Inside The U.S. Launch Of Alex And Emma Watson’s Renais Gin

Inside The U.S. Launch Of Alex And Emma Watson's Renais Gin

After launching in the United Kingdom last year, Renais Gin is making the jump across the pond for its official launch in the United States.

Already available in California but debuting in New York this week, the still-relatively new spirits label was co-founded by siblings Alex Watson and Emma Watson. But it would be a mistake to assume that this is just another celebrity liquor brand given the British actress’s successful film career.

In fact, the family history in the legal industry, especially, goes back a long way, which has a strong influence over the way Renais gin was developed and tastes.

The Watson siblings worked alongside their father, Chris Watson, a longtime winemaker in Chablis, to create the gin, which incorporates grapes and botanicals native to the region.

“​​Growing up around winemaking, I always found the concept of terroir so compelling,” Alex Watson said during a media launch event in New York City this week. “There’s no perfect English translation, but it encompasses all the environmental variables—weather, grape variety, geology and the slope’s gradient—that make a particular vintage. I found that concept so interesting and wondered what would happen if you applied it to a spirit. Gin, especially in the U.K., is such a good vehicle for complex flavors.”

Drawing inspiration from their family’s winemaking heritage in Chablis, France, the gin aims to bring the concept of terroir—typically associated with wine—into the world of spirits. And Renais Gin is unique in its approach by upcycling leftover grapes from the winemaking process.

“We don’t let any of the grape skins go to waste,” Alex noted. “We ferment and distill them into a beautiful spirit.”

Inside The U.S. Launch Of Alex And Emma Watson's Renais Gin

The idea behind Renais Gin originated from Alex Watson’s fascination with terroir, a French term that encompasses all the environmental factors that influence a wine’s character. With its distinct Chablis-inspired profile, the brand hopes to stand out by offering a unique take on terroir-driven spirits.

Chris, who planted the family’s vineyard in Chablis in the early 1990s and noted both of the siblings were born in France while he was working in the legal industry there, played a pivotal role in shaping the gin’s profile.

“Winemaking is actually my side hustle. I’m a technology attorney, working mostly in data and related fields, but I’ve been involved in vineyards for quite a long time,” Chris said. “While working in Paris, I became friends with people who were passionate about wine. They joked that I seemed like a Burgundian at heart and said, ‘You’re going to plant a vineyard and realize you should have been born here.’”

In 1991, Chris bought a piece of land in Chablis that had been let go due to frost. It was overgrown with trees, and it took him eight years to clear it and navigate French bureaucracy before finally planting vines in 1999. Over time, he expanded the vineyard, and it became a family project.

“I planted high-quality vines close together to concentrate the flavors and deepen the roots, which produced a wine that won a silver medal in its first year,” Chris recalled. “My children, Alex and his sister, would come down from Paris to help—though, in the early years, they ate more grapes than they picked.”

Renais Gin incorporates several elements from the Chablis terroir, including linden flowers, acacia and the skins of Grand Cru grapes.

“In Chablis wine, you’ve got these three pillars of flavor: body, minerality and fresh white grape character,” Alex said. “We’ve replicated that by using limestone from the region and a little rock salt, along with grape juice and botanicals.”

When Alex went to work at Diageo, he had the idea to take our family project to another level.

“The gin you’re tasting today is a result of that,” Chris said. “The vines are now over 20 years old, and while they’re not officially vintage vieilles vignes yet, they’re well-established. The deep roots help them weather climate extremes like drought or heavy rain, which we’re seeing more of these days.”

Though the gin is rooted in the Watson family’s personal history, Alex stressed what is intended to be a broad appeal for Renais’s flavor profile, which is smoother and less botanical or earthy compared to other gin brands. And it was designed to be versatile, working equally well in a classic dry martini or a more refreshing spritz.

“The lovely thing is that the gin is really approachable, really soft and easy to drink,” he said, describing Renais as a “sipping gin.” When asked how he prefers to consume Renais, he replied to Forbes that he prefers the gin straight up with a lemon twist as a digestif after dinner, a decidedly more French approach to enjoying gin than what you might find among most consumers in the U.K. or U.S.

That said, while Renais will be available to buy in stores and online, Renais is focusing on hospitality and on-premise delivery initially. Alex said it was a gin meant for bartenders so that they could explain the provenance of the spirit.

Before its U.S. debut, Renais was initially launched in countries with stronger gin customer bases outside of the U.K., such as Italy, the Netherlands and France. Renais Gin’s U.S. launch signals the brand’s expansion into a competitive market where gin consumption has been on the rise.

In 2023, nearly 9 million 9-liter cases of gin were sold in the United States, generating over $1 billion in revenue for distillers, according to Statista. Experts attribute the growing popularity of gin to a younger generation of consumers who favor lighter spirits over whisky and other heavier options. While gin sales are expected to continue rising in 2024, growth is projected to slow, with sales reaching 116.5 million cases this year.

“Gin isn’t as big in the U.S. as it is in the UK, but it’s growing,” said Jack Sotti, director of brand advocacy for Renais Spirits, “The martini is the best example of a gin cocktail because you can’t hide behind anything—everything is about the quality of the ingredients.”

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