For those that don't know The Drinks Club - who are you and what do you do?
The Drinks Club is one of London's leading distributors of wholesale wine, beer, spirits, and soft drinks. We are all about offering the best customer service and bringing the most exciting and diverse products to London’s top-tier on-trade venues. We’re really proud of our incredible selection, from premium Champagnes to the best tequilas and everything in between, but we’re always on the lookout for exciting new products to keep things fresh and interesting.
Our easy-to-use online portal means customers can browse and order anytime, anywhere because we know how busy things can get.
Innovation and customer care are really at the heart of everythig we do at The Drinks Club, and we’re proud to have built a reputation as one of the best in the business.
Why are you focusing specifically on the London on-trade scene versus wine merchants and retail?
James Stillwell was excited to join The Drinks Club and start up its new wine division
The Drinks Club is an on-trade specialist. We like to stick with what we know best. We currently serve over 600 on-trade customers across London, and there is significant growth potential within our existing client base, so that should keep us busy for a while.
How have you built up your range and what do you see as your points of difference?
To kickstart our journey into the world of wine, I initially focused on partnering with well-established wine brands that already have a strong presence in the UK, while also bringing in unique wines that offer great commercial potential, or perfectly match our customers’ preferences. I have been fortunate and privileged to connect with a diverse range of producers and suppliers, each bringing something distinctive and truly special to the table.
You were previously at Enotria&Co - why did you want to join The Drinks Club?
Opportunities like this don’t come around often in our industry. The Drinks Club has earned an outstanding reputation in London’s spirits wholesale market, and with its fast-growing, forward-thinking approach, it was a chance I couldn’t ignore. When the opportunity to lead the introduction of wine into the business came my way, it was an easy decision to join.
How is the wine part of the business going and what steps are you taking?
My initial plan was to collaborate with established UK wine agencies and importers who don’t focus primarily on the UK on-trade market. However, with a bit of good fortune and the strength of both old and new relationships, we’ve been able to start importing our own wines, building a portfolio that is both commercially viable and intriguing.
There are still a few gaps to fill but we’re excited to continue this process throughout 2025. We also remain responsive to our customers' needs, ensuring our portfolio reflects both market trends and our unique, personal touch.
What sort of producers and wines suit the Drinks Club model and your customers?
James Stillwell was able to bring together The Drinks Club's wine portfolio from scratch during 2024
Our aim is to give each of our producers the attention they deserve, ensuring we don’t overcrowd any particular region. For example, our partner Man O’ War Vineyards from Waiheke Island, New Zealand, recently expanded by acquiring land in Central Otago and Marlborough. From this, they’ve created a new brand, Swift Sure, which has produced excellent Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, set to arrive in early 2025. With these two brands, we can source eight wines through a single point of contact in New Zealand, which strategically works well for us and completes our New Zealand portfolio.
We follow a similar structure with Foley Family Wines in California, ensuring we maintain strong, streamlined partnerships while delivering a diverse, high-quality selection
How have you built up the wine arm so far in terms of the producers/ countries covered?
In addition to Foley Family Wines and Man O' War, our primary Italian partner is Beacon SRL, a company representing around 40 wineries across Italy. After a series of tastings throughout the year, we carefully selected five wineries that offer exceptional representations from key Italian regions. We’ve also established valuable partnerships with wineries such as Finca Ambrosia in Argentina, Jordan Wine Estate in South Africa, and Voyager Estate and Rockbare in Australia.
Our French portfolio has grown significantly, with strong names like Famille Descombe and M. Chapoutier, alongside a top négociant to strengthen our Bordeaux selection. While we continue to develop and refine our portfolio, we’re confident that our offering aligns closely with the preferences of our customer base.
How are you looking to grow the wine side of the business in 2025?
On-trade guests at the first The Drinks Club's portfolio tastings at London's Smith & Wollensky
Our main priority in Q1 2025 is to identify any opportunities within our existing customer base. If we are already delivering to a customer, we need to assess whether we can expand our offerings by adding wine to the delivery. Also, our sales team is growing, with new members joining who bring a wealth of experience in both wine and spirits. This will help us further build our reputation within the trade.
Throughout the year, we will host a series of tastings and masterclasses to engage with our customers. In November, we successfully hosted a session on off-the-beaten-track wines from Lombardy and Piedmont at 67 Pall Mall, which was very well received.
Who are your target and typical customers and what sort of drinks range do they have?
Some of The Drinks Club's first customers were The Dorchester, Sketch, and Maddox. Today, we proudly serve nearly all of London’s five-star hotels. With a portfolio of over 3,000 SKUs, we offer an extensive range of products, including a wide selection of premium Champagnes that are perfectly suited for the high-end trade.
In recent years, the company has expanded its footprint across all of London, with particular growth in the East. Our clients value working with us, and we have built strong, trusted relationships along the way.
How do you build up your customer base?
The Drinks Club has built a reputation for going above and beyond in both service and product availability, with much of our new business driven by word of mouth. And our sales team is also exceptionally experienced. We aim to employ a team at the peak of their careers — individuals with the drive and expertise to win new business and foster growth, all while offering a friendly and excellent service. We prioritise maintaining strong relationships with our brand partners, working closely with them to stay informed about new openings and emerging trends.
Do you have ambitions to supply outside London?
While we do supply a few national customers and deliver as far as Glasgow, our primary focus remains on London. We serve several premium accounts outside of the M25 but our concentration is firmly on the capital. We take pride in handling all logistics in-house and do not rely on third parties, ensuring full control over our operations and service quality.
How do you manage your deliveries and what is the distribution model in terms of speed, and do you manage your own vans or use third parties?
Our warehouse is based in West London and we currently operate a fleet of 16 vehicles, including the first zero-emissions vehicle of its size in the British wholesale drinks industry. We’ve introduced the state-of-the-art electric Mercedes-Benz 4x2 eActros 300, along with 15 Euro 6 diesel vehicles and 1 18-tonne EV.
The Drinks Club runs its own fleet of sustainable vehicles
On order, we have: one x 18-tonne EV, three x 4.15-tonne EV.
What wine drinks trends are you seeing going into 2025?
There are several key trends we’ll be monitoring closely. The low and no category will continue to expand, especially into new areas like functional spirits that offer mood-boosting, cognitive-enhancing, or gut-health benefits.
We expect lower-ABV wines to gain some traction following the duty increase in February, but consumers will still seek out unique, high-quality artisanal producers. This remains where our focus will be.
What are you doing about the new duty regime and what plan s have you made to mitigate?
We’re doing our best to negotiate the best pricing with our suppliers, and as mentioned earlier, we will continue to enhance our portfolio with lower ABV wines.
Thanks to the efficiencies in our logistics and administrative departments, we will remain one of the most competitive suppliers in the market. Unfortunately, the new duty regime will affect everyone, but we are committed to making the process as straightforward and transparent as possible for our customers.
* To find out more about The Drinks Club go to its website here.
