Contract Distilling UK | Private & White Label Spirits Since 2015

We are the spirit makers

CONTRACT DISTILLING IS WHAT WE DO. For more than a decade, we've helped founders, brands, hospitality businesses and organisations turn ideas into finished spirits.

Whether you need a few hundred bottles or several thousand, we offer a flexible, hands-on service tailored to your project: from an existing recipe through to completely bespoke spirit development.

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Whichever route you choose, we'll guide you through the process from the initial conversation and product development through to production, bottling and delivery.

Meet the people behind your spirit

Hear directly from our founder about how we work with new and growing spirit brands.

Our Services in More Detail

From house spirits branded with your own labels to customised botanicals and fully bespoke recipe development, we offer a complete range of services to support new and growing spirit brands. Whether you need a simple white‑label solution or a completely unique spirit created from scratch, we tailor every project to your goals, budget and timeline.

Our entry‑level service uses one of our house spirits — gin, rum or vodka — to create your own branded product or range. You can also choose from our off‑the‑shelf flavoured spirits if you want something ready to go.

This is a cost‑effective option for cocktail bars, pubs, restaurants, hotels, wedding venues and stately homes looking for their own private‑label spirit. Minimum quantity is just 48 × 70cl bottles (or equivalent), making it easy to start small and scale as needed.

Products are typically supplied duty‑paid in one of our stock 50cl or 70cl bottles, or you’re welcome to supply your own. You can view our standard bottle and closure options here. Pricing is charged per bottle, keeping everything simple and predictable.

For one‑off or occasional runs, we can print basic labels in‑house.

For ongoing brands, we normally expect you to supply your own professionally printed labels for the best finish.

Just choose your spirit, ABV and bottle, supply your label artwork (or ask us to print a basic one‑off), and we’ll take care of the rest.

Our customised service starts with one of our house spirits — gin, rum or vodka — and allows you to tailor it with additional liquid botanicals and natural flavours to create your own signature spirit, liqueur or product range.

Each customised requires a short flavour development session at the distillery. This interactive session typically lasts around an hour and gives you the chance to meet the distillers, explore ideas, and refine your flavour profile together.

Minimum quantity is 48 × 70cl bottles (or equivalent). Spirits are usually supplied duty‑paid in one of our stock 50cl or 70cl bottles, or you’re welcome to supply your own. You can view our standard bottle and closure options here. Pricing is charged per bottle, making it easy to scale production to your needs.

For one‑off or occasional runs, we can print basic labels in‑house.

For ongoing brands, we normally expect you to supply your own professionally printed labels for the best finish.

Choose your base spirit, ABV and bottle, bring your ideas to the development session, and we’ll take care of the rest.

Our fully bespoke service allows you to create a completely unique spirit from scratch on our copper pot stills. Whether you’re developing a gin, vodka, brandy or grain/beer‑based spirit, we can help you bring your idea to life and get it ready for market.

For gin and botanical vodka/rum, we can create the spirit using our own neutral base. For other bespoke projects, such as brandy, grain spirits or spirits distilled from cider, beer or wine you will typically need to supply the base alcohol or wash.

Most bespoke projects begin with a development stage we call the Proof of Concept (POC). This can be carried out remotely, but many clients choose to visit the distillery, as it’s a great opportunity to meet the distillers, learn the process, and explore your project in more detail. The POC takes place on our development stills, and you’ll leave with a sample of your spirit for testing before committing to a full production run.

Once produced, your bespoke spirit will be supplied duty‑paid in one of our stock 50cl or 70cl bottles, or you’re welcome to supply your own. You can view our standard bottle and closure options here. Minimum run size depends on the base alcohol you provide, but typically starts from around 130–140 × 70cl bottles (equivalent). Pricing is charged per bottle, making it easy to scale production to your needs.

For one‑off or occasional runs, we can print basic labels in‑house.

For ongoing brands, we normally expect you to supply your own professionally printed labels for the best finish.

Once your spirit is developed, simply choose your preferred ABV and bottle, supply your label artwork (or ask us to print a basic one‑off), and we’ll take care of the rest.

If you're developing an English whisky brand, we can help you create the new-make spirit and advise on the production route before maturation.

To legally be called a whisky, new‑make spirit must be matured in wooden casks for a minimum of three years. Because of this, we do not generally offer full whisky production, nor do we have whisky available as an off‑the‑shelf product.

However, we can distil new‑make spirit to your specification for maturation off‑site. This allows you to create a whisky that begins with your chosen wash, grain bill or beer‑based spirit before it goes into cask.

If you’re looking to create a whisky‑based spirit drink, we can also source Irish or Scotch whisky from our suppliers* and use it as the base for your product. This is a popular route for brands wanting whisky character without the three‑year maturation period.

Once produced, your spirit will be supplied duty‑paid in one of our stock 50cl or 70cl bottles, or you’re welcome to supply your own. You can view our standard bottle and closure options here.

If you’d like to explore the options, you can contact us to discuss your project in more detail.

* Minimum order quantities for sourced Irish or Scotch whisky are typically 1000L at around 64%.

The look and feel of your product is hugely important: it’s what draws customers in. The quality of the spirit is what brings them back. While we’re not brand designers, we can point you towards trusted creatives and label printers if you need support with your visual identity.

Choosing bottles and closures can feel daunting, especially when you’re starting out and only need small quantities. You’re always welcome to supply your own packaging, but we also offer a curated selection of high‑quality stock bottles from UK and European manufacturers, with a choice of stoppers or screw‑cap closures to get you started. You can view the range here.

Once you’ve chosen your bottle, you’ll need to decide how you want to make it tamper‑evident. We can supply simple PVC shrink capsules, or you may prefer a paper “watch‑strap” tamper label or even a wax‑dipped finish. A good brand designer will help you choose the right approach for your style and budget.

Finally, you’ll need to provide your labels on rolls that are compatible with our machinery. We can apply a single label or separate front and back labels. For very small runs, you may choose to have labels printed on sheets and apply them by hand: ideal if you want full control over placement or are producing a limited number of bottles.

If you’re a registered charity or community group looking to raise funds, your own‑label gin or rum can be a highly effective way to generate income with no upfront costs. Each year we help organisations of all sizes raise thousands of pounds through their own branded spirits.

If you’d like to explore how this could work for your charity or event, get in touch and we’ll be happy to talk through the options.

Please get in touch here to see how we can help.

FAQ

- About Working with Wharf

We’re nestled in the old market town of Towcester, South Northamptonshire. It’s where tradition meets creativity – and where every bottle begins its journey.

We craft a wide range of spirits, including gin, vodka, rum, single malts, apple brandy, and liqueurs – all made by hand with care and character. We can also distil from base ingredients like wine, cider, beer, or your own traditional wash – whether that’s for an Indian rak, grappa, or something entirely unique to your heritage or imagination. If it ferments, we can likely distil it – and we’re always up for exploring new flavours and formats.

Not at all. Whether you’re full of ideas or just curious where to begin, we’ll guide you through every step. You bring the vision – we’ll help turn it into a spirit worth sharing.

Yes, we’d be delighted to. Whether you’re dreaming up a gin, rum, vodka or a unique liqueur, we can help craft it from the ground up. Our flavour and recipe development is tailored to your vision – and surprisingly affordable. Yes—we produce custom spirits for weddings, corporate gifts, shops, and hospitality venues.

Yes, we love working with personal or locally sourced ingredients. If you’ve got a story to tell through flavour, we’re here to help you distil it – literally.

- Development & Production

You could have a product to market within 4 to 12 weeks, depending on complexity and packaging. The most time-consuming part of the process is usually branding and label development – but once that’s in place, things move quickly.

Typically 35 – 90 litres, but we can be flexible depending on your goals, the spirit type and production method. For hospitality and weddings taking our house spirits it is usually much less.

Yes – we’re proud of our regional roots and love collaborating with local businesses to create something truly special. If you’re exploring a partnership or have a project in mind, we’d love to hear from you. Just get in touch here and let’s start the conversation.

We’d love that. Visits are welcome by appointment, and we positively encourage you to come and see us beforehand to discuss your project in person. If your project involves any product development, this is always interactive and hands-on – so a trip to the distillery is essential. You can book a call or visit here.

- Bottling & Packaging

Yes – we produce custom spirits for weddings, corporate gifts, shops, and hospitality venues.

Absolutely. For small-batch services, we’ll weave your brand assets into every detail to ensure everything feels beautifully aligned. For larger projects, we’ll work closely with you and your partners to craft a final product that’s just right—refined, resonant, and unmistakably yours.

We offer a range of stock bottles to choose from here, and we’re happy to guide you through compliant labelling, visual design, and brand storytelling. If you’re looking for something more bespoke, we’re happy to connect you with our trusted network of creatives, bottle suppliers, and printers.

We do. From cork to carton, we can manage the full packaging process.

We do. From cork to carton, we can take care of the entire packaging process. If you prefer to handle part of it yourself, we also offer bulk liquid options for flexible fulfilment.

- Compliance & Fulfilment

Our team offers clear, friendly guidance to help ensure your spirit meets all HMRC and labelling requirements. Whether you need full support or just a nudge in the right direction, we’ll tailor our help to suit your approvals and licensing needs.

We don’t offer direct-to-consumer fulfilment, as most clients either manage this themselves or work with trusted partners – whom we’re happy to recommend. If you have an urgent need to supply multiple venues or business locations, we can usually coordinate shipments across those destinations to suit your needs.

If you’re looking to export your goods, we’re here to help. We have experience navigating the export process and can work closely with you to ensure everything runs smoothly – from documentation and compliance to getting your product where it needs to go. Whether it’s a one-off shipment or part of a broader export strategy, we’ll support you every step of the way.

The Boring Stuff

Starting a spirits brand involves more than developing a great product. There are a number of legal, regulatory and practical requirements you'll need to consider, from insurance and premises licensing to AWRS and Environmental Health registration. We've put together a practical guide to help you understand what's involved.

As you progress your project with us, we’ll provide more detailed, tailored advice. And if you’re planning to go it alone, we also offer hourly consultancy to help you navigate the technical, legal and practical steps involved in bringing a new spirit to market.

You can read our guide here.

Once we begin working together, our Manufacturing Terms & Conditions apply. These set out the key principles of our partnership, including non‑disclosure, clarity around intellectual property, and a clear framework for how we work together.

We recommend taking a moment to read through the full document so you know exactly how your project will be managed and how your ideas are protected.

Get In Touch

Ready to Start Your Project? Book a no‑obligation discovery call or send us a message — we're here to help you bring your spirit to life.

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We are the spirit makers

Our Services in More Detail

Get In Touch

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