft spirits producer offering a portfolio of 11+ award-winning spirits centred on a signature London Dry Gin. The product range spans gin variants (including infused, flavoured, oak-aged, and seasonal expressions), vodka, tequila, limoncello, and alcohol-free alternatives. The core gin products share a base of 14 botanicals and are available in 70cl, 20cl, and miniature formats. Piston Distillery also operates two Gin School experience venues (Worcester and Cheltenham) where customers create their own personalised gin, alongside merchandise (gift boxes, bar tools, chocolate) and gift vouchers. The portfolio is unified by an automotive-inspired engineering aesthetic and brand identity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- London Dry Gin (70cl) Signature London Dry Gin built on 14 botanicals with bold citrus notes, subtle sweetness and a touch of smoke and spice, sold in 70cl format to consumers via the website, Gin School venues, Diglis Basin flagship and UK stockists.
- Oak Aged Gin (70cl) London Dry Gin aged in French oak barrels with a touch of honey, producing oak notes followed by sweet smoothness of honey; recognised with a Gold medallion at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirit Awards.
- Ginger Gin (70cl)
Quantifiable outcome
- Gold Medal - San Francisco World Spirit Awards 2019 for Oak Aged Dry Gin
Companies that use Piston Distillery
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Piston Distillery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Piston Distillery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Brick Room WorcestercoreCreated cocktail recipes in partnership with The Brick Room Worcester. Collaboratively developed cocktails including Rosemary and Elderflower Collins, English Garden, and Triple C espresso martini featuring Piston spirits.
- SVR (Severn Valley Railway)minorLimited edition collaboration producing SVR x Piston Coal Infused Gin. Railway-inspired bottle design drawing on heritage. Features local blackberries and wooden notes paying homage to railway sleepers.
- Little Al's KitchencoreOn-site food vendor providing catering at events and Gin School sessions. Serves evening menus, street food, and event-specific cuisine at Diglis Basin venue.
- BenedictosminorCollaboration on Limoncello production. Benedictos x Piston Distillery Limoncello using Amalfi lemons with traditional family recipe.
- The Beefy BoyscoreCollaborative event hosting featuring The Beefy Boys (BBQ brand, seen on Saturday Kitchen and The One Show). Hosted live demo, Q&A, and book signing with Anthony Murphy plus public burger session.
- DEYA BreweryminorLocal brewery partnership providing beers and lager on tap at the Diglis Basin venue alongside Piston cocktails.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Piston Distillery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cotswolds Distillery: English craft distillery producing gin, whisky and liqueurs with on-site tours, tastings and a distillation school. Highly comparable as a regional UK craft spirits brand with experiential revenue and multi-SKU portfolio.
- Chase Distillery: English farm-to-bottle craft distillery producing gin, vodka and liqueurs with on-site tours and a GBP premium price point. Comparable in premium positioning, multi-category spirits portfolio and experiential venue model.
- Warner Edwards Distillery: UK craft gin distillery with a botanical-led product range and farm-based distillery tours. Comparable as a small-to-mid English craft gin brand combining DTC, experiences and unique botanical recipes.
- Sipsmith: London-based pioneering craft gin distillery offering a multi-expression gin range, branded experiences and DTC sales. Closest comparable in craft gin identity, product portfolio breadth, and experience-led GTM in the UK.
- The Lakes Distillery: Cumbrian craft distillery producing gin, whisky and vodka with a flagship visitor centre, tours and tastings. Comparable in regional UK craft positioning, multi-category spirits portfolio and event-driven revenue model.
- Sacred Spirits: London-based craft distillery producing a wide range of gins and spirits using bespoke copper stills. Comparable as an English craft distillery focused on botanical innovation and small-batch production.
- Hayman's Distillery: Family-run London gin distillery producing a range of traditional and flavoured gins with distillery tours. Comparable as a UK craft gin producer with heritage brand positioning, multi-SKU range and DTC/experiential sales.
Regional players
- Edinburgh Gin (Ian Macleod Distillers): Scottish craft gin brand owned by Ian Macleod Distillers, offering a broad flavoured gin range and distillery tours. Comparable in craft gin product structure and experiential venue model, but primarily serving the Scottish market.
Emerging players
- Eden Mill Distillery: Scottish craft distillery producing gin, whisky and liqueurs with a focus on botanicals and a visitor experience. Comparable as a small multi-category craft distillery building experiential and DTC channels, though Scotland-based and earlier-stage.
Broad incumbents
- Bombay Sapphire Distillery (Laverstoke Mill): Global premium gin brand owned by Diageo, operating a Hampshire distillery with visitor centre, tours and cocktail school. Comparable in UK gin distillation, experiential venue model and craft-style premium positioning, but at significantly greater scale and distribution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Piston Distillery social profiles
Digital presencePiston Distillery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Piston Distillery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Piston Distillery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Piston Distillery 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 Piston Distillery
What does Piston Distillery do?
Piston Distillery manufactures and sells a portfolio of 11+ award-winning craft distilled spirits centred on a 14-botanical London Dry Gin, including flavoured gin variants, vodka, tequila, limoncello, and an alcohol-free spirit (Piston Zero). The company also operates immersive Gin School distilling experiences at Worcester and Cheltenham locations and runs a ticketed event programme (comedy, jazz, bingo) from its Diglis Basin venue, complemented by branded merchandise and gift vouchers.
Is Piston Distillery a public or private company?
Piston Distillery is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Piston Distillery founded?
Piston Distillery was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Piston Distillery based?
Piston Distillery is headquartered in Cheltenham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Piston Distillery make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Spirits Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are gin School Experiences, ticketed Events, merchandise and gift Vouchers.
Who are Piston Distillery's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cotswolds Distillery, Chase Distillery, Warner Edwards Distillery, Sipsmith, The Lakes Distillery, Sacred Spirits and Hayman's Distillery. Edinburgh Gin (Ian Macleod Distillers) is listed as a regional player. Eden Mill Distillery is listed as an emerging player. Bombay Sapphire Distillery (Laverstoke Mill) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Piston Distillery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Piston Distillery.
What industry is Piston Distillery in?
Piston Distillery's product category is Craft Distilled Spirits. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAC, Spirits Distilling & Brands, with a secondary code of THAFALAG, Distilleries (Tasting Rooms). Its NAICS code is 312140 and its SIC code is 2080.