DropWorks Expansion 2025: British Rum Brand Sets Sights on Major Growth
British distillery DropWorks is charging ahead with an ambitious goal: to triple its growth as part of the DropWorks Expansion 2025 strategy. Founded in 2023 by Lewis Hayes, DropWorks was built to bring high-quality rum into the spotlight and establish it as the preferred choice across the UK.
From the beginning, the team set out to create a unique British-made spirit specifically for bartenders. Now, just two years later, they’re scaling operations and gaining ground in some of the country’s most elite venues.
New Leadership, New Vision
To accelerate the DropWorks Expansion 2025, the company recently appointed Graham Appleyard as CEO. With a strong background in global brand building at Diageo, Appleyard brings both experience and energy to the next phase of growth.
“Building a drinks brand to national and international heights is a very delicate operation, grounded firmly in how excellent the product is,” Appleyard told The Spirits Business. “We’re producing what I know is a truly unique and unprecedented British spirit, which takes the experience of drinking quality rum to a whole new level.”
He emphasized that their rum, already featured in more than one-third of the UK’s top cocktail bars, is gaining traction fast. “Our rum is being snapped up by some of the UK’s most well-known and exclusive bars as the thrilling ‘new kid on the block,’” he said.
Targeting the Premium Market
As part of DropWorks Expansion 2025, the brand is focusing on the premium on-trade segment. The strategy is clear: grow in high-end bars first, then expand into retail once momentum builds.
“There’s a huge opportunity in the premium rum category—especially for a British-made product created with bartenders in mind,” Appleyard said in his interview with The Spirits Business. “We know many bars, venues, and consumers haven’t discovered DropWorks yet. We can’t wait to introduce them to our range and spark their British-distilled rum journey.”
DropWorks Distillery: Innovation in Every Drop
At the heart of DropWorks Expansion 2025 is a powerhouse facility in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. Spanning 17,000 square feet, it stands as the largest rum distillery of its kind in Europe. The site can produce up to 1.5 million bottles of rum annually and distills up to 10 barrels per day.
Custom-made copper stills, designed specifically for DropWorks, power the production process. The team oversees every stage—from fermentation to bottling—ensuring full creative and quality control.
Crafting Rums That Break the Rules
Founder and master distiller Lewis Hayes continues to guide the company’s creative vision. What started as a sketch on a bar mat has grown into a full line of distinctive rums, including Clear Drop, Spice Drop, Dark Drop, Funk Drop, and Barrell Drop.
“It’s a joy to see what began as my scribbles—simply a pure passion to find a quality rum that would come alive in the hands of bartenders—develop into a range of Drops with the potential to be the UK’s number one choice,” Hayes told The Spirits Business.
He added that the aim has always been to give bartenders tools to innovate. “We’re not sticking to the rule book. We want them to blur lines, create new experiences, and push what rum can be,” he said.
What’s Next for DropWorks?
The DropWorks Expansion 2025 campaign is already underway, with plans to stock hundreds of additional venues throughout the UK. As momentum builds and the product line continues to evolve, DropWorks is positioning itself to become the leading voice in British rum.
With bold branding, a unique product lineup, and a distillery designed for scale, DropWorks is not just dreaming of growth—they’re engineering it.
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Source of information
The Spirits Business Article — DropWorks aims to triple growth in 2025, written by Miona Madsen
The image of the article is courtesy of © zorazhuang via Canva.com
