Distill Ventures

Established in 2013, Distill Ventures is the drinks industry’s first accelerator for new and growing brands whose aim is to support entrepreneurs to develop, scale and sell the drinks brands of the future. Through a combination of cash investment, mentoring support and access to a network of experts, Distill Ventures works with founders to help brands go further, faster. Distill Ventures operates across both alcoholic and non- alcoholic drink categories, and invests at all stages, from pre-launch (or “seed” businesses) through to those requiring significant growth and expansion capital. To date, Distill Ventures has invested over $120 million in 15+ drinks brands including: Stauning, one of Europe’s standout new whiskies from Denmark; Starward, a distinctive Australian whisky, exclusively matured in Australian wine barrels; Westward, a leading American single malt whiskey inspired by the Pacific Northwest’s craft beer traditions; Ritual Zero Proof, the first spirit alternative distilled in America; Rheinland Distillers, makers of Siegfried Gin, Siegfried Wonderleaf, and Siegfried Wonderoak; Japanese single malt distillery Kanosuke; Seedlip, the world’s first non-alcohol distilled spirits brand, which exited into the Diageo portfolio in 2019; Belsazar, a German aperitif integrated into the Diageo portfolio in 2018; and Kikori, a Japanese rice whisky guided into the Diageo portfolio that same year. In 2021, Distill Venture has committed to increasing diversity within the industry with the launch of the Pre-Accelerator, an initiative dedicated to early stage founders from underrepresented communities. It is operated independently and backed by Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks company, providing investment funding, as well as resources and access through its global network of experts. Further information on Distill Ventures and details on how acceleration works for drinks brands is available at www.distillventures.com.