Christmas Trading and TTB Approval

RNS Number : 9696F

Distil PLC

26 February 2015

 

Distil plc

Healthy Christmas Trading.  Blavod Black Vodka and

Blackwoods Limited Edition 60% Gin

Approved by TTB

Distil plc ("the Group" or "Distil") (AIM: DIS), owner of premium drinks brands, is pleased to announce that Blavod Black Vodka has been approved for sale in the USA by the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ("TTB").

The brand has been re-designed and features new packaging, new label design and an improved recipe. It will be distributed by Kanetz Alcohol Imports Co. a specialist drinks distributor based in Ohio, with a network covering the USA, Mexico, Jamaica and Canada.

At the same time, Distil has received initial TTB approval for its premium brand, Blackwoods Limited Edition 60% Gin and has submitted the proposed labelling as part of the two-stage process with full approval expected to take a further five weeks. Once fully approved, Blackwoods Limited Edition 60% Gin will be distributed by The Winebow Group throughout the USA, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The Group is also pleased to report that it achieved good levels of sales for its owned premium brands during the Christmas period with increased revenues and a number of new listings with major customers. Overall, revenues for owned brands increased by approximately 12% and net contributions doubled. This was achieved despite a reduction in the sales of Blavod Black Vodka in Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine as a result of the current situation there.

Don Goulding, Executive Chairman of Distil, said:

"We now have a growing presence of our brands in the USA following the latest approvals and expect revenues to build progressively as they become established by our distributors. We await approval for RedLeg Spiced Rum and anticipate news in the next couple of months.

I'm also pleased to report that our owned brands achieved good overall sales growth during the Christmas period despite setbacks for Blavod Black Vodka in parts of Eastern Europe and we are looking forward to the future with confidence."

For further Information:

Distil PLC
Don Goulding Executive Chairman	Tel: [phone]
SPARK Advisory Partners Limited (NOMAD)
Neil Baldwin  Mark Brady	Tel [phone] /2268
SI Capital (Broker)
Andy Thacker Nick Emerson	Tel [phone]
Cadogan PR
Alex Walters	Tel: [phone]

 www.distilplc.com

 About Distil

Distil Plc (formerly Blavod Wines & Spirits) is quoted on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. It owns drinks brands in a number of sectors of the alcoholic drinks market. These include premium Vodka, premium Gin, Vodka Vanilla Cream Liqueur and Spiced Rum and are called Blavod Original Black Vodka, Blackwoods Vintage Gin, Blackwoods Vodka, Diva Vodka, Jago's Cream liqueur and RedLeg Spiced Rum.

About Blackwoods Gin

Blackwoods Gin is made using botanicals from the Shetland Islands which are hand gathered during the spring and summer months. These are combined with juniper, coriander and give the gin a unique and complex flavour. 

www.distilplc.com

About Winebow

Winebow www.thewinebowgroup.com is a leading wines and spirits distribution company whose extensive network directly covers the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C. Their indirect distributor network reaches all other 'wet' states and US territories.

 

END

 

 

MSCLLFVLFTIRFIE