Choosing the wrong alcohol fulfilment partner in the UK isn't just bad for your business — it can leave you on the wrong side of HMRC. This guide covers everything UK breweries, distilleries and drinks brands need to know about alcohol fulfilment: what FHDS approval means, what to look for in a spirits storage partner, how the fulfilment process works and what you should expect to pay.
What is alcohol fulfilment and why does it need a specialist 3PL?
Alcohol fulfilment is the process of storing, picking, packing and despatching alcohol products — spirits, wines, beers and RTDs — on behalf of drinks brands. It sounds straightforward, but alcohol fulfilment is heavily regulated in the UK and carries legal obligations that standard 3PLs simply cannot meet.
The Fulfilment House Due Diligence Scheme (FHDS), administered by HMRC, requires any warehouse fulfilling alcohol orders for non-UK established businesses to register and comply with specific obligations. Even for UK-based brands, using an FHDS-approved warehouse is best practice and increasingly expected by retail partners and marketplace platforms.
The result: most general 3PLs cannot legally handle your alcohol. You need a specialist.
FHDS approval — what it means and why it matters
The Fulfilment House Due Diligence Scheme was introduced by HMRC to tackle VAT fraud in the eCommerce sector. Under FHDS, any warehouse fulfilling goods on behalf of non-UK established businesses — including alcohol brands — must:
- Register with HMRC as an FHDS-approved fulfilment house
- Carry out due diligence checks on overseas sellers they work with
- Maintain detailed records of stock movements
- Report non-compliant sellers to HMRC
Reilly's Express Delivery holds full FHDS approval from HMRC. This means your alcohol products are stored and despatched in complete legal compliance — protecting both your brand and your customers.
When choosing an alcohol fulfilment partner, always ask for their FHDS registration number. If they can't provide one, they cannot legally fulfil your orders.
Spirits storage with collection and delivery UK — what to look for
Spirits storage isn't just about square footage. The right alcohol fulfilment warehouse needs to offer:
- FHDS approval — non-negotiable for legal compliance
- Appropriate storage conditions — spirits should be stored away from direct light, heat extremes and strong odours
- Secure access control — alcohol is high-value stock and requires proper security
- Full inventory traceability — every bottle tracked from receipt to despatch
- Age-verification delivery options — carriers who offer Challenge 25 on delivery
- Central UK location — for fast, cost-effective despatch to all UK postcodes
Our Lutterworth warehouse meets all of these requirements. FHDS registered, centrally located just off the M1 and M6, with DespatchLab providing full inventory visibility from day one.
How alcohol fulfilment works with Reilly's
Getting your drinks brand set up with Reilly's alcohol fulfilment takes less time than you might expect:
1. Onboarding and compliance check
We verify your business details and product range, confirm FHDS compliance requirements and set up your DespatchLab account — connecting to your Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon or other sales channels.
2. Stock delivery to Lutterworth
Your spirits, wines or beers are delivered to our Lutterworth warehouse. We receive, quality check and log every unit into DespatchLab — your stock is live and ready to fulfil within 24 hours of arrival.
3. Orders sync automatically
Every order placed on your website or marketplace flows directly into DespatchLab. No manual entry, no spreadsheets — from customer click to warehouse pick queue in seconds.
4. Same-day pick, pack and despatch
Orders received before our daily cut-off are picked, packed and despatched the same day via DHL, DPD or Royal Mail. Age-verification delivery options available for spirits and wine.
5. Real-time reporting
Monitor stock levels, despatch rates, return rates and carrier performance in real time via DespatchLab. Full audit trail available for HMRC compliance purposes.
Alcohol fulfilment pricing — what should you expect to pay?
Alcohol fulfilment pricing varies significantly between providers. Here's what you should typically expect to pay for a professional, FHDS-approved service:
- Storage: typically charged per pallet, per bay or per cubic metre per week/month
- Pick and pack: charged per order, often with additional per-item fees for multi-bottle orders
- Despatch: carrier cost plus handling, often with negotiated carrier rates lower than direct booking
- Inbound handling: often charged for receiving and logging new stock
- Returns processing: typically per return received
At Reilly's, we offer transparent alcohol fulfilment pricing with no hidden fees — you pay for storage used and orders fulfilled. We don't impose minimum order volumes, so growing drinks brands can start with us from their very first pallet.
Get in touch for a tailored alcohol fulfilment quote — we typically respond within 24 hours.
Which alcohol brands does Reilly's fulfil?
We work with a wide range of UK drinks brands across spirits, wine, beer and RTDs. Our existing alcohol fulfilment clients include craft distilleries, premium gin brands, craft breweries, wine merchants and cocktail brands selling direct to consumer online and via wholesale channels.
One of our longest-standing alcohol fulfilment clients is RedLeg Rum (Distil plc) — an AIM-listed spirits brand who switched to Reilly's to upgrade their fulfilment operation and improve B2C delivery quality. Read the full case study to see how we helped them scale.
Ready to switch your alcohol fulfilment to Reilly's?
If you're a UK brewery, distillery, wine merchant or drinks brand looking for FHDS-licensed alcohol fulfilment with no minimum volumes, transparent pricing and same-day despatch — we'd love to talk. Call 0116 444 0444 or use our alcohol fulfilment page to get in touch.