From gin to whisky – the Manchester pair sharing their love for good spirits

Founders Jen and Seb Heeley-Wiggins

The key to a good gin not only lies in the flavours – from exotic botanicals to aromatic spices – but it’s also in its refinery.

It’s no wonder a passion to create a top-class gin right here in Manchester spiralled out of Jen and Seb Heeley-Wiggins’ dining room in Chorlton to one of the city’s best loved brands, Manchester Gin.

Headquartered in Manchester, the Spirit of Manchester Distillery is now capable of producing a million bottles a year of its award-winning spirits – One-Eyed Rebel Spiced Rum, Manchester Spirit Grain Vodka, Forty-Five Vermouth and Manchester Gin – from its state-of-the-art £1m distillery.

And with further growth and expansion on the horizon, the founders have this week announced its expansion into the whisky market.

Occupying six railway arches under the city’s former train station, the company operates from its state-of-the-art 5,300sq ft distillery on Watson Street where it also runs the company’s sister venue, Three Little Words.

The pair have huge plans to grow the business that started over a G&T drink in a tiki bar in Manchester at 1.30am one Wednesday morning.

Jen and Seb Heeley-Wiggins of The Spirit of Manchester Distillery.

“Seb asked what I wanted to drink, and I said, ‘gin and tonic,’ and we spent the next hour or so talking about gin while sat in a tiki bar,” Jen recalls.

The pair knew early on that they wanted to work together and three years after meeting they knew they want to produce gin and open a bar together.

The couple started out distilling in their dining room in Chorlton launching their first product and signature drink in May 2016 with an initial run of just 100 bottles.

That soon spiralled into orders for hundreds of bottles with they soon moved production to Watson Street on the edge of Manchester city centre to keep up with the enormous demand.

“It was a lot of hard work from initially having the idea to launching our first product as we were dealing with the license application, developing the brand and importantly the recipe.

“We asked ourselves what did we want from our gin so we went out and bought 30 different bottles of gin, lined them all up in the kitchen and tasted them all to see what we liked and what we didn’t.

“What we essentially condensed it down to were four similar characteristics and so our signature drink – the Manchester Gin – was born and it’s been a hit with customers from the very start.

“We are constantly fine tuning and refining the recipe so customers always get the best gin experience.”

Spirit of Manchester

Harvey Nichols and Majestic Wines became the brand’s first major customers giving the business a massive boost.

It wasn’t long before the pair started receiving international attention too with sales in Canada and Denmark to start off with. Exports are now set to account for 30% of revenues in 2022.

“We never imagined how popular it would be and how well-received it would be,” said Jen.

“This was something that started out from an interest Seb and I shared, we simply wanted to create a gin that people would love as much as we did.

“Our signature drink has everything we like about gin, and to be able to share that with people has been amazing.”

Since unveiling their first product in 2016, the couple went onto launch Three Little Words in 2019 offering a delightful selection of gin-based cocktails alongside a selection of classic cocktails, all paired with fresh, seasonal dishes.

“We had always spoken about launching a bar and restaurant and it was a dream come true,” said Jen.

“It’s an extension to the distillery and part of the gin experience where people can come in for gin tasting, they can try and make their own gin and then go on to have a meal and cocktails.

“All the ingredients are locally sourced and very much like our drinks, the food is also inspired by Manchester.”

As with many businesses in the leisure and hospitality sector, the Spirit of Manchester Distillery has also faced challenges rising from the pandemic and more recently pressures from rising inflation.

“One of the challenges coming out of Covid has been skills,” noted |Jen.

“There are less people in the sector now and that’s a knock-on effect from Brexit to Covid across the whole sector.

“Recruitment has been difficult but it’s getting better.

“I say let’s always recruit because we want the best. Our team won the top 50 bar team of the year so we know we have an amazing team, and we should always be looking to grow and develop our team and make sure the talent is coming through.

“It’s getting easier now and we’re seeing more applicants. Perhaps there’s less hesitation to move jobs or come back into the industry now whereas during Covid there wasn’t much certainty.”

Over recent years the pair have also diversified their product offering having moved into producing rum, vodka and more recently whisky.

The Spirit of Manchester Distillery has become the 41st English whisky distillery in the UK with the launch of its OnePointSix English Whisky, casked this July.

It is the company’s biggest product investment since it was founded and the move complements wider sector forecasts where spirit volume produced by English distilleries is predicted to grow 189% between 2019 and 2023, while the number of bottles sold is predicted to grow by 418% over the same period.

The new distillery, which will be developed over the next three years, will aid the production of 500,000 bottles of OnePointSix whisky per year, and will significantly aid UK and international distribution increasing revenues by a forecasted 300%.

It is now seeking a £3m investment as it prepares for the development of a new Super Distillery for its new whisky line.

“We are seeking investors who share our passion for the English premium spirits market, and who can help us unlock the potential of the brand equity we have developed over the past six years,” said Jen.

“Our portfolio is one of the most awarded in the UK premium spirits sector, and combined with our clear exporting successes, we have developed a strong and viable business model which is ripe for expansion.”

She added: “This is a pivotal moment in our business history, and I am confident that, at this stage of our journey, now is the right time to bring outside investor expertise on board. We will carefully consider the options we currently have on the table, and those which come to us over this critical next quarter.”

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