A Norfolk liqueur company is celebrating a sales bonanza this year, amid ambitious plans for expansion.
Wild Knight Distillery is on a mission to challenge the perception of liqueurs and spirits following a successful year that has seen sales of its popular Nelson’s Gold Caramel Vodka Liqueur double.
The company has already signed a new trade deal with national wholesaler, Crush Foods, which will see the brand stocked in premium independent outlets and food halls outside the region.
The drinks specialist, based in Beachamwell, was established in 2016 by husband-and-wife team, Matt and Steph Brown.
Matt was busy fermenting wine from garden fruits even before he was old enough to drink, and today makes and bottles Wild Knights’ spirits, as well as creating the recipes.
Steph is the mastermind behind the brand’s design and marketing.
Their distillery produces fine, hand-crafted English spirits and liqueurs, including Nelson’s Gold Caramel Vodka Liqueur (26.5% ABV, 70cl) which is now their bestseller.
“We have seen Nelson’s Gold grow in popularity since we first launched it seven years ago, but this year we are on track to sell more than any other year,” says Matt.
“In fact, sales have doubled from last year to-date and overall, our liqueurs (which also include Espresso Martini), are over 55% of sales.
“We are on track to see this increase further as we expand the range later this year. We now want to push this range nationwide and get our liqueurs into more homes than ever before.”
“Gone is the stuffy image of liqueurs, instead we’re seeing people enjoying them on their own, or as a base to create a delicious range of unique cocktails,” Matt adds.
Speaking about their new wholesale deal, Steph adds, “We are thrilled to be working with Crush Foods, which we hope will help us broaden our target market.
“We have recently launched a new Chocolate Martini liqueur which has been met with great enthusiasm from our current customer base and we’re looking forward to seeing the reaction from a national audience.”
Stephen Newman, co-founder of Crush Foods, says, “We have hand-picked Wild Knight to offer to our customers who are looking for locally made, quality products. After trying the range, we have no doubt that Wild Knight liqueurs and spirits will be a great addition to our catalogue.”
Wild Knight’s liqueurs are available direct from the distillery in Beachamwell, Norfolk, English Heritage gift shops nationwide, the Tower of London and online.
The business focus over the next 12 months is to continue record sales for the current range of liqueurs and broaden its market beyond East Anglia.
