The strategic blueprint to launching a Gin distillery
A start-up specific course focussed on category insight and how to go from inception to selling out in the trade.
Botanicals, recipes, still configurations, branding and route to market – each step is interlinked. To be successful in a saturated category like gin, each needs to be considered and expertly executed. Here’s how.
Open With Confidence
From idea to execution, this course gives you the clarity, structure, and expert insight you need to launch your distillery the right way.
Whether you’re just starting out or refining a plan already in motion, it brings all the moving parts into one cohesive place—so you can move forward with confidence, not questions.
Build your dream
The difference between building a dream distillery and a financial nightmare is know-how.
Becoming a Gin maker can be endlessly rewarding, but key to it ensuring you keep a commercial mindset. This course is all about how to save time, save money, avoid mistakes and build something that’s set for success.
STand out from the croud
Cutting through in saturated categories requires extraordinary brands
Be under no illusions – gin is one of the most competitive, creative, and hard to breakthrough categories in the spirits industry. It’s also one of the most fun too!
This course is designed for those who want to understand the challenge ahead, want the context of the category, want to interweave process, people, place and product into a coherent package and want experienced guidance through that journey.
Excellent already exists. Being a great all round product is the minimum requirement you need to be successful in the gin category – this course will give you that advantage.
Holistic planning, coherent delivery
Save time. Avoid costly mistakes. Get it right from the start.
Crafting world class gin doesn’t happen by chance. By building the links and curating your plan so everything is aligned – you can take every aspect to its maximum potential. Critically, it makes sure that your ideas will come through in every pour and not get lost along the way.
This course will help you create a vertically integrated business plan, from idea to execution. Through the process, you’ll be able to ensure that authenticity runs through everything you do, differentiation is built up stage by stage and the outcome is quality and at a competitive advantage.
What you’ll get:
- The ability to build a cohesive plan—not reverse-engineer your way out of expensive gaps
- A clear understanding of every phase from idea to operation
- Practical tools and frameworks to structure your planning
Guidance on how each decision impacts the next, alongside many insider tips for how to hone stills, systems, recipes and concepts.
“You can’t just figure it out as you go anymore. The honeymoon period for gin is over and it’s ruthlessly competitive from day one. If you are getting into the game now, it’s only by reducing the unknowns while simultaneously honing the details during development that you stand a real chance of creating a world-class product.
Olivier Ward, Founder of Everglow Spirits
Yes, this course saves you time and money – but more than that, it’ll give you the edge you need to succeed.”
THE ULTIMATE GIN GUIDE
Everything you ever need to know about gin, from the history, the styles and how they are made, as well as where the front line of innovation lies today. With the context in hand, we go onto how to make it, how to sell it and how to create a cohesive and compelling product.
01
History & Current Market
Understanding the state of the market require a look at the category’s key moments over the past 20 years, as well as where it’s headed. Each region has its unique markers.
02
Established & Emerging Styles
Explaining London Dry, Old Tom, Navy and the newer Contemporary and Flavoured Gin genres. Not just what they are, but how to excel when making them.
03
Botanicals and flavour Wheels
Juniper, fully explained. How to think of flavour profiles, sequence journey’s and dose the ideal botanical intensity.
04
Stills & Distillation
Techniques to maximise flavour extraction. Comparing ‘cold’ distillation, pot, vapour and debating what’s ideal depending on the desired outcome.
05
Recipes & Cuts
How to come to the right grams and the types of methods used to create great tasting gin, while also maximising your cuts to make it consistently and with commercial viability.
06
Assessing Quality & Managing Inventory
How to set up process control, test in context and get valuable feedback.
We explore inventory management and other distillery equipment.
07
Co products & Distillery Practicalities
What to do with waste, effluent and potential by-products.
How to go about cleaning stills, equipment maintenance and what other equipment might be needed.
08
Route to Market
From bottling to bar pour – there are many universal factors to consider irrespective of your location.
Margins, distribution, applying your USP and ensuring your pitch is palpable.
09
Branding
What makes bottles stand out? How can gin brands tell their story more effectively?
We explore the touch points you need to consider and how can you build a coherent strategy to build a customer base.
10
Sense Check
Once you are ready and have taken your learnings further, benefit from a one on one 30-40 minute call to answer any questions specific to your distillery build or brand idea.
THIS COUSE IS HOSTED BY OLIVIER WARD
Global, first hand experience
This course is created and taught by Olivier Ward, one of the world’s leading gin experts and a recognised authority on building spirits brands from the ground up.
Olivier has built distilleries, developed products, and advised brands of all sizes. Over the years he has developed campaigns for Beefeater, Hendrick’s and Plymouth, collaborated on NPD for independent producers like Warner’s, Tarquin’s, Hayman’s, and refined recipes and market positioning for craft startups across the UK, Canada and Australia.
He co-founded Junipalooza, the world’s largest meet-the-maker gin festival (held annually in London and Melbourne), has written gin specific book for Penguin Random House, and served as a category commentator for the BBC, Channel 4, and global publications. He is head gin judge for the IWSC, a member of the Gin Guild, and has created resources including gin flavour wheels, trade books for Fever-Tree, and at the time, developed the world’s first gin-specific e-commerce and editorial platform – which was then acquired by a national wholesaler.
Whether speaking at Tales of the Cocktail, ProWein, Imbibe Live, or to distilleries around the world, Olivier’s approach blends strategic clarity with real-world insight—and this course is your direct access to that.
Broad Foundations to build coherent businesses
Why this course covers so much – and why that matters
Opening a distillery isn’t a straight line – it’s a web of interconnected decisions. That’s why this course doesn’t just focus on one area of expertise. It gives you the full picture so you can understand how each piece affects the others, and build something cohesive from day one.
You’ll explore:
- Recipe development hand-in-hand with category insight.
- Still choice alongside real-world distillation tips and equipment guidance.
- Route to market as part of a wider pricing and commercial strategy.
- Supply chain planning that matches your goals and scale.
This isn’t about giving you a narrow skillset – it’s about giving you control over the entire process. Because launching a great product isn’t just about having one good idea, it’s about building a system that allows that idea to thrive and be conveyed in every sip that’s taken, wherever that might be around the world.
“I charge significantly more for a single day of consultancy – so why undercut myself with a course that shares months’ worth of insights? Simple. Because getting this kind of foundation shouldn’t take years to figure out or cost thousands to access. I love gin, and I want there to be more makers running resilient, fulfilling businesses.
Olivier Ward, Founder of Everglow Spirits
Even when I work one-on-one with clients, those who already have this grounding ask better questions, make better decisions, and move faster. There’s always more to learn – but this sets you up to succeed.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Who delivers the course?
How to open a gin distillery is lead by Olivier Ward. Having spent over a decade at the forefront of the craft gin boom, Olivier is widely recognised as a global gin expert and an ambassador for the category.
How country specific is the advice?
The course is based around universal concepts, advice and practical implementable solutions that are applicable anywhere in the world.
That said, we flag country specific quirks as we go along too, as a reminder for those based in various parts of the word to look into further.
How long is the course accessible after purchase?
The cumulative total time needed to complete the course is 7h-8h.
Once purchased, the course is available for three months. Ample time to learn at your leisure, and return to sections if needed.
Difficulty logging into the How to Open a Gin distillery Course?
The course is hosted on Teachable, which comes with support and easy access. If you are having issues however, no problem – drop us a note and we’ll help!
Can I receive an invoice detailing my charges?
Absolutely. Each transaction will carry its own invoice and receipt. Taxes are based on where students enrol from and are automated in this process.