SPIRITS &
LIQUEURS
See Also: COCKTAILS; GIN; WHIISKY; MENU
Bailey's
Gilbey's,
a subsidiary Grand Metropolitan, owned a loss-making distillery in Ireland.
Tom
Jago (1925-2018) was the head of product development for International
Distillers & Vintners. Following the
company's acquisition by Grand Met in 1972, he appreciated both that the Irish
government was giving generous tax breaks for exports and that the new parent
company owned Express Dairies which had a large dairy in Cork. His response was to develop Bailey's Irish
Cream.
Cream
and whisky were put in a blender. No one
liked the result. Some Nesquik was added
to the mix. They liked the result. The focus groups did not. They thought it tasted too medicinal. The groups were ignored.
Website:
www.baileys.com
Bermondsey Street
Until
the late 20thC Bermondsey Street was a centre of the wine and
spirits trade. Much of the stock was
kept in railway arches.
Location:
Bermondsey Street, SE1 2FB
Malibu
Tom
Jago was responsible for creating the Malibu brand. The coconut flavoured rum had been created in
South Africa. The executive masked the
fact by marketing Malibu as a Caribbean drink.
Website:
www.maliburumdrinks.com
Sake
Berry
Brothers & Rudd
In 2024
it was reported that Berry Bros & Rudd was selling sake en primeur . This was a technique the firm had imported
from wine selling. Collectors are given
the opportunity to buy before it is bottled.
Location:
3 St James's Street, SW1A 1EG (orange, red)
WHISKY Blended Whiskies and
Wine Merchants, Cutty Sark
See
Also: WINE Wine Merchants, Berry Brothers & Rudd
Website:
https://www.bbr.com/category-sake-shochu
Mai
Sake
Erika
Haigh is Japanese and Canadian. She grew
up in Japan. There, she was largely
indifferent to sake. She left the
country and ended up training as a sommelier.
This experience caused her to review her opinion of the spirit. In 2019 she opened Mai Sake, the U.K.'s first
independent sake bar.
Website:
https://www.maisake.com
David
Backhouse 2024