Artisanal British gin brand 6 O’clock Gin launches its products in select cities in Florida and Georgia, soon followed by other states. Republic National Distributing Co. is the distributor.
The American launch of the Bristol, England, craft spirits maker comes just over two years after a group of Tampa-based investors and self-described gin nerds fell in love with them during a visit to family-run artisan spirits maker Bramley & Gage and decided to introduce the small-batch gins to the U.S.
“We’d literally traveled the world in search of exciting new gins, and when we tasted these, we knew we had to share them with fellow Americans,” said Daniel Martinez, director of 6 O’clock Gin U.S. operations.
Of the U.S. launch, 6 O’clock Gin Head Distiller Michael Kain said: “After three decades of crafting our unique gins for the best bars and retailers in the U.K., now’s the time our American cousins enjoy them, too.”
Among 6 O’clock’s products now available in the U.S. are its flagship London Dry, Brunel, Damson and Sloe gins.
Principals in 6 O’clock Gin’s Tampa-based U.S. subsidiary include veteran banking executive Susie Martinez, her son Daniel, and Robert Rothman, CEO of Black Diamond Capital and an owner of Washington, D.C.’s National Football League team.
One of the original pioneers of the U.K. gin boom back in 2010, family-owned craft gin brand, 6 O’clock Gin maintains its long-held family tradition of enjoying a gin and tonic cocktail at six o’clock, a very British custom, still enjoyed at the distillery and shared by gin-lovers all over the world.