Episode Deep-Dive Analysis Available at maffeodrinks.com

The family had been making wine in the Chablis region for 35 years. Looking at that grape pomace every harvest, Alex Watson saw what everyone else missed: repurposing it making Gin.

In this conversation, Alex (who co-founded Renais with his sister Emma Watson) reveals the counterintuitive path from London's most exclusive cocktail bars to Waitrose shelves and why both require completely different strategies for the same gin.

We dig into:

• Why prestigious bars that love you most often move the least volume

• The unexpected channel that actually builds premium brands

• How wine sommeliers became his secret weapon in Michelin restaurants

• The Instagram strategy that works when you're "naturally private"

• Why he leads with flavor, never sustainability (even though the sustainability story is incredible)

• The specific moment he knew the traditional gin playbook was broken

This isn't about choosing between credibility and volume. It's about something more interesting.

Listen to find out what.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction: The grape distillation opportunity
• 02:30 Renais origin story: From Chablis winemaking to spirits
• 05:45 Leading with flavor over sustainability in brand messaging
• 08:15 Provenance, terroir, and wine culture in spirits storytelling
• 12:20 B Corp certification and circular economy positioning
• 15:45 Building early credibility account by account in London
• 19:30 The role of bartender advocacy in brand building
• 26:15 Social media approach for naturally private founders
• 28:40 Scaling from independent bars to national restaurant chains
• 32:10 Drink strategy differences: Martinis vs spritzes by venue type
• 35:20 Navigating serve complexity across different bartender skill levels
• 38:25 Hybridization of hospitality venues and menu evolution
• 40:15 Premium positioning strategy: Ultra-premium gin challenges
• 42:50 Market agility and testing new initiatives at consumer events

Interested in Group Subscriptions, Keynote Presentations or Advisory? You can get in touch at bottomup@maffeodrinks.com or find out more at maffeodrinks.com

Welcome to MAFFEO DRINKS. For many years, I've been known as the "build bottom-up" guy.
But many people misunderstand what bottom-up actually means. It's not about small, slow, anti-growth, anti-corporate.
Bottom-up means building at a pace that doesn't jeopardize your future.
Doing the right things on the ground while managing expectations from above.

That's it.

It doesn't matter if your brand is small or big.
It's a mindset.

I'm Chris Maffeo, Drinks Leadership Advisor. 20 years in drinks across 30+ markets.
I've been in the boardroom but chose to stay connected to the field.

I help drinks leadership bridge the gap between bottom-up reality and top-down expectations. Stakeholders want numbers. Your team wants direction. You are caught in the middle. And that's where I come in.

This podcast is about honest conversations with drinks builders: founders, distributors, commercial directors, CEOs, F&B directors. But this isn't a show about biographies. Every guest is here to show their thinking, not their resume.

We talk commercial strategy, route-to-market, distributor relationships, trade marketing, and all the plumbing of brand building that nobody discusses on stage. How the industry actually works, not the conference version. How to master the unscalable things while building scale.

Beyond the podcast, we offer Bottom-Up Intel & Principles: episode deep dives that you can buy for a monthly subscription (Patterns from drinks builders for the leaders building with them).

And for leadership teams who want a thought partner who has been in their chair and still walks the field, we offer advisory.

I
nsights come from sitting at the bar. And remember: brands are built bottom-up.

Find out more at maffeodrinks.com.

Episode Deep-Dive Analysis Available at maffeodrinks.com

Maurice Doyle returns to MAFFEO DRINKS to dissect the drinks industry's inflection point, where COVID's artificial peak has given way to a "new reality" of capital constraints and complexity.

Drawing from his veteran experience across major spirits and scale-up companies, Maurice reveals how brands can achieve growth without abundant funding by focusing ruthlessly on strategy, particularly what NOT to do.

The conversation explores the tension between principles and tactics, why "I don't know" might be the most powerful leadership phrase, and how misaligned expectations between bottom-up brand building and top-down objectives create systemic friction.

Maurice's core insight: in a world where 95% of your target market isn't buying at any given moment, success comes from matching physical availability with mental availability while resisting the siren call of premature retail listings.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction and Industry Veterans Discussion
• 02:30 Current State of Drinks Industry - The Inflection Point
• 08:15 Capital Challenges and New Reality Post-COVID
• 12:45 Strategic Focus: The Power of Saying No
• 18:20 Principles vs Playbooks - Beyond Cookie Cutter Approaches
• 25:10 Getting Out From Behind the Desk Philosophy
• 32:40 Capital-Efficient Growth Strategies
• 38:55 Balancing Long-term Strategy with Short-term Pressures

Interested in Group Subscriptions, Keynote Presentations or Advisory? You can get in touch at bottomup@maffeodrinks.com or find out more at maffeodrinks.com