Capel lands deal to bring its Chilean pisco to UK
Chilean pisco producer Capel has named Toll House Spirits as its exclusive distributor in the UK.
Capel, also called Cooperativa Agrícola Pisquera Elqui Limitada, is one of the largest spirits companies in Chile. It was founded in 1938 in the Elqui Valley.
Through Toll House Spirits, UK consumers will be able to enjoy the company’s ready-to-drink (RTD) Pisco Sour and bottled piscos, including its premium Alto del Carmen products.
Fiona Walsh, co-founder of Toll House Spirits, which is based in Angus, Scotland, said: “This new agreement marks the start of an exciting opportunity for the Pisco category within the UK on and off trade sectors, and we are delighted to be appointed as Capel’s trusted UK distributor.
“We have got off to a fast start with a listing agreement with Drinksology Kirker Greer and look forward to working with Alvaro [Gonzalez Fernandez, export manager at Capel] and the team to develop and grow the Capel and Alto del Carmen brands. We welcome all trade enquiries, if people would like to know more about the category and how they can get involved.”
Capel’s piscos are made with the Muscat, Pedro-Jimenez, and Torontel grapes, as well as spring water from the Andes Mountains. The Pisco is double-distilled in small batches and triple-filtered.
Capel said its move to the UK comes with an increase in demand for premium cocktails and diverse flavour profiles in the market, a demand that pisco can meet through its versatility.
The brand is already available in more than 35 international markets.
Gonzalez Fernandez said: “We are delighted to be launching our range of Capel brands in the UK. It has been a pleasure to work with Fiona and the team at Toll House to build a robust agreement and strong plans for the UK market, and we very much look forward to a great partnership.”
National Pisco Day was celebrated last week on 15 May.
Hosted by trade agencies ProChile and PiscoChile, the team at Toll House Spirits visited Chile earlier in the year – to the regions of Coquimbo and Atacama where pisco is made – to gain a greater understanding of the category and build stronger relationships with its makers.
Nicolas Poblete, commercial director of ProChile UK, added: “This visit marks a significant step in strengthening commercial ties between Chile and the UK.
“It adds to the recent increase in Chilean pisco exports to the UK and supports the growing presence of more pisco brands in this important market.”
In other pisco-related news, the second edition of the Pisco Masters UK went down in London last week, where eight bartenders were tasked with making original pisco cocktails with British ingredients.
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