As the inaugural Wine & Spirits Show nears, The Spirits Business and the drinks business are pleased to announce the event’s first exhibitors.

The inaugural Wine & Spirits Show will take place in October

Launched in collaboration between the two magazines, the event will take place on 12 and 13 October at The Royal Horseguards Hotel in London.

Over the course of the two days, The Wine & Spirits Show will bring leading wine and spirits brands together for an exciting programme of discussion, tasting and learning.

The Wine & Spirits Show will encompass two halls – one dedicated to wine and one to spirits – and will feature a number of masterclasses for the trade and consumers.

The first two spirits brands confirmed to exhibit at the event are Smeaton’s gin and Uncle Nearest whiskey. On the wine side, New Zealand Winegrowers will showcase its wares. More information on the exhibitors can be found over the following pages.

Get in touch with Chloé Beral – chloe.beral@thedrinksbusiness.com – for more details on exhibiting at The Wine & Spirits Show. To register your interest in attending the event, click here. 

Click through the following pages to see more details on Smeaton’s gin and Uncle Nearest whiskey.

What: The Wine & Spirits Show

When: 12-13 October. The trade will be welcome from 1-5pm on Friday. The event will open to consumers from 1-9pm on Friday and 12-8pm on Saturday

Where: The Royal Horseguards Hotel, One Whitehall Place, London

Smeaton’s

Company background: Smeaton’s gin was founded in 2017, when we finally had the right skills to bring an exceptional gin recipe back to life.

Proudest achievement: We were bowled over when Harvey Nichols approached us, and then when they said of us: “There’s no gimmicky ingredients, no big marketing budget and no celebrity endorsement, just one of the finest premium gins we’ve tasted in a very long time“.

Fun fact: We wish we could say that we are clever business types, trying to cash in on the gin craze. We aren’t. We first found the handwritten recipe for our gin in the Bristol Archives on Smeaton Road 10 years ago.

Future goals: We would love to play a part in telling people about the historic ‘Bristol method’, where each botanical is separately distilled, fresh where appropriate. The Bristol method made sense when Bristol’s Port worked together with local distilleries in the progressive Victorian era. And while demand for cheaper gin distilled from dried botanicals meant that it fell out favour, we think it makes sense now for gin enthusiasts that value quality and provenance.

Ask them about: Their gold medal at the 2018 Gin Masters, run by The Spirits Business. 

Uncle Nearest

Company background: Founded in 2016, Uncle Nearest is named after the first African American master distiller in the US. We have chosen to pay him homage.

Proudest achievement: We get to tell the world about the greatest distiller they never knew. We also launched in three countries in less than a year.

Fun fact: Uncle Nearest taught Jack Daniel and family how to distil alcohol.

Future goals: We would like to be all encompassing in the UK.

Ask them about: The launch of our first single barrel with the British Bourbon Society in October.

Products on pour: Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey, Uncle Nearest Silver Whiskey and Nathan Green 1870 Whiskey.