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UK wine and spirits merchant, Berry Bros & Rudd, has purchased a minority stake in Cotswolds Distillery, a producer of premium spirits based in Stourton, Warwickshire. The investment was part of the distillery’s recent funding round as it looks to increase production and sales of its Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky. It recently opened a second distillery on its 14-acre site dedicated to malt whisky production, which makes it the largest producer of English Whisky, the company stated. Cotswolds Distiller has listings in Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Majestic, Amazon and Ocado, among others in the UK, and it is distributed in over 35 countries. Berry Bros & Rudd’s investment will also fund the distillery’s development plans to boost its sustainability plans with the building of a bio-diverse wetlands ecological treatment system and related landscaping works. Cotswolds Distillery founder, Daniel Szor, said, “We could not be more delighted with the results of our funding round, in particular, our new partnership with Berry Brothers, who like us stand for excellence in fine spirits, as we further build our brand through increased national and international distribution”. Emma Fox, CEO of Berry Bros & Rudd, who will join the board of Cotswold Distillery, said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Cotswolds Distillery. Their impressive growth has seen them become the best-selling English Whisky and a leading light in the fast-growing premium single malt category. We look forward to supporting and accelerating their international expansion and helping them maximise the growing global opportunity in New World Whisky.” She added: “We’re also delighted that our investment will help boost their sustainability plans as this is an important part of our role in the industry to ensure we’re building a resilient and sustainable future for generations to come”. Financial details of the minority stake were not disclosed.