Fine wine and spirits 2025 > Spirits

 

Spirits in 2025

Published: 13th December 2024

LONGER READ

 

There’s truly something for everyone in the world of spirits. The diversity of styles today is greater than at any time in the past, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of it. Learn more about buying and storing spirits with us.

 

Key developments in spirits

 

Whisk(e)y

We’ve seen huge growth in single malt Scotch whisky, Japanese whisky and others. With the proliferation of new distilleries having been built over the last decade and a half, we are also now starting to see more of these whiskies coming to market. Newly built distilleries typically need to buy in whisky from other distilleries if they are to produce something with age; you can’t make a 12-year-old whisky from your own stocks if you only started distilling 10 years ago, for example. More of these products are coming on stream now, with better quality and more variety. There is ever-greater interest in so-called ghost distilleries, such as the fabled Littlemill. It’s easy to see the appeal: these are historic distilleries who have long since closed their doors – if the buildings are still standing, which is by no means a given. They only made so much whisky in their time, and there’s only so much of it to go around. Old bottlings, such as Littlemill’s Cask Reflections series or The Vanguards collection, are ultra-rare.

 

01: Fielden whisky focus on regenerative farming and heritage grains
02: Sake has seen huge growth over the past 12 months

 

Sake

It’s not actually a spirit, but sake has become a hugely important category for us. Most wine and spirit retailers, if they have any at all, will offer a very limited range of sake – a dusty bottle or two on a store shelf, perhaps. Such is our excitement for sake, however, that this simply wouldn’t do. We’re proud to be the first merchant to offer Sake En Primeur; next year will mark our third such offer. Also next year, we’ll take delivery of the first sakes that we offered En Primeur, last year. This will mark a very special moment for us as passionate champions of this wonderful drink. We were also very pleased indeed to share a bottle of sake with our friend Michel Roux on the latest season of our podcast, Drinking Well.

 

Focus on sustainability

Reflective of similar developments in the world of wine, the topic of sustainability is a key one in the production of spirits. For some producers, this relates to raw materials: see Waterford Distillery’s biodynamic agriculture or Fielden Whisky’s focus on heritage grains. For others, it’s about the distilling process, the packaging or distribution. And for some, it relates to social sustainability. The industry still has a way to go, but the conversation is progressing, and the trend is going in the right direction.

 

Spirits: what to do in 2025

 

Store your spirits with us

Did you know that you can now store your spirits with us, in the way you can with wine? Buying your whiskies, rums and gins In Bond with us means you can add them to your cellar, stored safely at our warehouses, until you’d like to withdraw and enjoy them. So if there’s a new release that you’d like to get a hold of but don’t want to take delivery on yet, or if you’d like to store a special case to later give as a gift, you can do so in the knowledge that your spirits will be in good hands. It is not yet possible to buy or sell spirits on BBX, our fine wine exchange, but our team is working hard to make that a possibility.

 

Come to our spirits events

No.3 St James’s Street plays host to hundreds of ticketed events per year – from tastings and masterclasses to lunches, dinners and more. Most of our events relate primarily to wine, as you might expect, though we’ve made a concerted effort in recent years to develop an exciting programme of spirits events. Whether you’re looking to discover a new style, learn about a particular category or just enjoy an evening out, discover our range of spirits events.

 

03: George Turner, our Spirits Shop Manager
04: Inside our Spirits Shop at No.1 St James's Street

 

Visit our Spirits Shop

Earlier this year, we opened our dedicated Spirits Shop at No.1 St James’s Street. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work and passion, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the interest we’ve seen so far. Pay us a visit and see for yourself the sheer variety of styles, from the everyday to the truly exceptional. You’ll find everything from gin and vodka to Cognac and Armagnac; Tequila and Mezcal; rum from around the world; whisk(e)y from Scotland, Ireland, Japan, the USA and beyond; sake, of course; and even a growing range of low- and no-alcohol spirits. Our expert team, headed up by George Turner, are on hand to offer any advice or recommendations that you might like. And we routinely welcome spirits producers from around the world for in-store tastings. We look forward to seeing you soon.