Advice for Whisky Collectors and Beginners Part 2

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Ben, how did you get into the industry?

“Well, it was 2001, and I’d just left university. Like most people, I wasn’t sure what to do. After a night out, I was stumbling home and came across a careers fair. Two ladies from Majestic Wines noticed my slightly hungover state and recognised a kindred spirit. Six weeks later, I joined Majestic as a graduate and started in Oxford.

Over the next seven years, I moved between stores before landing in head office as the interim stock controller. That’s when I got the phone call:

They asked if I’d move to Dubai. This was 2008—Dubai was just starting to catch people’s attention. My girlfriend (now wife) and I went for a weekend in the sand dunes, and we took the plunge.

Emirates had just built a brand-new terminal to cater to premium travellers. Part of that was creating a luxury fine wines and spirits retailer, Le Clos, and they wanted me to run it. That became a bit of a monster. We started with one location. By 2022, post-COVID, we had 11 stores with record performance.

Then I started thinking—life’s too short to stay just because it’s comfortable. We moved to southern Spain, but the only visa I could get was a retirement visa. I don’t like not working, so I spent time reflecting. By spring, I’d founded Spirits Sourcery.”

Bespoke Bottling and Finding a New Niche

You pivoted from rare bottle brokerage to personalized bottling. How did that come about?

“When I left the UAE, the market underwent a massive correction. It was a good thing in some ways—it pushed out the flippers who inflated prices. But it meant I had to pivot.

I did a couple of other things: project work, I supported the last drop independent bottlers, an NFT project, and working with Christies to value collections. There is also 12 independent brands I act as an agent for. But what I really needed was to find a new market, which is what led me to the bespoke market.

Is this the wine bottling?

Now, I work with Spanish vineyards to create bespoke labels for individuals and organizations. I’ve done projects with football clubs and corporate gifting, but the next big target is weddings. Imagine giving guests a personalized bottle to commemorate the event.

We never interfere with the back label, so the vineyard’s origin is always known. Clients work with our designer to create custom labels, iterating until they’re satisfied. It’s a beautiful way to make something memorable. I can do the same service in whisky and Armagnac. You name it I will find it and have it bottled for you”

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