Berry Bros. & Rudd

Last updated

BB&R Limited
Company typePrivate
GenreWine merchant
Founded1698
FounderThe Widow Bourne (full name unknown) [1]
Headquarters London, England, UK
Key people
Emma Fox (CEO), Lizzy Rudd (Chair of the board) [2]
ProductsWine, spirits
Serviceswines, spirits, corporate hospitality, private dining, wine storage, wholesale
Website www.bbr.com

Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBR) is a family-run British wine and spirits merchant founded in London, England, in 1698, although they did not become wine merchants until the late 18th century. Since 1698, the company has grown from initially a small coffee shop, into an international business with six offices worldwide.

Contents

As well as the wines, such as en primeur from places like Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône and Italy, the company also sells wines and spirits under its own-label range, Berry Bros. & Rudd's Own Selection.

Other services it offers include wine investment, wine storage, wine tastings, events and educational courses. [3]

History

No.3 St James's Street Berry Brothers & Rudd 01.JPG
No.3 St James's Street

Berry Bros. & Rudd was founded by the Widow Bourne in 1698 at 3 St. James's Street, London, which today is a Grade II* listed building still used as the company's headquarters. [4] No.3, as it is known, contained Berry Bros. & Rudd's main retail premises until mid-2017, when these moved around the corner to a purpose-built shop at 63 Pall Mall. The company has a discounted store next to its main warehouse in Basingstoke, Hampshire, and additional offices in Battersea as well as overseas in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The company started out selling coffee, and then diversified into cocoa, tea, snuff, spices, and other exotic goods, quickly becoming one of London's most fashionable grocers. Its West End location and close proximity to St James's Palace also contributed to its growing popularity. In 1903 they formulated a ginger liqueur to revivify Edward VII from cold car journeys, still purveyed as The King's Ginger. [5]

During the years, it has counted many famous customers among its clientele including: Lord Byron, William Pitt the Younger, the Aga Khan, and Beau Brummell. [6]

In 2020, Emma Fox took on the role of CEO from Lizzy Rudd, who had been serving as interim Chief Executive since the departure of Dan Jago in 2019. Lizzy Rudd remains the Chair of the Board of Directors.

In 2023, the company acquired a minority stake in the Cotswolds Distillery and acquired a 50% stake in Hambledon Vineyard in Hampshire, England. [7]

Window display at 4 St James's Street Berry Brothers & Rudd 02.JPG
Window display at 4 St James's Street

Royal warrants

Berry Bros. & Rudd has been the official wine supplier to the British royal family since the reign of King George III and received its first royal warrant of appointment in 1903 from King Edward VII. Queen Elizabeth II granted the company her royal warrant in 1952, while Charles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) granted it his in 1998.

Basingstoke warehouse

In 1967, the company moved its bottling operation and warehouse to purpose-built facilities in Basingstoke, Hampshire. In spring 2014, it relaunched its warehouse shop on the site of the former bottling hall, the shop now sells bin-end and reduced price wines and spirits alongside a fine wine collection.

Cutty Sark whisky

In 1923 Berry Bros. & Rudd launched Cutty Sark Scotch whisky. In 2010 the brand was sold to The Edrington Group; under the deal, Berry Bros. & Rudd acquired The Glenrothes single malt brand, which was then sold back to Edrington in 2017.

Berry Bros. & Rudd's Broking Exchange (BBX)

Berry Bros. & Rudd was the first wine merchant to open an online shop, launching bbr.com in 1995.[ citation needed ] Today it also has an online wine trading platform called BBX (Berry Bros. & Rudd's Broking Exchange). It enables customers to sell and trade their own wines if they are stored in the company's bonded warehouses. Today BBX is the world's most extensive online fine wine trading platform. [8]

The Future of Wine report

In May 2008, a team from Berry Bros. & Rudd – Jasper Morris MW, Alun Griffiths MW, Simon Field MW, and David Berry Green – drew up a document of speculations into the state of the wine industry in the coming 50 years, The Future of Wine. [9] [10] [11] [12] Among the predictions for 2058 were suggestions that China may become one of the world's biggest producers, that grapes will be grown hydroponically in floating offshore vineyards, and honey bees could be trained to detect wine faults. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Famous Grouse</span> Brand of Scotch whisky

The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by The Edrington Group in Scotland. It was first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son in 1896. The single malt whiskies used in The Famous Grouse blend include the Edrington-owned Highland Park and The Macallan. Its emblem is the red grouse, Scotland's national game bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Grant & Sons</span> Scottish alcohol distillery

William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky distillers remaining in family ownership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glengoyne distillery</span> Scottish whisky distillery

Glengoyne distillery is a whisky distillery continuously in operation since its founding in 1833 at Dumgoyne, north of Glasgow, Scotland. Glengoyne is unique in producing Highland single malt whisky matured in the Lowlands. Located upon the Highland Line, the division between the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland, Glengoyne’s stills are in the Highlands while maturing casks of whisky rest across the road in the Lowlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobacco Dock</span>

Tobacco Dock is a Grade I listed warehouse located in the East London district of Wapping, and thereby the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Part of the London Docks designed by Scottish civil engineer and architect John Rennie, the warehouse was completed in 1812 and primarily served as a store for imported tobacco, hence the name. During the early 20th century, economic activity in the area fluctuated due to World War I and World War II, and both London Docks and nearby St Katharine Docks had closed by 1969.

The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, also known as the Judgment of Paris, was a wine competition organized in Paris on 24 May 1976 by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant and his colleague, Patricia Gallagher, in which French oenophiles participated in two blind tasting comparisons: one of top-quality Chardonnays and another of red wines (Bordeaux wines from France and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from California. A Napa County wine rated best in each category, which caused surprise as France was generally regarded as being the foremost producer of the world's best wines. By the early 1970s, the quality of some California wines was outstanding but few took notice as the market favored French brands. Spurrier sold predominately French wine and believed the California wines would not win.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justerini & Brooks</span> English merchant of fine wine and spirits

Justerini & Brooks is a fine wine and spirits merchant founded in St. James's in 1749, originally to provide wine and spirits to the aristocratic households of London. The firm has been a supplier to every British monarch since the coronation of King George III in 1761. It sells to private collectors, hotels, and restaurants across the United Kingdom. Justerini & Brooks is owned by multinational Diageo.

The Edrington Group Limited, trading as Edrington, is a privately owned international spirits company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It produces single malts such as The Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenrothes, Naked Malt, and The Famous Grouse blended Scotch whisky. The spirits portfolio also includes Noble Oak Bourbon of Independence, Kentucky, and Brugal, the leading golden rum in the Caribbean. It also owns shares in Wyoming Whiskey, an American whiskey made in Kirby, Wyoming, and No. 3 London Dry Gin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Glenrothes distillery</span> Whisky distillery in Rothes

The Glenrothesdistillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery. The Glenrothes distillery is located in the town of Rothes in the heart of the Speyside region of Scotland. The distillery sits beside the Burn of Rothes, hidden in a glen on the edge of the town.

Events from the year 1698 in England.

Domaine de Chevalier is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Crus Classés for red and white wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959. The winery and vineyards are located south of the city of Bordeaux, in the commune of Léognan. It is one of a very few Bordeaux estates to be named domaine instead of château.

Wine-Searcher is a web search engine enabling users to locate the price and availability of a given wine, whiskey, spirit or beer globally, and be directed to a business selling the alcoholic beverage. There are also both Wine-Searcher and WhiskeySearcher mobile apps for iOS and Android.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper Morris</span> British Master of Wine since 1985 (born 1957)

Jasper Morris is a British Master of Wine since 1985. An expert on the wine of Burgundy, with a strong interest in other pinot-producing countries such as New Zealand, he has taken a strong interest in the nascent wine industries of China and Japan, visiting the wine regions of both countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douro Wine Company</span>

The Douro Wine Company was a government oversight organization established by the Portuguese Prime Minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal to regulate the trade and production of Port wine. Established in 1756, one of the first official duties of the company was the delineation of the boundaries of the Douro wine region. This act essentially made the Douro the world's first regional appellation. While the boundaries of the Chianti and Tokaji wine regions were outlined in 1716 and 1737, respectively, neither of these regions were "technically" appellations in the sense of being subjected to continued government control and regulations. Under their charter, Pombal invested an immense amount of control in the Douro Wine Company to regulate all exports of Port, set production quantities limits, fix maximum and minimum prices for grapes and to serve as sole arbitrator in any disputes between vine growers and Port shippers. In 1761, the company was further granted a monopoly on the sale of brandy which was used in the fortification process of Port winemaking. The Douro Wine Company continued to operate to 1833. Today, many of it functions have been deregulated with the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto or being the official regulating body of Port wine and Douro table wine production.

Will Lyons is a journalist, newspaper columnist, award-winning wine writer and broadcaster. He is most widely known for his writing in The Wall Street Journal and The Sunday Times.

Domaine Armand Rousseau is a French wine grower and producer. It is based in Gevrey-Chambertin, in the Côte de Nuits wine-growing region of Burgundy, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sazerac Company</span> Alcoholic drinks company based in New Orleans, US

Sazerac Company, Inc. is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionaire William Goldring and his family. As of 2017, it operated nine distilleries, had 2,000 employees, and operated in 112 countries. It is one of the two largest spirits companies in the United States, with annual revenue of about $1 billion made from selling about 300 beverage brands.

Julian Brind MW was a British Master of Wine and director of buying wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks for the Waitrose supermarket chain. Brind was a key figure in the transformation of the British wine trade from the 1970s onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanners (company)</span>

Tanners Wines Ltd is a family-owned independent wine merchants company based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crabbie's</span>

Crabbie's is a brand of alcoholic ginger beer originating in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is owned by UK-based Halewood International Ltd and manufactures at Halewood's plant in Liverpool.

The King's Ginger is an English liqueur by Berry Bros. & Rudd. The liqueur was originally created for King Edward VII. After his death in 1910, it was commissioned exclusively for the royal family. In 2011, it was standardized and made available to the public in select countries.

References

  1. "History of Berry Bros & Rudd" . Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  2. Shaw, Lucy (16 July 2020). "Berry Bros. & Rudd Appoints New Chief Executive". The Drinks Business . Union Press. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  3. Anderson, Nathaniel. "Berry Bros. & Rudd". Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  4. Historic England. "3 St James's Street SW1 (1264868)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  5. "King's Ginger". thekingsginger.com. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  6. By Royal Appointment. ITV3. 2012. Event occurs at 8:00pm. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  7. Walsh, Dominic (13 December 2023). "Sobering times for Berry Bros as buyers budget". The Times. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  8. McKenna, Gemma. "Berry Bros wine trading website nets £1m". Harper Wine & Spirit Trade Review. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  9. The Future of Wine report Archived May 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Berry Bros. & Rudd. "Berrys' Future of Wine Report". Archived from the original on 19 May 2008.
  11. Styles, Oliver (9 May 2008). "China to become leading wine producer?". Decanter.
  12. 1 2 Meikle, James (9 May 2008). "Chateau China, a taste of wines to come with climate change". The Guardian.

51°30′20″N0°08′17″W / 51.50558°N 0.13813°W / 51.50558; -0.13813