RedLeg Spiced Rum is one of the UK's most recognised premium rum brands — an AIM-listed brand under Distil plc, stocked in major grocery retailers and sold directly to consumers online. Managing B2C fulfilment for a premium spirits brand requires more than a warehouse and a van: it demands careful handling, compliance, packaging precision and the ability to scale without ever dropping the ball on service. That's exactly what Reilly's Express Delivery has delivered.
About Distil plc and RedLeg Spiced Rum
Distil plc is a London-based, AIM-listed spirits company that owns a portfolio of premium drinks brands including RedLeg Spiced Rum, Blackwood's Vintage Gin, Blavod Black Vodka and TRØVE Botanical Vodka. RedLeg — an authentically Caribbean spiced rum infused with Jamaican ginger and vanilla — has been one of the UK's fastest-growing rum brands since its launch in 2013, sold through major retailers and direct-to-consumer online channels.
As Distil has grown RedLeg's presence across B2C channels, the demands on their fulfilment operation have grown with it. Meeting consumer expectations for fast, accurate delivery of glass bottles — while simultaneously scaling stock volumes and rolling out improved packaging — requires a fulfilment partner who can handle complexity without creating it.
Three challenges. One fulfilment partner.
Scaling B2C channels
Growing direct-to-consumer order volumes across multiple online channels without service disruption or missed despatches.
Increased stock volumes
Bringing in significantly more stock to meet growing demand — requiring flexible, scalable warehouse capacity and live inventory visibility.
Packaging improvements
Implementing upgraded packaging across the range — including gift boxing and branded inserts — without disrupting the fulfilment operation.
For an AIM-listed brand like Distil, operational excellence at the fulfilment level isn't just about customer satisfaction — it directly affects brand reputation, retailer relationships and investor confidence. Getting it wrong isn't an option.
Scaling B2C without disruption
B2C growth in premium spirits is an exciting but operationally demanding trajectory. As online order volumes increase across channels — the RedLeg website, marketplaces and DTC campaigns — the fulfilment operation needs to scale in lockstep. Any gap between demand and fulfilment capacity results in delayed orders, disappointed customers and damage to the brand's hard-earned reputation.
Reilly's has managed RedLeg's B2C fulfilment through this growth phase without disruption. Our team handles picking and packing of glass bottles with the care premium spirits demand — every bottle packed to maintain presentation quality from warehouse to doorstep, with full tracking on every order.
"Reilly's have allowed us to scale our B2C channels without any disruption to service — and that's genuinely difficult to find in a 3PL partner. The flexibility and reliability they've shown as we've grown has been essential to our plans."
— Distil plc / RedLeg Rum❌ The fulfilment challenge
- Growing B2C order volumes requiring consistent execution
- Glass bottles demanding careful, damage-free handling
- Increased stock volumes needing flexible storage capacity
- Packaging upgrades to implement without disruption
- Premium brand standards to maintain at point of delivery
✅ With Reilly's
- B2C orders scaling smoothly — zero service disruption
- Specialist glass bottle handling as standard
- Flexible warehouse capacity scaled with stock volumes
- New packaging rolled out seamlessly within fulfilment
- Brand presentation maintained across every single order
Scaling stock volumes with live visibility
One of the most significant operational changes for Distil as B2C demand has grown is the increase in stock volumes flowing through our Lutterworth depot. Bringing in more stock requires warehouse capacity that flexes with demand, but it also requires real-time visibility — knowing precisely what stock is held, what's moving and when replenishment is needed.
Through our DespatchLab platform, Distil's team has live visibility of all RedLeg stock at any time. Stock levels update in real time as orders are picked and despatched, giving the purchasing and logistics team accurate, reliable data to make stock decisions with confidence. No more relying on periodic reports or chasing the warehouse for counts — the information is always current and always available.
Why live stock visibility matters for premium spirits brands: Running out of stock on a premium DTC channel doesn't just mean a missed sale — it means a consumer who was ready to buy goes elsewhere, and may not come back. Real-time inventory data allows brands to replenish proactively rather than reactively, maintaining consistent availability across all B2C channels.
Implementing packaging improvements without missing a beat
Upgrading packaging mid-operation is one of the most operationally sensitive tasks a brand can undertake. Done poorly, it creates confusion, delays and inconsistency. Done well — as Reilly's have managed it for RedLeg — customers simply start receiving a better-presented product without ever knowing a change was made behind the scenes.
Reilly's worked closely with the Distil team to implement the packaging improvements — whether gift boxing, updated outer packaging, branded inserts or new labelling — within the existing fulfilment workflow. New packaging materials were received, catalogued and integrated into the pick-and-pack operation cleanly, with clear instructions for our team to ensure every order going out met the new standard.
For a premium spirits brand where the unboxing experience matters to the consumer, this kind of precision in the fulfilment operation is not a nice-to-have — it's essential to the brand.
What this means for premium drinks brands considering 3PL fulfilment
The RedLeg / Distil experience demonstrates what the right fulfilment partner can enable for a premium spirits brand in growth mode. The three things that make the difference are:
- Reliability at scale — order volumes can grow without service quality degrading
- Transparency — live stock visibility eliminates guesswork from purchasing and planning
- Operational flexibility — packaging changes, new SKUs and increased volumes absorbed without disruption
If your drinks brand is looking for a fulfilment partner who understands the specific demands of the premium spirits category — fragile glass, brand presentation, B2C channel management and compliant alcohol handling — Reilly's alcohol fulfilment services are built for exactly this.