Independent gin and vodka producer House of Boe targets £10m annual sales

The independent gin and vodka producer, which opens its “experiential retail outlet and venue” in the shadow of the Forth Rail Bridge this month, has also unveiled its first limited-edition gins called the Queensferry Collection. They join a portfolio – distilled in Stirling – which includes a range of award-winning gins and vodkas.

House of Boe’s sales took a hit during the pandemic when it was impacted by the blanket closure of bars, restaurants and other venues although it also sells its products via the off-trade in retailers including Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and the Co-op, and online.

Figures from Nielsen and CGA reveal that House of Boe is the leading independent gin company in Scotland by total sales, across the on-trade and off-trade.

As business rebounds, its products can be found in about 20,000 pubs and bars in the UK, including Green King, Marston’s, Mitchell & Butlers and Stonegate Pub Company venues, as well as independent outlets and cocktail bars such as The Dome on George Street in Edinburgh.

While the majority of sales are in the UK, House of Boe brands are growing in popularity in Spain and the firm has plans to target other European and global markets. House of Boe director Andrew Richardson said: “We have been investing in our business with the launch of new flavoured gins and vodkas and growing our employee numbers.

“We’re now in a strong position to open our first brand home in South Queensferry, in which we have already invested more than £200,000. This a major step for us and a sign of our confidence in future growth. We’re sure locals and visitors to the area will see our venue as a destination of choice.

"We grown quickly over the years from a primarily Scottish to a UK-wide business.”

Describing the firm as “risk-takers willing to stand out from the crowd”, Mr Richardson said it was moving “away from craft, with its production focus, to focus on the enjoyment of our drinks and their fit with our consumers’ lifestyles”.

He noted: “Along with others in the drinks trade we were impacted by the closure of bars, pubs and other venues during the pandemic, but we continued to put money into our business and are now reaping the benefits. We’re on track to meet our sales target for next year and have many more exciting developments in the pipeline.”

The business is run by Mr Richardson and fellow directors Carlo Valente and Graham Coull, who combine their many years of production, marketing and sales experience. It launched its first gin in 2007 and in 2016 introduced its inaugural flavoured product, Boe Violet Gin, when “other producers were focusing on the crowded craft sector”.

House of Boe, which has recently started offering its products in pre-mixed cans with the calorie content clearly labelled, says it is the only gin from a Scottish-owned company in the UK’s top 20 best-selling flavoured gins in the on-trade.

With 10 employees in Scotland and five south of the Border, the business is launching new flavoured gins and diversifying into flavoured vodkas.

A recruitment drive has seen the appointment of a sales person to manage relationships with large supermarket chains across the UK. It is also taking on a retail manager and other staff at South Queensferry.

Director Carlo Valente said: “We were ahead of the game when we launched our first flavoured gin – this is now the fastest growing part of the market, and we continue to innovate.

“With our popular range of flavoured gins and vodkas, such as raspberry and sweet basil and bramble, we have won awards for both our taste and packaging.

"Visitors to our experiential shop in South Queensferry can sample what we have to offer and enjoy our cocktails, while they learn more about the story behind our products.”

The new venture follows the success of a pop-up shop on the site of a former bank during Covid. The Queensferry Collection marks the launch with only 1,000 bottles of the Oriental spice-influenced gin available, initially sold exclusively at the venue.