Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBR) is a family-run British

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

and

spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

s merchant founded in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, in 1698. Since then, the company has grown from a small coffee shop into an international

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

with six offices worldwide. As well as the wines, such as en primeur from places like

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

, the Rhône and Italy, the company also sells wines and spirits under its own-label range, Berry Bros. & Rudd's Own Selection. Other services it offers include wine investment,

wine storage Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ma ...

, wine tastings, events and educational courses.

History

Berry Bros. & Rudd is Britain's oldest wine and spirits merchant, and one of the ten oldest family-run businesses in the United Kingdom. It was founded by the Widow Bourne in 1698 at 3

St. James's Street St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centur ...

, London, which today is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building still used as the company's headquarters. No.3, as it's known, contained Berry Bros. & Rudd's main retail premises until mid-2017, when these moved around the corner to a purpose-built shop at 63 Pall Mall. The company has a discounted store next to its main warehouse in Basingstoke, Hampshire and additional offices in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

as well as overseas in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, Hong Kong and Singapore. The company started out selling coffee, and then diversified into cocoa, tea, snuff, spices, and other exotic goods, quickly becoming one of London's most fashionable grocers. Its West End location and close proximity to

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...

also contributed to its growing popularity. In 1903 they formulated a ginger liqueur to revivify Edward VII from cold car journeys, still purveyed as ''The King's Ginger''. During the years, it has counted many famous customers among its clientele including: Lord Byron, William Pitt the Younger, the

Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...

and

Beau Brummell George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...

. In 2020, Emma Fox took on the role of CEO from Lizzy Rudd, who had been serving as interim Chief Executive since the departure of Dan Jago in 2019. Lizzy Rudd remains the Chair of the Board of Directors. Berry Brothers & Rudd 02

Royal Warrants

Berry Bros. & Rudd has been the official wine supplier to the British Royal Family since the reign of King George III and received its first

Royal Warrant of Appointment Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The royal warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the issuer of ...

in 1903 from King Edward VII.

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

granted the company her royal warrant in 1952, while Charles, Prince of Wales granted it his in 1998.

Basingstoke Warehouse

In 1967, the company moved its bottling operation and warehouse to purpose-built facilities in Basingstoke, Hampshire. In spring 2014, it relaunched its warehouse shop on the site of the former bottling hall, the shop now sells bin-end and reduced price wines and spirits alongside a fine wine collection.

Cutty Sark Whisky

In 1923 Berry Bros. & Rudd launched Cutty Sark

Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

, whose yellow label became famous the world over. In 2010 the brand was sold to

The Edrington Group Edrington (legally The Edrington Group Ltd.) is a privately owned international spirits company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It produces Single malt Scotch, single malts The Macallan, Highland Park Single Malt, Highland Park, The Glenrothes dist ...

; under the deal, Berry Bros. & Rudd acquired The Glenrothes single malt brand, which was then sold back to Edrington in 2017.

Berry Bros. & Rudd's Broking Exchange (BBX)

Berry Bros. & Rudd was the first wine merchant to open an online shop, launching bbr.com in 1995. Today it also has an online wine trading platform called BBX (Berry Bros. & Rudd's Broking Exchange). It enables customers to sell and trade their own wines if they are stored in the company's bonded warehouses. Today BBX is the world's most extensive online fine wine trading platform.

''The Future of Wine'' report

In May 2008, a team from Berry Bros. & Rudd,

Jasper Morris Jasper Morris (born 27 December 1957) is a British Master of Wine since 1985. An expert on the wine of Burgundy, with a strong interest in other pinot-producing countries such as New Zealand, he has taken a strong interest in the nascent wine ...

, MW, Alun Griffiths MW, Simon Field MW, and David Berry Green, drew up a document of speculations into the state of the wine industry in the coming 50 years, ''The Future of Wine''.The Future of Wine report
Among the predictions for 2058 were suggestions that

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

may become one of the world's biggest producers, that grapes will be grown hydroponically in floating offshore vineyards, and honey bees could be trained to detect wine faults.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry Bros. and Rudd 1698 establishments in England British Royal Warrant holders Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Companies established in 1698 Companies based in the City of Westminster Family-owned companies of the United Kingdom Grade II* listed buildings in the City of Westminster Privately held companies of the United Kingdom Shops in London Wine retailers of the United Kingdom Grade II* listed commercial buildings Food and drink companies established in the 17th century