Ben was recently running a distillery in Norway and previously launched a new gin in Liverpool from where he hails. Ben has worked both for distilleries and breweries in the past.

Ben says: “I wanted to move back to the UK from Norway but I needed to find a distillery that was moving into other areas of distillation and who were wanting to expand on their offering and I found this in Poetic License. I am excited to be part of the team and am looking forward to moving the distillery into other spirits base offerings. I believe that we have the team and knowledge to produce excellent new products as well as continuing to produce the award-winning Gins we are already know for.”

McLean has over 20 years’ experience in the alcohol industry and worked for Heineken for several years. She has also created her own Gin Emporium in Durham.

Michelle agrees with Ben in the new direction the distillery is taking: “I have always had a passion for products within the FMCG alcohol industry, particularly gin. Part of myself moving back into a sales role was the passion and commitment I have seen from Mark Hird in steering the company into new product offerings and to get a strong team in place to ensure that we have the knowledge and skill-set to create an interest in the market. I am really looking forward to selling and creating new relationships across the UK and other international markets.”

Poetic License is diversifying not only into new spirit-based offerings within the rum and whisky markets but they are also opening a new distillery in South Africa.

Mark Hird, managing director of Poetic License Distillery says: "We have expansion plans for the distillery not only into new product offerings but to also drive our product into new markets. We realised that South Africa is a diverse, cultural country with access to unique botanicals which would enable us to create more interesting gins but also to set our sights on expanding our market reach into other countries in the Southern Hemisphere. As we are expanding weneeded to appoint key staff members who can drive our strategic plans both in the UK but also internationally, having Ben and Michelle on-board will compliment the existing team we have in place and help drive our market share and offerings.”