Steward (left) and Mckee have experience between them at Pernod Ricard and Proximo UK.
Two veterans of the UK’s drinks industry have teamed up to bring a new wave of premium spirits to consumers.
Magnetic Brands is the brainchild of former Pernod Ricard insider Dave Steward and drinks industry heavyweight Matt Mckee. Most recently, the pair worked together at spirits distributor Proximo UK, where Mckee managed the transition of Diageo brands including Cuervo and Bushmills Irish whiskey as managing director, and Steward helped grow brands like The Kraken rum and Zubrowka vodka using ‘a considerably smaller budget than its competitors’.
Mckee has further experience with distiller Hayman, while Steward had a stint at Marblehead Brand Development.
Magnetic Brands will launch by bringing its first product range – three rye whiskies from Italian malt whisky distillery Puni – to market. The ‘distinctive’ whiskies are grown in the little-known Vinschgau valley in the Alps, which, despite falling within Italy, is majority German-speaking.
In addition to Puni, Magnetic will also be distributing Vestal Vodka, which produces a range of artisan vodkas at a small family-owned distillery in Poland. Magnetic is already in the process of creating a new look for this premium vodka, accentuating its distinctive approach to ingredients and terroir.
The company will be based in East London.
Steward and Mckee said that they would provide smaller premium drinks companies with ‘an effective brand-building partner to grow sales in the UK and in international markets’.
It will also offer a bespoke consultancy service called M2, which is targeted at spirit brands at an early stage of their development wishing to engage formally with a UK distributor.
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