Confessions of a spirits retailer: Milroy’s

Lee Tomlinson, the general manager at Milroy’s of Soho, in London, discusses the growing presence of European whisky, the importance of brand history and an exciting new bar venture.

Milroy’s of Soho’s Lee Tomlinson lets us in on his spirits retailing secrets

*This article was initially published in the February 2015 issue of The Spirits Business magazine

The first thing we’ll consider with a new product is the quality, but of course it’s got to look the part as well. If the packaging looks well designed and is something that stands out from the crowd, then hopefully the liquid inside will also be very good.

I like producers who are proactive, who want to speak to us, show us the product and even let us have a taste. Those suppliers who take the time and arrange to meet you – they’re the people who interest me.

Of course, as a whisky specialist, whisky always comes first. But rum has grown recently too. Producers are a lot quirkier nowadays and I think that’s what consumers want – it’s all about innovation.

Best-sellers definitely change with the seasons. Gin tends to do well in summer as cocktail season picks up, then dark, heavier spirits do better in winter.

We’ll be opening a bar below the shop this month, which is really exciting. It will be split between two levels, including a cocktail bar and a small whisky bar. All cocktails will be made from spirits we stock and it will allow us to hold more tastings with customers.

We only bought the shop back in December last year, but when the Milroy brothers first owned the store they had a bar here. As far as I’m aware it’s a fairly new concept for the spirits industry. I think it’s something consumers want, particularly if it allows them to try a wider variety of spirits before they buy.

By-and-large, guidance is mainly what consumers look for when they come to us. We try to establish what they have bought and enjoyed in the past, then interpret that and hopefully point them in the right direction of something new they will enjoy. You need to have people on the floor who know exactly what they’re doing.

We see a real mix of customers come through our doors, from the regular buyers who tend to know what they like, to the more novice consumer or someone looking to buy a gift.

The key is finding a balance between not patronising someone who knows quite a lot, but at the same time not blowing someone away with far too much information. This is something the bar will definitely be able to help us with.

Pricing products in comparison with our competitors is tricky. We have to ensure we make enough margin on what we buy and then sell. Equally, we always strive to buy something no one else has, which is never an easy task.

What excites me is the interaction with everyone. The spirits trade is such a fun industry to be in; you’re surrounded by alcohol and sociable people. It all revolves around trying new things and that’s definitely an exciting part of the job.

European whisky is really rising at the moment. There are some fantastic European whisky bottlers beginning to make an appearance in the UK, and we’re really trying to get on top of that. Bourbon seems to just get more and more popular every month.

There’s such a variety of products on the market now – and not just in whisky. It’s important to have that stability between not over-committing and having bottles sit on shelves not doing anything, yet having enough variety that we capture customers’ attention as soon as they walk in.

Everything craft seems to be going up. If you can bring history and the craft side out of your brand and relay that to the customer, then people tend to be more interested and willing to pay a little extra.