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Distillers Roundtable
Gin Guild members are warmly invited to join the Worshipful Company of Distillers for their first Distillers’ Roundtable about The Investment Outlook for 2026.
Thursday 4th June 2026 4.00pm-8.00pm
£45 per person
Dress code: Smart/business attire
This is a rare chance to spend an afternoon in good company, in one of London’s finest settings, with a glass in hand and a genuinely interesting conversation unfolding.
Join members of the Worshipful Company and friends at the Athenaeum Club for the inaugural Distillers’ Roundtable – a relaxed, informal gathering built first and foremost around networking, conversation and candid exchange of ideas.
This is deliberately not a formal seminar. No presentations, no slides – just a 45-minute, fast-paced discussion from a highly experienced and eclectic panel, designed to spark debate and carry on into the room.
Against a backdrop of softening valuations, rising whisky inventories, and increasing talk of major industry consolidation – including possible moves involving large industry players the panel will explore what the investment outlook for 2026 really means for operators, investors and brand-builders alike.
Featuring
- James Espey OBE – one of the great architects of the modern spirits industry, behind brands from Baileys to Johnnie Walker Blue Label
- Beanie Geraedts-Espey – luxury brand builder and former MD of The Last Drop Distillers, with a sharp, modern perspective on premiumisation and purpose
- Duncan McFadzean – CEO of Noble & Co and leading adviser on spirits-sector deals, valuations and capital strategy
- Charles Livingstone – Partner at Brodies and expert in competition law, bringing insight into how regulation shapes major transactions
Expect conversation around:
- Whether we are now firmly in a buyer’s market
- The reality (and implications) of whisky oversupply
- What large-scale consolidation could mean for the rest of the industry
- Where opportunity still lies for independent distillers
- And what “innovation” really looks like in a tighter capital environment
Above all, this is an opportunity to connect, exchange views, and enjoy a relaxed and thoughtful discussion among peers—with the panel as a starting point, not the main event.
4.00pm-8pm
£45 (inc VAT) per person
Dress code: Smart/business attire
About the Venue
The Athenaeum is a private members’ club in London, founded in 1824. It is primarily a club for men and women with intellectual interests, and particularly (but not exclusively) for those who have attained some distinction in science, engineering, literature or the arts. Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday were the first chairman and secretary and 51 Nobel Laureates have been members. Its current Chairman is Sir Philip May, an English investment manager who is married to former Prime Minister (2016 to 2019) Theresa May.