ABOUT US
OUR STORY
THE EARLY DAYS IN LONDON
Sweetdram was founded in 2014 by Andrew MacLeod Smith and Daniel Fisher, who met in 2011 while studying for their Master’s degrees in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University. After the course, the pair kept in touch to flesh out an idea they had for a modern drinks brand focused entirely on original flavour instead of conventional categories and repetitive trends. In 2014, they started Sweetdram from a tiny but well-designed work space in Dalston, London. The initial concept for the brand was to become the industry's first ‘gypsy’ distillers, who collaborate with various distilling partners around the world to make one off expressions that push categorical boundaries in terms of flavour and style. Read more.
BRAND INCEPTION & DESIGN
The Sweetdram logo appears on every bottle as a mark of quality and assurance. It plays with the idea of separation during distillation, using four primary geometric shapes to construct the now-obsolete symbol for a ‘dram’. These shapes are reconfigured to give each product label its own unique visual identity while retaining a core aesthetic thread throughout the range. The bottles are instantly recognisable as a series on any shelf or back bar, with the vibrant colour palettes chosen to synesthetically reflect the flavour profile of the liquid. The dram logo can also be found prominently displayed on all Scotch whisky releases as a seal of approval for the liquid inside. To add further distinction, each product comes packaged in the Sweetdram custom amber bottle. The simple design, based on the proportions of the Dram logo, focuses on form and function instead of try-hard embossing and unnecessarily thick bases.
The Sweetdram logo appears on every bottle as a mark of quality and assurance. It plays with the idea of separation during distillation, using four primary geometric shapes to construct the now-obsolete symbol for a ‘dram’. These shapes are reconfigured to give each product label its own unique visual identity while retaining a core aesthetic thread throughout the range. The bottles are instantly recognisable as a series on any shelf or back bar, with the vibrant colour palettes chosen to synesthetically reflect the flavour profile of the liquid. The dram logo can also be found prominently displayed on all Scotch whisky releases as a seal of approval for the liquid inside. To add further distinction, each product comes packaged in the Sweetdram custom amber bottle. The simple design, based on the proportions of the Dram logo, focuses on form and function instead of try-hard embossing and unnecessarily thick bases.
SUSTAINABILITY
SWEETDRAM'S DISTILLERY GARDENThe distillery garden, located at the front of the building, represents a core part of our ethos. The team feel a regular sense of responsibility to take steps toward a more sustainable way of life. In doing so, they’ve teamed up with local businesses like Radicle Gardens to ensure the land use is maximized. Together, they have created a system for capturing rainwater, selected a range of plants and flowers that promote biodiversity and are currently researching the feasibility of a green roof. Beyond using the fresh grown botanicals for distillery production, the team also keeps a selection of herbs and spices for domestic use in an effort to reduce plastic wrapped ingredients found in supermarkets. The act of taking these tiny steps reforms human habits to live off of what you have grown, not purchase what you think you need.
SWEETDRAM'S DISTILLERY GARDEN
The distillery garden, located at the front of the building, represents a core part of our ethos. The team feel a regular sense of responsibility to take steps toward a more sustainable way of life. In doing so, they’ve teamed up with local businesses like Radicle Gardens to ensure the land use is maximized. Together, they have created a system for capturing rainwater, selected a range of plants and flowers that promote biodiversity and are currently researching the feasibility of a green roof. Beyond using the fresh grown botanicals for distillery production, the team also keeps a selection of herbs and spices for domestic use in an effort to reduce plastic wrapped ingredients found in supermarkets. The act of taking these tiny steps reforms human habits to live off of what you have grown, not purchase what you think you need.
OUR WHISKY PROGRAM
Andrew and Daniel’s curation of Scotch whisky casks predates the inception of Sweetdram. Through their long history of links and connections to the industry, they decided to invest in maturing single malt casks with the view of one day launching a whisky program. Before the pair even considered becoming an independent bottler, they set off to create their own unique blend that would be used as a base for the world’s first Scotch whisky Amaro. Driven by an intense, parallel love of both Scotch and amari - the traditional bittersweet Italian style of liqueurs - the recipe groundwork had already been laid following their successful collaboration on the Moonshine Liqueur with Kings County Distillery. By adapting the short lived but hugely successful recipe created in Brooklyn, they built on a flavour profile that aimed to enhance the whisky base, not mask it. The result is a unique modern dram made with a blend of peated and un-peated Scotch single malt and grain whiskies, infused with allspice, hibiscus, coriander, lovage, kola, quassia, rhubarb, fresh lemon and lingonberry then sweetened naturally with honey.During their work on the Whisky Amaro, Andrew and Daniel were reacquainted with the subtle nuances of Scotch whisky. Retaining their personal view that all whisky is meant to be shared, the time came to independently bottle the beautiful expressions that were maturing in various warehouses around Scotland. In keeping with Sweetdram’s contemporary values, the team designed a new aesthetic to house Scotland’s liquid gold; one that brings the brand’s original ‘dram’ concept to the forefront.
Andrew and Daniel’s curation of Scotch whisky casks predates the inception of Sweetdram. Through their long history of links and connections to the industry, they decided to invest in maturing single malt casks with the view of one day launching a whisky program. Before the pair even considered becoming an independent bottler, they set off to create their own unique blend that would be used as a base for the world’s first Scotch whisky Amaro. Driven by an intense, parallel love of both Scotch and amari - the traditional bittersweet Italian style of liqueurs - the recipe groundwork had already been laid following their successful collaboration on the Moonshine Liqueur with Kings County Distillery. By adapting the short lived but hugely successful recipe created in Brooklyn, they built on a flavour profile that aimed to enhance the whisky base, not mask it. The result is a unique modern dram made with a blend of peated and un-peated Scotch single malt and grain whiskies, infused with allspice, hibiscus, coriander, lovage, kola, quassia, rhubarb, fresh lemon and lingonberry then sweetened naturally with honey.During their work on the Whisky Amaro, Andrew and Daniel were reacquainted with the subtle nuances of Scotch whisky. Retaining their personal view that all whisky is meant to be shared, the time came to independently bottle the beautiful expressions that were maturing in various warehouses around Scotland. In keeping with Sweetdram’s contemporary values, the team designed a new aesthetic to house Scotland’s liquid gold; one that brings the brand’s original ‘dram’ concept to the forefront.