Community-funded distillery opens

A distillery and bar has opened in Kingston-upon-Thames after raising funds from its local community during lockdown.

Owned by husband-and-wife duo Sam and Alex Berry, Bone Idyll is an immersive distillery and bar that produces a range of small batch spirits and cocktails, available for in-house consumption and nationwide delivery.

During the Covid-19 lockdowns, the couple chose to reach out to their local community in place of approaching crowdfunding platforms to fund the project. They also own restaurants No.9, Cento Uno and The Hideaway in Surbiton, UK, plus One One Four in Teddington,

“Having anyone involved didn’t sit well with us,” said Sam. “Having investors potentially from all over the country is fine, but we wanted investors that would and could be involved. We liked the idea of this project being built from the community up and investors who had a genuine interest in us as founders as well as the project itself, through all its creativity.

“All 50 investors live either in Surbiton, Kingston or Teddington, creating a 100% community-funded project. They are also our brand ambassadors and part of the Bone Idyll family. We look forward to hosting many more events for them to attend as we grow our curated collection and brand.”

Bone Idyll achieved an investment total of £500,000 (US$591,361), after surpassing its initial fundraising target of £300,000 (US$354,891) in three weeks.

The distillery produces the brand’s speciality gin, vodka and rum expressions in its two 100-litre copper pot stills.

The Bone Idyll spirit collection includes its Barrel Aged Gin, Blushing Pink Gin, London Bone Dry Gin and a vodka, with its Botanical Rum set to launch soon. All are offered in 700ml bottles, priced between £30-£40 (US$25.48-$47.31).

Bone Idyll also offers a selection of five ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails. The range features a Pink Gin Cosmo, Margarita, Barrel Aged Negroni, Espresso Martini and Passionfruit Daiquiri, ranging between 12%-21% ABV. All are priced at £30 (US$35.48) per 700ml bottle and available through Enotria & Coe, Speciality Drinks and Master of Malt, as well as direct from the bar’s website.

“With our label design, we wanted to play with a period drama fantasy brought to fruition in a modern day setting, through the contemporary culture of Bone Idyll,” added Sam. “Being close to Hampton Court Palace, and entwined with the history of Kingston-upon-Thames too, aesthetically this allowed for great synergy. Characters include Rollo Stone, featured on the Barrel Aged Gin, The Carnival Queen, found on the Botanical Rum, and Arty D, the lovable rogue pictured on the London Bone Dry Gin bottle.

“We wanted to bring these characters to life with their own backstory and tastes, hence the individual characters matched to a particular spirit. We captured some of the essence Bone Idyll evokes, being part of a collective, having fun and enjoying a shared sense of freedom.”

The bar is open for food and drink Thursday to Saturday, and guests are also able to attend gin school classes, as well as private events.

In other funding news, Avallen recently launched its crowdfunding campaign to raise €500,000 (US$535,600) to boost its sustainability.

Premium tonic and mixer brand Lixir received £1.1 million (US$1.3m) in funding to support its expansion plans.