We hear from a lot of drinks brands before they've taken a single order — wine, whisky, rum, mead, spirits, all at the pre-launch stage, all asking the same underlying question: what do we actually need in place before we go live? Getting fulfilment right early saves you from fixing it later, when you're also trying to handle your first real customers.
You don't need volume to start — you need the right foundations
The biggest misconception we hear from new drinks brands is that a 3PL is something you graduate into once you're doing serious numbers. In reality, the earlier you get compliant storage and proper packaging sorted, the fewer problems you have to unpick later. With no minimum order volume, there's no reason to wait until you're doing hundreds of orders a month to get this right — you can have it ready before your first one ships.
FHDS compliance isn't optional, even at small volumes
If you're storing and despatching alcohol, the warehouse holding your stock needs to be FHDS-approved — the Fulfilment House Due Diligence Scheme exists specifically to stop illicit alcohol moving through UK supply chains, and it applies regardless of how small your operation is. Worth being clear on where responsibility sits: your fulfilment partner's FHDS approval covers the warehousing side, but you're still responsible for your own AWRS (Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme) registration if you're selling as a business. One doesn't replace the other.
Packaging is where new drinks brands lose customers
Glass breakages are the single most common cause of bad reviews for a new drinks brand — not the product itself, but a bottle that arrived cracked or a box that looked like it had been thrown across a warehouse. Void-fill, corner protection and internal dividers for multi-bottle orders aren't optional extras; they're what stands between a customer's first impression of your brand and a refund request. It's a lot easier to build this into how orders are packed from day one than to retrofit it after a run of complaints.
What we actually see work
RedLeg Spiced Rum — an AIM-listed drinks brand — scaled their direct-to-consumer channel through Reilly's alongside their existing retail presence, with compliant storage and careful glass handling holding up through the volume increase. The pattern that works isn't complicated: get compliant storage and proper packaging right from the start, and the operational side stops being something you have to think about as you grow.
Questions worth asking before you commit to a 3PL
- Are they actually FHDS-approved, or just willing to store alcohol without the accreditation?
- Do they have real experience with glass and multi-bottle orders, not just general parcels?
- Is there a minimum order volume that locks you out until you're bigger?
- Can they show you exactly how a bottle gets packed before you commit?
Getting started before your first order
Reilly's is FHDS-licensed, works with drinks brands from their very first order, and builds proper glass handling into every pack — not as an add-on. If you're pre-launch and want fulfilment sorted before you need it, that's exactly the stage we're set up for.
Frequently asked questions
Getting your drinks brand launch-ready?
Call 0116 444 0444 or visit our alcohol fulfilment page for a free quote.