Hope you had a nice Christmas Break. Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
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:
This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. You can get in touch at bottomup@maffeodrinks.com
A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com