After being founded in 2023 by bartender-turned-distiller Lewis Hayes, DropWorks has become one of the UK’s most ambitious rum distilleries.
Based in Nottinghamshire, the brand is challenging traditional rum-producing methods with a bold, bartender-led approach to flavour, innovation and storytelling.
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Speaking to Just Drinks at the BCB London trade show this week, Hayes shares his vision for carving out a new space in the UK rum category, how DropWorks stands out in a crowded market and what’s next for the brand in 2025 and beyond.
Kristian Bayford (KB): How has the business developed in terms of production in its first two years?
Lewis Hayes (LH): It’s been exceptional. When you invest millions into something, there’s always a question mark and a sense of nervousness about what happens next. I think DropWorks is providing a solution to a problem that the world doesn’t know exists. I know how ghastly the rum scene is because of all the additives and all the other bad stuff that’s going on and I’m sick and tired of it.
KB: What makes Dropworks’ rum stand out in a competitive category?
LH: “Understanding DropWorks is understanding that it’s a reaction to what the world of rum is doing and what it’s not doing. We’re providing an honest conversation about our production process and we are forward-thinking in the making of our rum. We’re laying down all sorts of hybrid casks that have never been used before and our Spice Drop has been spiced in a way that no one has ever done before.
We are Europe’s largest rum distillery. We’ve got England’s first-ever double retort still, it’s the kind of historical stills that you’d still find in the Caribbean today, which are synonymous with flavour. We’ve got tunnels to age in, so we’ve got cool climate and we’ve laid down hundreds and hundreds of barrels already.
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By GlobalDataWe’ve built it at a scale that means we can price this affordably for the industry. That means that the trade and bartenders can get this at an affordable price.
KB: What is your current product line-up?
LH: Our main line-up consists of five different rums: Barrel Drop, Clear Drop, Spice Drop, Funk Drop and Dark Drop.
Rum is just raw material that comes from sugar cane, fermented, distilled and/or barrel aged. The reason we made these products is to get bartenders to understand that it’s about the process. If you make it properly, you don’t need to add flavourings, sugar, or even glycerol.
KB: Are your products present more in the on-trade or off-trade? Where are your rums sold mainly?
LH: We are focused on the on-trade at the moment because we need bartenders, waiters and restaurateurs to learn what quality rum looks like. If you can get the industry to understand, they will realise that this is a gift to them.
The type of venues we’re in now are quality venues. That’s been an important thing for me, because we’re priced so affordably, what we don’t want people to do is to think that we’re just another cheap brand.
KB: In terms of market presence, what regions are you targeting?
LH: We are across the UK. We’re in Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and all the way down into Bristol and Cornwall. I’ve got two bars in London, first being Black Parrot and the other being Merchant House. We’ve got a real focus there as that’s where most of the growth is going to come from.
DropWorks is currently in a number of Michelin star restaurants and is stocked in over a third of the top 50 bars in the UK and we’re not even paying listing fees. We’re not paying them to stock us. They’re choosing to stock us because we’re a quality, sustainable and home-brewed British brand, just without the additives.”
KB: Can you tell me more about your current distribution model? Which partners are you working with?
LH: We’ve partnered with distribution agency Glass Half Full and they’re a great incubator. They look after brands like Sapling Spirits, Everleaf Drinks, Nc’nean and Double Dutch. They’re really good with quality and sustainable British brands.
“We’re also with plenty of wholesalers. Any bar that wants to buy it across the UK, they can get it through whoever they’re stocking with. We’re not with Matthew Clark but we’re with most of the other major players.”
KB: What are you forecasting for sales and profits in 2025?
LH: We’re not expecting to be profitable for a while. We’re making low margins because we want to get this out to the people by establishing DropWorks as a brand that stands for quality. Our tagline message is ‘Created for bars, crafted in Britain.’
For 2025, we’re already seeing real growth and the curve is looking good. Everyone in the company is very pleased but what we’re not doing is focusing on the sales side of it. We’re focusing on establishing our brand.
Our rums are priced between £30-35 RRP on The Whiskey Exchange and independent bars are getting it individually priced. It is more expensive than your cheap ones but cheaper than what most people would choose to have if they didn’t want a Bacardi being or a Captain Morgan.”
KB: What are your main business development goals for the rest of 2025 and beyond?
LH: We want to continue to drive brand-awareness up and down the country, in those key regional cities I mentioned earlier. Our ambition is to do more of what we are already doing. We’re not looking at international expansion so we’re really focusing on the UK.
KB: Are you currently seeking – or open to seeking – external investment to support expansion plans?
LH: Yes, we are looking for more investment. Because I’m so passionate about this message, the louder and bigger we can be with it, the more we can put behind amplifying this message. We’re trying to lay down more stock, trying to create more quality liquid, and trying to grow the team to get the word out.”
KB: What’s your view on the current state of British rum? Is it still niche, or do you see it entering the mainstream soon?
LH: The opportunity for experimentation and innovation in the UK is enormous. In the Caribbean, there’s only 76 distilleries still making rum. By comparison, I could very easily find you at least 30 rum distilleries in the UK, if not more. There are more distilleries making rum in the UK than Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana combined and the number of different styles, producers, and liquid you can taste in the UK is so diverse already.
I would say there’s at least a dozen distilleries in the UK I’d recommend, because they’re making it properly. No additives, and they care. A lot of them are quite small, so the price can be a little bit higher, and they’re less accessible than I think we are. They also don’t have the passion for hospitality that I do, as in bars and people, but they’ve got their own motivational drivers.
British rum is happening but we’ve got to be careful to distinguish between buying product from abroad and/or flavouring it and making it from scratch in the UK, as there’s a big difference between the two. We need to help consumers understand the difference and the quality of what’s being produced in the UK.
KB: What’s your long-term vision for Dropworks? What do you want the brand to represent in the rum world?
LH: Long term, we want to be a household name in the UK and we want to be a globally recognised brand that you can buy in the best bars and restaurants around the world. That’s the vision, as this is not a flash in the pan. This is about trying to make quality rum accessible to people across the world.
