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Cornish Gin Distillery Hires Ex-Brewdog Boss

2nd November 2022

ANDREW MADDEN JOINS AS HEAD OF OPERATIONS – TO DRIVE GROWTH AND NEW SPIRITS  

● Ex-Brewdog Head of Brewing joins Master Distiller Tarquin Leadbetter to turbocharge growth at

Tarquin’s Gin maker, Southwestern Distillery in Cornwall.

● New Product Development is key to Andrew’s new role as the distillery looks at new spirits

including whisky, after the successful launch of Twin Fin Rum in 2020.

Cornish Gin maker Southwestern Distillery is delighted to announce the hire of Andrew Madden as

Head of Operations. Previously Head of Brewing at BrewDog and before that Head of Production at

Sharp’s. Industry leader Andrew has joined in the 10th year of Tarquin’s Gin to drive future growth

in the business, in the same month Tarquin’s won national supermarket listings in Sainsbury’s and

Waitrose for its flagship Tarquin’s Cornish Gin.

10 years since first teaching himself how to distill gin, Tarquin has established his eponymous gin

brand as one of the largest and fastest-growing super-premium Cornish gin brands in the UK, with volumes

hitting 42,000 9 litre cases in 2021, but never one to rest on his laurels, he is determined to continue

to grow the business and keep experimenting.

Tarquin tells us that the brand is “always looking to try new things and test new products.” He adds

that “The company is incredibly proud of its award-winning gins but loves to experiment and

innovate on taste.”

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Tarqiun’s Famous Cornish Gin

Explaining that he loves the process of distilling and the endless possibilities, Tarquin proudly states

that “the success of Twin Fin over the last 2 years is proof that we can innovate in new categories

and I’m incredibly excited to work alongside Andrew to develop the future.”

With a view to enter new spirits categories, with an eye on whisky in particular, Tarquin has been

spurred on by the success of Twin Fin Rum.

First launched in June 2020, mid-lockdown, the tropical rum brand is now one of the fastest growing

premium spiced rum brands in the UK.

Twin Fin has also established itself internationally having recently won a tender in Canada with the

LCBO for 2023, shaking up the rum space with bold tropical flavours and bottles that stand out

amongst the traditionally dark, muted colours of a category that is finally coming to life.

Tarquin’s has brought together a diverse set of talent to support the future of Southwestern

Distillery. Hiring Andrew, who has degrees in distilling and brewing, and market-leading experience

from Diageo, Sharp’s, and Brewdog, has created one of the world’s best craft distilling teams which

will support the consistency and quality of existing products in the market while creating strong

challenger brands in the future.

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Andrew and Tarquin

Andrew explains that he’s “incredibly excited to work with Tarquin and the team at Southwestern

Distillery. The lure to return to Cornwall with my family – to enjoy time at the beach while making

some of the world’s best gin was an opportunity too good to miss!”

He goes on to say that “The future of the company has remarkable scope for development, and I’m

thrilled to join a strong team to take on the diverse set of ideas and innovations that Tarquin and his

team have been working on!”

Tarquin’s has recently won 4 international gin awards including a double gold at the San Francisco

Spirit Awards for Tarquin’s Cornish Dry Gin. His first experiment launched in 2012 and over a decade

later, this family-owned distillery continues to push the boundaries of innovative spirits and is

establishing itself as a leader in craft distilling.

Explore Tarquin’s Cornish Gin online shop and get 15% Off. Use code SHOPCORNISH