A pan-island liquor company is set to offer a wider range of locally produced alcoholic drinks, by delivering quality spirits which have been hand-crafted in Jersey and Guernsey using locally foraged botanicals.
The Channel Islands Liquor Company (CILC) is the result of a partnership between Luke Wheadon, creator of the award-winning Wheadon’s Gin, and Jerseyman Mark Taft of La Bastille Bar and Brasserie.
Luke said: “We are really proud to have brought a gin to market in Guernsey which in three years has become the market leader. We are excited to expand the business across the Channel Islands, building upon this success with a new distillery and new products for 2019.”
The CILC will be introducing more spirits to the islands, made at the existing distillery at the Bella Luce Hotel and at a new distillery to be based in St Helier. Alongside Wheadon’s Gin, the company will be producing further gins and an exciting new rum in the near future.
Luke brings with him knowledge and experience of the alcohol industry, with an approach and processes which have been passed down through the generations while Mark has a valuable background in the Jersey liquor and hospitality industries and distribution routes.
Mark said: “As soon as I tasted Wheadon’s Gin I could tell it was a superior product, which is why we were one of the first in Jersey to stock it. I think there is a great market in the Channel Islands for more local spirits of the same high quality standard.
“I’m incredibly excited by this venture with Luke as we are looking to achieve a few firsts, not just in the Channel Islands, but also worldwide. We really hope that islanders will get behind the company and choose to drink a local brand over others – especially when it tastes so good.
“There is a definite market out there for artisan liquor right now but we also hope that ‘purists’ will recognise our spirits as modern-day classics which honour the heritage of the industry but also celebrate the best of Channel Island flavours and life.”
