Brontë Drinks: The Yorkshire spirits range inspired by the Haworth landscape

The pair purchased The Brontë Liqueur Company from its Harrogate founder, Yorkshire drinks entrepreneur, Sir James Aykroyd. In a “pandemic passion project,” using the liqueur’s base recipe of blackberry, sloes, honey and jasmine, they began experimenting with new flavour combinations in a range of spirits.

Andrew explains: “As for many people, lockdown gave us a unique opportunity to take stock of our lives and consider where we wanted to go with our careers.

"We’d both experienced the fast-paced corporate environment and decided the time had come to move on and look for a ‘fun’ based venture which we could really invest our heart and passion in.”

He continues: “Nigel and I are both extremely proud of our Yorkshire roots and heritage and so we soon realised that Yorkshire simply had to be a key focus in whatever we decided to do.

"Also, we both have a passion for, and appreciation of, a good spirit. And so, when the chance came along to purchase the heritage-based Brontë Liqueur brand we saw it an obvious, and ideal, opportunity to use it as a base for developing a wider range of alcoholic drinks.”

Whilst both Andrew and Nigel had previous business and management experience, the venture into the drinks industry was completely new to both of them. Andrew explains: “It’s fair to say, there’s been a lot of education for us both.

"I went on a specialist course about how to make gin and we’ve both relied a great deal on the Internet to read up on things like licensing issues, distilling, packaging, recipes and serving suggestions.”

Now, with two years’ education and laying the foundations for the business under their belts, the pair have launched their first range of drinks.

And with their love of all things Yorkshire, and the determination to have the county and its roots at the centre of their brand, they’ve turned to local dialect to come up with inventive names for their drinks - “Ey Up Cocker” vodka, “Ee Bah Gum” rum and "Where’s Tha Bin” gin.

Andrew comments: “Authenticity is also key to our business and to our range and that transfers right through to our product names which, we feel are a great reflection of Yorkshire dialect and our humour. Once we cracked the first name there was no stopping us.”

Apart from the names, many other aspects of the business are deeply rooted in Yorkshire – with all ingredients coming from the local countryside, and the distilling, bottling and labelling processes all taking place in the county.

Andrew says: “We’ve partnered with a fantastic and very understanding Yorkshire distillery who have managed to interpret and translate our wishes into a range of wonderful bespoke drinks we’re all very proud of. Every batch of spirits is distilled, hand-bottled and hand-labelled in Yorkshire to provide a very personal and regional service.”

The new drinks – which all come with specific notes detailing how they should be served and with which mixers - are already proving extremely popular, with a range of local suppliers queuing up to stock them.

Recent establishments to come on board include Martinez Wine, Cheese Shop & Bar in Ilkley; The Punch Bowl in Silsden and The Black Horse Inn in Giggleswick.

Andrew continues: “There’s no doubt that gin has increased in popularity in recent years. At one time it was simply Gordons’ Gin with a tonic mixer.

"But as drinkers have acquired more discerning tastes, they’ve come to expect a wide range of flavours and an equally wide range of mixers.

"Nowadays you can walk into a bar and there’ll be an actual ‘menu’ listing all the different flavours and mixers on offer.

“We appreciate there are many spirits adorning the retail aisles and online markets, but feel there’s a gap for a range of spirits which celebrate the landscape and the culture of Haworth where the very essence of its rugged beauty and native ingredients filter through into a very pure, premium quality product.”

Heather, juniper, wild berries, cinnamon and nutmeg are but a few of the many botanicals they use.

So, what does the future hold for the business? With a planned roll out into major retail multiples in 2023, the duo is already working on an additional range of after dinner chocolates and locally-made fudge – all also based on the original Brontë Liqueur recipe.

The pair have also set their sights on winning some industry awards, which they hope will help to promote their brand further.

Andrew says: “[This venture] was a massive risk, but so far it seems to be paying off and we’re so proud of what we’ve created and thankful to everyone involved who has helped bring it to market. Whilst now there’s just myself and Nigel in the business, over the coming months we’ll be looking to expand the inhouse operations and sales functions.”

To see the full range of drinks, visit www.brontedrinks.co.uk