Scaling Ultra-Premium Gin: Alex Watson on Growing Renais from London's Cocktail Bars to National Retail & International Distribution | 113
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The family had been making wine in the Chablis region for 35 years. Looking at that grape pomace every harvest, Alex Watson saw what everyone else missed: repurposing it making Gin.
In this conversation, Alex (who co-founded Renais with his sister Emma Watson) reveals the counterintuitive path from London's most exclusive cocktail bars to Waitrose shelves and why both require completely different strategies for the same gin.
We dig into:
• Why prestigious bars that love you most often move the least volume
• The unexpected channel that actually builds premium brands
• How wine sommeliers became his secret weapon in Michelin restaurants
• The Instagram strategy that works when you're "naturally private"
• Why he leads with flavor, never sustainability (even though the sustainability story is incredible)
• The specific moment he knew the traditional gin playbook was broken
This isn't about choosing between credibility and volume. It's about something more interesting.
Listen to find out what.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 Introduction: The grape distillation opportunity
- 02:30 Renais origin story: From Chablis winemaking to spirits
- 05:45 Leading with flavor over sustainability in brand messaging
- 08:15 Provenance, terroir, and wine culture in spirits storytelling
- 12:20 B Corp certification and circular economy positioning
- 15:45 Building early credibility account by account in London
- 19:30 The role of bartender advocacy in brand building
- 26:15 Social media approach for naturally private founders
- 28:40 Scaling from independent bars to national restaurant chains
- 32:10 Drink strategy differences: Martinis vs spritzes by venue type
- 35:20 Navigating serve complexity across different bartender skill levels
- 38:25 Hybridization of hospitality venues and menu evolution
- 40:15 Premium positioning strategy: Ultra-premium gin challenges
- 42:50 Market agility and testing new initiatives at consumer events
This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.
Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.
Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.
You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.
Creators and Guests
Host
Chris Maffeo
Building Bottom-Up Strategies WITH Drinks Leaders Managing Top-Down Expectations | MAFFEO DRINKS Founder & Podcast Host
