The leading spirits business, home to an award-winning portfolio of premium brands, is launching a sales advocacy programme, led by a brand ambassador team to reintroduce its prestige selection to the on-trade, across London and the North West.
“As part of our UK strategy, we want to build our brands in key areas of the on-trade and support our customers in the hospitality sector,” says Jonathan Marsh, managing director of UK & Europe at QB. “To do this, we’ve brought Ben Reed and his team of experienced sales advocacy ambassadors to help us on this growth journey.”
“Fifth Essence’s primary role will be reintroducing the QB prestige brand portfolio to the on-trade, supporting the sales team and obtaining listings, as well as identifying other commercial opportunities,” explains Marsh.
Fifth Essence’s initial focus will be Ophir Gin, Dead Rabbit Whiskey and the recently refined Bloom Gin, from a portfolio that also includes Thomas Dakin Gin, plus Liberties and Dubliner Irish whiskeys. The team will also be introducing QB’s luxury fusion vodka brand, Jo Vodka – a partnership with QB’s master distiller Joanne Moore and scent maverick Jo Malone CBE.
Leading Fifth Essence is Ben Reed, a member of the generation that helped define London bar culture and a pioneer of the advocacy sector. Author of numerous cocktail books, Reed headed up London’s Met Bar in the ’90s while writing his weekly column, Barfly, for the Saturday Times. Reed co-founded seminal cocktail consultancies IPBartenders and Cocktail Credentials; he brings 20 years in advocacy and 25 years of global cocktail culture experience to the table.
“Quinta Essentia, or the Fifth Essence, is a philosophical and alchemic concept meaning a pure, perfect, heavenly substance, the higher element that exists beyond the four classics: earth, water, air and fire,” explains Reed. “Alchemy is a scientific tradition focused on transforming matter and understanding the nature of substances. We aim to bring our liquids to life using that extra ethereal element, a dash of enchantment that elevates a liquid or cocktail and sets it apart from its contemporaries.”
Reed has recruited four on-trade specialists from across the industry to serve as Brand Ambassadors to Quintessential Brands. Each is an ex-bartender and an established hospitality and spirits professional. Together, the team has over 100 years of collective premium cocktail and brand experience.
[The ‘lightly fictionalised’ Fifth Essence team above, from left to right: Nick Thomas, Angelo Sparvoli, Ben Reed, Tye Biswas and Julian de Feral]
Meet the Fifth Essence team:
Tye Biswas, ex-Lab and Gaucho Grill, an advocacy sector veteran and hugely respected figure in the global bar industry, Biswas has worked both as a WSET educator and at the highest levels in the luxury spirit’s sector. His drinks experiences have featured at events including F1, Wimbledon, The Academy Awards and at Harrods.
Julian de Feral is a multiskilled consultant who’s worked at notable bars, including Milk and Honey, but is best known for leading the cocktail division of luxury hospitality consultants, The Gorgeous Group. He developed the much-admired Marriott Luxury Brand Bar Arts global training programme and has written for CLASS, Imbibe, Cocktail Lovers and Drinks Mag Asia.
Angelo Sparvoli has worked alongside Erik Lorincz at the Savoy’s American Bar, where he claimed the title of 14th Head Bartender, and also at Kwant in Mayfair. He recently left bartending to launch Angelo Sparvoli Hospitality, delivering bespoke experiences for private clients and luxury brands worldwide, alongside his day job of being the youngest member of the Fifth Essence.
Heading up the North region is Nick Thomas. As a director of the Graffiti Spirits group with multiple bars in Manchester and Liverpool, Thomas has been embedded in each city’s evolution from his days as lead trainer at the Living Rooms group. Owner-operator of bartender hangouts Salt Dog Slims and El Bandito, he still pulls a shift at his premium cocktail joint Manolo. Thomas is well placed to understand the needs and desires of bartenders in these two Northern cocktail capitals.
Fifth Essence’s first activation is for the global Ophir Gin Discovery Series of bartender workshops. “Cocktail Cuisine: an immersive exploration into savoury spices in contemporary cocktail creation” will be staged at the Cinnamon Kitchen restaurant and run in partnership with leading chef and restaurateur Vivek Singh on the 15th June, with further events planned over the summer.
Follow Fifth Essence @fifthessenceqb on Instagram and for further enquiries please contact [email protected]
ABOUT QUINTESSENTIAL BRANDS
Quintessential Brands owns an award-winning portfolio of world-class spirit brands, which is powered by a strong entrepreneurial vision and passion for innovation, backed by centuries of handcrafted distilling expertise.
Quintessential Brands Group was established in 2011 with the acquisition of G&J Distillers, the UK’s foremost gin distillery, which evolved from Thomas Dakin’s original 1761 operation and now produces an unrivalled quality gin selection. In Ireland, Dublin Liberties Distillery is our home of modern Irish whiskeys and First Ireland Spirits in Abbeyleix crafts award-winning Irish creams. Our French hub, L&L France, creates fine French fruit liqueurs, cognacs, brandies and vodka.
For more information, please contact the communications team at Quintessential Brands by e-mail: [email protected]
