Building Liquid

Racheal catches up with Rob to chat about taking his and Co-founder Sam's love of food and drink, and turning it into the fastest growing RTD cocktail brand on the market. Find out why it's actually more important to prepare for success than failure, how and why they pivoted from a swanky single serve Old Fashioned to a mass market quality canned product, and how to manage growing your team from being just Founders to a whole squad. You'll want to get an Espresso Martini on the go for this one!

Racheal catches up with Bethan to talk about starting a brand from your kitchen, when you know it's time to dive in fully and how owning that direct-to-consumer relationship can be extremely powerful.

Racheal catches up with Vishal, Co-founder or Sollasa Drinks. They chat about creating an entirely new category, winning hearts and minds in the on-trade and how to balance a day job, a young family and a side hustle.

Racheal catches up with Tom who is the founder of Rockstar Spirits to talk all things viral brand, making PR last longer, a successful Dragons Den bid and how thrive as a one man band. This one will make you thirsty!

Racheal catches up with Jon (who was dialling in on Mexican Wi-Fi, so please excuse the slightly dodgy audio) to talk about how he turned a passion for Mezcal into the first pop-up Mezcal bar in London. We chat about turning that initial pop-up into a fully-fledged subscription service, what it means to be successful and how the Sin Gusano Project is giving back to the people producing Mezcal. This one is also a really good lesson for anyone who wants to learn more about about this fascinating spirit!

Racheal catches up with Spencer Matthews from CleanCo to talk all things alcohol-free. They talk about the power of iteration, how to raise big sums of money and cracking that all-important first listing.

Racheal catches up with Annabel, founder of the magical Nc'Nean Organic Scotch Whisky. They talk all things sustainability, what it takes to gain BCorp status and how they managed to create such a silky smooth whisky at such a young age.

Racheal catches up with Claire to find out how she went from law student to world-renowned cocktail competition winner and then from developing flavoured vodkas for a leading alcohol company to co-founding alcohol-free aperitif brand Aecorn. Grab some olives and prepare a spritz because this episode will make you long for golden hour.

Racheal chats all things Bloody Marys with Will & Harry. Hear how they almost started their business in a cauldron, nearly blew up their mates canning line, some hot-off-the-press news about the Bloody Clarity and find out where Racheal and the guys think makes the best Bloody Marys in London - This one will have you craving the umami goodness.

Racheal catches up with co-founders Matt and Jordan to talk about their journey from ordering quinine off Amazon to distribution deals with Molson Coors. Hear how they came up with the idea for Lixir, what it's like working with a friend you've known since you were 5 and whether either of them will claim the title of Best Bartender.

In this episode of Building Liquid, Racheal catches up with Louise to find out how she went from corporate life to reigniting the Irish tradition of whiskey bonding, via a beach in Thailand. We talk bootstrapping, hiring an entire cruise ship for industry legends (the absolute opposite of bootstrapping) and the best advice for women carving out a path in the industry.

Racheal catches up with Ellie, founder of the Columbia-inspired alcohol-free spirit Caleño. Hear about Ellie's journey to creating the brand, how she went about perfecting the liquid and her top tips on how to really put yourself out there as a founder.

Racheal catches up with Henry, founder of Nonsuch Shrubs and 8th generation Aspall's cyder maker to learn all about the fascinating history of this vinegar-based syrup. We take a tour to India via Hong Kong, and hear what it's like to grow up in a dynasty such as Aspall's.

Racheal catches up with Stephanie Jordan of planet-positive calvados brand Avallen. We talk about the importance of sustainability by design, the work we all need to do as an industry to tackle climate change and get a whistle stop tour of the history of the previously under-appreciated apple-based spirit.

Racheal catches up with Pat Venning who is co-founder of Market Row, a botanical rum distilled in the heart of Brixton. We talk about the challenges of setting up your own distillery, the importance of the local area to the brand and why you should take the time to get your product right. Warning - some tasty drinks made/discussed in this episode, it might make you thirsty!

Racheal catches up with Chris to talk all things alcohol-free. We take a trip to Argentina via Japan to find out about the inspiration behind Wilfred's, the importance of ingredients to flavour and the role his mum's garden has played in his success.

They say you should never meet your heroes, but luckily this one didn't disappoint! Racheal catches up with Elwyn Gladstone who has been instrumental in the launch of some of the most iconic brands in the world, most recently with the launch of Malfy gin. Hear Elwyn's perspective on what it really takes to launch a successful innovation, if he believes there's a ‘winning formula' and whether or not you can have a successful meal made entirely from potatoes.

Racheal catches up with Oli to talk all things fundraising! Hear how Oli and his co-founder Matija came up with the idea for DRTY, what it's really like fundraising (clue: it's nothing like on Dragon's Den) and how they managed to snag The One, The Only GC for a small scale collaboration that went national!

Racheal catches up with Lucy to talk about her journey into co-founding the brilliantly disruptive Nice, wine in a can. Hear how Lucy went from almost embarking on a career in interior design to founding a Bircher muesli brand, before entering the world of drinks. We talk the power of perfect timing, why Lucy is so passionate about mentoring and why asking for help is always a good idea.

Racheal catches up with James Kerslake from Tom Savano, a super premium pre-batched cocktail brand. We chat about where James' passion for the industry came from, how he developed the secret ingredient to bottling bar-quality cocktails and how he copes with imposter syndrome. Warning: several Lychee Martinis were consumed in the making of this episode!

Racheal catches up with Callum Hutson, creator of ISLES Refreshingly Original Canned Cocktails to talk about starting a brand completely bootstrapped, how a ‘eureka' moment rarely exists and what might be on the horizon for the future of retail. Hear how Callum found his true passion for drinks and then made his idea a reality. This episode is for all those dreaming of starting a drinks business!

Racheal catches up with Tom and Jack, founders of El Rayo tequila, a brand that passionately champions a modern Mexico. Find out about their journey into the world of drinks startups and take a trip to colourful Mexico in the process. We chat about why having zero drinks experience might be a blessing in disguise, working with local artisans and the difference between blanco and reposado tequilas.

Racheal catches up with Eric Sampers, co-founder of the Illogical Drinks Co and maker of MARY, the (delicious) low alcohol botanical blend. Find out about Eric's journey into the drinks industry, what drew him to the world of no/low after 15 years working with hard liquor and go behind-the-scenes of the process he went through to make MARY.

Find out in less than a minute what the Building Liquid podcast is all about. Hit subscribe so you don't miss when the first episode drops.