Burnt Faith, the UK’s first brandy distillery, has launched two premium ready-to-drink cans, introducing the first premium brandy RTDs to be produced in the UK.
Simon Wright, founder at Burnt Faith says: “All other categories – rum, vodka, whisky, gin – have long since ventured into RTDs because of modern consumer shifts around price, accessibility, and experimentation. RTDs in the UK alone are now worth over £800 million and growing fast, up 20% in value last year, but brandy’s been completely missing from the shelf. Brandy has incredible potential in this space, but someone needed to step up and break new ground. We’re prepared to take on that challenge.”
The new 250ml cans, Burnt Faith Brandy & Apple and Burnt Faith Brandy & Ginger, both use Burnt Faith’s signature British brandy as the backbone to create the perfect long drinks. Simon sees them as “a direct challenge to an industry that’s forgotten how to innovate beyond ever more expensive bottles and blends centred around age.”
Wright continues: “These RTDs are another step in breaking down barriers to brandy. We want consumers to try new and explorative drinks but sometimes this needs to be in a format that encourages trial.” Produced at 6.2% ABV, with an RRP of £3.50, The Brandy & Apple delivers notes of citrus blossom, juicy fruit, and marmalade with a cinnamon apple crumble finish. Brandy & Ginger brings burnt orange and fragrant ginger with biscuit and spiced honey, finishing with toffee and toasted coconut.
Brandy continues to be trapped by appellation rules, traditional positioning, and a reluctance to give consumers what they’re looking for. Other spirits categories have evolved but brandy has been gathering dust on back bars and in shops, mainly to be drunk on special occasions like Christmas.
Burnt Faith’s approach is completely different.
From their Walthamstow distillery, they control every step of the production without the traditional constraints that’s holding the category back. “Cognac specifically is either not able to go in this direction or perhaps not willing to budge,” Simon explains. “We didn’t want to build another ‘safe’ brand, this is our call to modern drinkers to look again at what they think brandy is and how they experience it.”
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Burnt Faith is experiencing a 250% YoY growth and has secured over 1000 distribution points in just two years. Today, the company is also launching their Army of Angels crowdfunding campaign via Crowdcube.
Wright says: “Brandy is the third largest spirit category globally but you wouldn’t know it from how it’s marketed, it’s most definitely the ‘silent spirit’. We’re not just building a brand, we’re building a community.”
The RTDs are available for convenience, direct-to-consumer, and grocery channels, with wholesale packs of 12 and D2C-exclusive mixed packs of 6. Simon’s previous success with Hawkes Cider, which he sold to BrewDog in 2018, proves he knows how to shake up static categories.
Burnt Faith’s advisory board includes Keith Greggor, former Skyy Vodka owner and early BrewDog investor, PR powerhouse Matthew Freud and Andy Paul, Corsair founder/CEO. The brand is distributed by one of the UK’s largest independent distributors, Proof Drinks, alongside premium brands like Don Papa Rum and Mr Black’s.
Burnt Faith finished the 2024/25 financial year on £0.6M in revenue which is up significantly from £0.12M in 2023/24. The crowdfunding campaign is to support inventory expansion, distribution growth, consumer education initiatives, and continued innovation.
Wright concludes: “It’s about scaling the business without losing our soul. More liquids, more collaborations and more community-driven experiences.”
