British Army Captain-turned-distiller Alex James traces his journey from the UK to Peru and back. In his own words, he tells the story of how he transformed London to Lima from accidental-moonshine-in-a-laundry-room to a bona fide business.

FROM LONDON TO LIMA

Alex and his wife, Karena, moved to Peru in search of a new adventure after the Army. With a mechanical engineering degree and an MBA under his belt, Alex had plans to launch a project in the jungle. The path looked relatively clear – until it didn’t.

“The washing-machine door clicked, followed by three beeps: my signal to start the distillation. I began to boil up the batch of rum wash and await the flow of heady aromas. This was my laundry room at home in Lima, where I had plumbed in a 20-litre copper pot still which I’d brought from London in a shipping container.

“We moved to Peru looking for adventure. Karena was eager to discover her roots, her parents having left Peru in the 1960s for postgraduate studies. We were introduced by my sisters, and I was bowled over at first glance. Peru was a land of opportunity and given time I knew we could make something work.

“Circumstances put shot to the original plan within two weeks of moving the family over, and I found myself with time to spend on my new hobby: distilling.”

TRIAL AND ERROR

What started as a hobby quickly developed into something more serious. Before long, Alex’s historic ties to wine and grape-growing would come full circle.

“Fortunately, we had a decent-sized laundry room. I started playing around and accidentally made moonshine; I had thought it was rum, but it lacked much depth of flavour. Popping some oak chips into the bottle, I found, was no substitute for barrel-ageing.

“Some friends were growing grapes to make Pisco, which is like an unaged Cognac but with strictly one distillation allowed [in Peru]. I helped with their harvest and started making Pisco myself, which gave me the idea to make a grape-based gin.

“My father was an equally mad entrepreneur and used to make wine in Gaillac, France. My first small step into commerce was selling his wine to my school friends, unbeknownst to him. I had also really enjoyed working as an intern on a grape farm in Namibia on my gap year. Swimming across the Orange River every lunch break to search the desert for ever-elusive diamonds that I had read about in a Wilbur Smith novel.

“Full of confidence, I began distilling and experimenting incessantly. The big challenge was to take it from the laundry room to a business.”

BACK ON SENTRY DUTY

The technical side was not so straightforward; it turns out there wasn’t really a playbook for making Pisco-based gin.

“Pisco distillation is done typically within a couple of weeks of harvest. I realised there were distilleries whose stills were not used for nine months of the year. I could save the initial investment and rent somewhere. Through a cricket connection I met a distillery owner (and former Peruvian Cavalry Officer) who kindly let me experiment on and off for a year until I rented the space full-time.

“It was a challenge. Almost all gin distillers buy neutral alcohol at 96% ABV. But I distilled fermented grape juice into Pisco, and then distilled that again into a base spirit, which I used to make gin.  To distil the base spirit, I had to modify the still to reach a higher alcohol-by-volume (ABV) – which meant I needed to build a hybrid column. I had to dust off my mechanical engineering degree.

“I made modification after modification to the still. I worried I would never get to the flavour that I was after. Sat in my kitchen one summer evening I finally tasted the base spirit where I had eliminated a flavour that was bugging me. Eureka! I first made these modifications on a 20-litre still. When they eventually proved successful, I did the same to the 400-litre still from the Pisco distillery.

“I found it was taking a 40-hour distillation to get to the necessary ABV. It was like being back on sentry duty: I had to set my alarm every 90 minutes in the night to check my flow rates were correct on the cooling system. Too much cooling and the column flooded; too little, and the ABV dropped into a flavour threshold that I didn’t want. My nose became well-tuned. I could sense a change by sniffing the air. It was tiring, but it made a pleasant break from the hustle and bustle of Lima.”

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

If it’s not already clear, Alex is a hands-on operator. Involvement in every stage of the production process has taken him to some out-of-the-way places. His search for water is a notable example.

“While trekking in the Cordillera Blanca, part of the Peruvian Andes, it struck me that I should be sourcing water from glaciers, which are, ultimately, distilled water on a massive scale.

“Carving out glaciers obviously wasn’t appropriate. Seeing those pristine, turquoise-blue glacial springs was captivating. I reasoned that water must be leaking out of those lakes as springs somewhere further down the mountain, so I went looking for glacial springs. I spoke to a local guide, Carlos, about how to find one. Carlos teaches at a mountain training school; he set his students to work, searching and asking the local communities for possibilities. Their brief was to find a spring that was just about accessible, not contaminated by human populations. He came back with some options and off I went to visit them.

“There was one that stood out. I had to beef up the suspension of my Land Rover to cope with the 1.2 tonnes of water. The brakes also got an upgrade. I still managed to douse myself, my intern James and the dashboard in ice-cold water once, trundling down the rocky road. We had no music for our nine-hour drive back to Lima, so I taught James a few Irish folk songs.”

SMOOTH SAILING?

Alex then undertook a master’s degree in brewing and distilling, which set him up for future success – though the challenges didn’t stop there.

“It was difficult to find the time to study on top of the business and a growing family. But it was an amazing learning experience, and it was valuable to see where the latest research was focusing. It gave me more confidence that I was doing things correctly, and it helped me decide what I should do next.

“Then, almost literally, the roof caved in. Sadly, the man from whom I rented the distillery passed away, and I couldn’t reach an agreement with his family. I had to move and start again. We searched and found an abandoned cattle-ranch. Some of the buildings were just about serviceable. We invested a great deal of time, eventually building a new distillery with lots of charm and character. We only signed the purchase three months before moving the family back to London in 2022, which made the setup particularly difficult.

“We fitted it out with a 1,250-litre copper still of my own design, built with talented local metalworkers. The worry, the sleepless nights: have I built the still strong enough? Have I sized the chimney correctly? Will the 20,000-litre cooling-tower be suitable? Will the firewood or gas burners scorch the botanicals or the grape must? What will it taste like?

“The new distillery is off the grid. I had to power my cane presses off petrol engines, and I had to build a new cane press. Why didn’t I import one? Building it myself was more cost-effective and a greater learning experience. This is why I build most of the things that I build; I enjoy the challenge.”

Browse our London to Lima range.

Many of us assume that aged wines are better than their youthful counterparts, but we all have different palates. If you don’t quite understand your tastes, it’s difficult to manage your cellar and know when to withdraw your wines. So, what exactly happens when a bottle is laid down to rest? To illustrate the ageing process in action, we lined up three vintages of the same wine to see how each is tasting.  

It’s a familiar adage that wines get better with age, but the question of “better” is a subjective one. Do you prefer your wines brimming with fresh fruits, or nuanced and complex with hints of mushroom and leather? There are no wrong answers – it’s all down to what you like to drink. But it’s good to know when to pull the cork, so you end up with a wine in your glass that you’ll enjoy.  

Wine is a constantly evolving thing. When it is young, the fruits in the mix are all crying out for attention: vibrant, tightly woven and tart. At this stage, the tannins are at their thickest, and you’ll feel them furring your teeth and gums. While that may not sound especially pleasant, tannins marry particularly well with dishes rich in protein and fatty meats, making such young wines perfect for pairing with hearty meals.  

As a wine ages, these fruits gradually fall away. The acidity levels come down, the tannins soften, and the overall profile is one of greater complexity, with more savoury elements coming to the fore. Some wines have long lives, and given the right conditions, can happily keep evolving this way in the cellar, developing all sorts of nuanced tertiary flavours.  

To taste this process in action, we lined up three vintages of exactly the same wine: the 2018, the 2005 and the 1995 bottlings of the grand vin from Château Gruaud Larose in Bordeaux.  

2018: young, fresh and lively 

At the time of writing, this wine is around five years old – which, for this style of wine, is very much youthful. As you’d expect, the colour is a deep purple, brooding, like forest fruit compote. The fruit character is very dense and dark, with notes of sticky black cherries, plum jam and blackcurrant cordial, alongside touches of menthol, liquorice and lilac.  

The acidity is high, but this is partly masked by the intense bursts of fruit leaping out of the glass. The tannins are particularly thick, clinging to your teeth in as little as one sip. The overall picture is one of vibrancy and intensity, with all the elements in place to settle in for a long resting period. Acidity, tannins, body, complexity – ticks all round.  

Add to cellar

2005: in elegant middle age 

At almost 20 years old, many of the elements that were so tightly coiled in the ’18 have now unfurled. The wine is much more relaxed and open, with the fresh fruits giving way to a more muted dried fruit profile – dried cranberry, raisin, prune – with notes of leather, oak spice and leaves coming to the fore. 

The tannins have softened considerably, joining together and creating a more silken texture. Gone is the striking bruised fruit hue; the colour here is a mellow kind of garnet. Conversely, the acidity is perhaps more noticeable here than in the ’18, in the absence of fresh fruits. As Barbara Drew MW says, “our brains take all sorts of short cuts when you smell and taste a wine.” Acidity levels don’t change too dramatically with time, but our perception certainly does, depending on the accompanying flavours in the liquid.  

Whether you like the wine or not will inform how much you notice the acidity. If you like the wine (as I do), you might interpret the whole profile as fresh, silky and balanced. If you don’t like it, your attention might be drawn to the acidity, and it may still seem a little sharp. But overall, the impression is one of elegance and poise.  

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1995: funky, smoky and savoury 

We’re inching closer to the 30-year mark here. There is a heady perfume leaping out of the glass, but it is not especially fruity. To me, I can’t help smelling funky aromas of mushroom and fermented tofu, plenty of Chinese spices, soy sauce and miso (but that may be a reflection of how much time I spend in Asian supermarkets). There’s certainly plenty of leather, tobacco, dried meat and smoke at play, alongside dark chocolate, graphite and dried fruits.  

The colour here is a delicate light garnet. With even more fruit having fallen away at this point, you might start to notice the tannins again. Although softer, they may also seem somewhat “chewy”. The acidity is much more muted, the brightness gone, contributing to a much more tertiary and savoury character overall. 

You wouldn’t necessarily want to decant a wine like this, apart from to remove the sediment, as the aeration would age the wine even further.  

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A note about the wine 

Château Gruaud Larose, based in the St Julien appellation on Bordeaux’s Left Bank, is famed for its full-bodied and long-lived wines. Every vintage is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot playing the supporting role, and a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. These expressions are fairly typical of red Bordeaux, giving a good indication of how you could expect a wine of this style to develop. 

We recently opened our cellars for an En Primeur tasting of the latest vintage from the Rhône Valley. Across the range, the wines showed great promise for the long term. Below, we delve into just a few highlights from a fantastic vintage. 

In early March, we welcomed almost 30 producers to our cellars for a tasting of the 2022 vintage from the Rhône Valley. Across our cellars, the wines – of which there were over 100 – were split into Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône. 

In the north, the Syrah grape reigns supreme, reaching its (very steep) zenith in the villages of Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and Cornas. Here, the red wines are renowned for their power and grace, with plenty of black fruit and spice character (some even with a distinctive note of bacon fat). Whites are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, and tend to be fresh and aromatic, with some styles displaying tropical fruit flavours. The appellation of Condrieu is particularly famed for its white wines, which are renowned for their richness and body.  

In the Southern Rhône, the reds are warmer and riper than their northern counterparts, typically made from a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre (often referred to as GSM blends) as well as other grape varieties such as Cinsault. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the most famous appellation in the south, producing many fine collectible wines. However, many of the wines made in the South are sold as Côtes du Rhone; although they are not celebrated for their complexity, many are reliably delicious and offer excellent value. Beyond the reds, there are many delicious whites to explore too. These can be made from Grenache Blanc, but also Clairette, Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne.  

With such choice and breadth at your fingertips, where to start? You’d need hours to try every wine in earnest. Add to that the fact that your palate is dulled after a few wines, and things quickly begin to taste the same. However delightful it may sound, tasting wines in this manner can truly be hard work.  

When it comes to tastings such as these, my personal strategy is to choose just a few wines in each style and from each region. This helps me build a broader picture of how the region is tasting overall, rather than honing in on a specific producer or sub-region.  

Diligently tasting my way through 20 wines, I was struck by high levels of acidity across the range, in both the reds and whites. In the reds, this manifested as a sort of sour cherry character, and in the whites as a zippy lemon profile. High acidity is key to ensuring a wine has good ageing potential, alongside structure and tannins. Suffice to say that the wines showed great promise for the long term.  

Below, I’ve included six wines from across the region that stood out to me in particular.  

2022 Condrieu, Côte Bonnette, Mouton Père et Fils 

This white wine had delicious notes of orchard fruits such as golden apple and pear, with a floral perfume and a zesty lemon twist. The palate was marked by a distinct salinity, with more waves of orchard fruit emerging. It also had a subtle savoury character, with a touch of bread and biscuit from time spent on the lees, which also gives it a pleasing sense of body.  

2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Domaine des Saumades 

This was beautifully lively and fresh, with notes of nectarine, juicy pear and white grapes, alongside touches of white flowers and freshly cut grass. With a high acidity and great freshness, it was zingy and ripe in equal measure. Just the sort of wine I can’t wait to enjoy on a hot day, perfectly chilled. 

2022 Viognier de Rosine, Stéphane Ogier  

This ripe white wine had notes of peach, nectarine and orange blossom, with a lovely florality and hints of chamomile, as well as a subtle wax note. The palate was characterised by more lush stone fruits, with great acidity and freshness. All the elements are in place for this to age wonderfully, as the components harmonise. 

2022 Côte-Rôtie, Rose Pourpre, Domaine Pierre Gaillard  

This wine comes at the top end of Pierre Gaillard’s offering. It was displaying notes of rich black fruits, blueberries and spice, with a beguiling perfume of violets. It is not quite approachable yet, but with firm tannins, great structure and a sharp acidity, it has everything needed to age beautifully in the cellar. 

2022 Hermitage Rouge, Domaine Marc Sorrel  

My favourite wine of the evening, this was beautifully rich, complex and layered, with notes of blackcurrant and black plum, alongside pepper, flashes of vanilla, and a hint of violets. This richness was counterbalanced by an uplifting freshness, and the overall texture was wonderfully silky. Although it’s delicious to drink now, it’ll develop even more complexity with time in the bottle.  

2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine de la Janasse  

This was Mediterranean warmth in a glass. It was brimming with ripe, sticky fruits such as cranberry, blackcurrant, plums, with a hint of raisins. Very concentrated, rich and full-bodied, this will continue to develop more savoury notes of leather and tapenade as it ages.  

Browse our Rhône 2022 En Primeur offer here

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we wanted to share the stories of three significant women in our history. Each one has played a huge part in forming the Berry Bros. & Rudd we see today. Here, Alexandra Gray de Walden introduces them.  

With the word “Bros.” in our company name, people are often surprised to discover that our history starts, in fact, with a woman. While very little is known about the Widow Bourne, she was clearly important enough for her reputation to outlive that of her husband (unusual for the period) and the inevitable passing of time. What we do know, however, is we have her to thank for the founding of what is today “Berry Bros. & Rudd”.

Our business is Bourne

From the early 1500s, Whitehall Palace had been the primary residence of the British monarch until it was almost totally destroyed by fire in 1698. It is no coincidence that this is the same year the Widow Bourne opened her shop at No.3 St James’s Street. The Royal Court moved from the wreckage of Whitehall to St James’s Palace that same year, bringing the great and the good of London society, the affluent and aspirational.

While not trading the wines and spirits we offer today, the Widow Bourne was certainly in the business of trading goods from far-flung shores at her Italian Grocers. Foreign spices, tea from the distant lands of Asia, snuff and most importantly, coffee were all on sale at No.3 St James’s Street. The fashion for this new beverage had seen swathes of coffee houses opening in the St James’s area. Here, businessmen would meet to make deals and share the news of the day. Indeed, the humble newspaper has its origins in these coffee houses. Weighing scales at No.3 were employed to measure customers’ coffee purchases and before too long, the shop sign hanging above No.3 St James’s Street was a picture of a coffee mill. An unofficial, alternative address for No.3 has been “At the sign of the coffee mill” ever since.

So little is known of the Widow Bourne that we don’t even know when she died. Her hugely successful business outlived her and was inherited by her daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law, William Pickering.

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Ethel takes the chair

Fast forward over 200 years and another woman is making her mark on the history of Berry Bros. & Rudd.

In 1949, then Chair of Berry Bros. & Rudd, Major Hugh Rudd died at the age of 66 and his wife, Ethel, stepped up to the plate, becoming Non-Executive Chair. The Second World War had been hard for Hugh and Ethel – not only had they shouldered the business through the conflict, but their son Brian was killed in action in Italy at only 20 years old.

Ethel knew what was required when she became Chair at the age of 63. The international conflict came with an unusual set of challenges for the new lady at the top.

Not only did rationing continue in England for another nine years after the end of the war but the business had no wine stock. German occupation of Europe made export impossible, so existing stock was all the Berrys and Rudds had to offer. Our Cutty Sark Scots whisky, so beloved by customers in the USA, couldn’t make it overseas either – much to the delight of American soldiers stationed in London who could, once again, get hold of it – as our sales ledgers confirm.

While having a healthy work/life balance is a common topic in the 21st century it was not so for Ethel. The relentless bombing of London made the city an unsafe place to be. After No.3 St James’s Street was damaged by bomb-related fire in 1943, the company’s export office moved to Ethel and Hugh’s home in the countryside – along with several Berry Bros. & Rudd employees.

“It really was a question of survival”, says Lizzy Rudd, our current Chair and Ethel’s proud granddaughter. “I remember her always being very calm. She was firm but fair. She will have held a steady hand on the tiller.”

Ethel’s steady hand remained at the tiller, in the role of Non-Executive Chair, until she was 79.

A very busy Lizzy

Ethel’s granddaughter Lizzy joined Berry Bros. & Rudd in the 1980s, working first in the marketing team for the Cutty Sark whisky. She briefly left the company to concentrate on family and was then appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director before becoming Deputy Chair in 2005. Less than 60 years after her grandmother, Lizzy became Chair of Berry Bros. & Rudd in 2017.

It was under Lizzy’s stewardship that the world was plunged into the confusion and panic of the Covid-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns and dangers.

“It was quite frightening to begin with,” Lizzy says of those uncertain days in 2020. “I remember being very worried about the safety of our colleagues, but I very much drew on my grandmother’s strength at that time.”   

I have heard others in the wine and spirits industry say the secret to Berry Bros. & Rudd’s longevity is its forward glance – always steering the ship ahead, not merely harking back to its illustrious history. This is one of many reasons why Lizzy is so committed to the company’s environmental sustainability and that of its business actions. Berry Bros. & Rudd’s first Sustainability Report was published in 2021 and Lizzy has firmly cemented sustainability and positive impact as two of the company’s core values.

At the time of writing, Berry Bros. & Rudd is in its 326th year of trading at No.3 St James’s Street and has women in the roles of Chair, CEO, CFO, CTO and CCO.   

What can the women of Berry Bros. & Rudd’s future learn from the Widow Bourne and Ethel Rudd? “To be confident”, says Lizzy. “If we put our minds to it, we can all take the plunge and swim.”