Member Article

North Yorkshire entrepreneur brews own liqueur based on South American discovery

North Yorkshire businessman, Sir James Aykroyd, has revived Brontë Liqueur, a tipple he first discovered some 40 years ago during a business trip to Paraguay, South America.

Now four decades on, he has managed to fulfil his dreams of bringing the liqueur to the UK, transforming both its look and its taste for a more discerning consumer.

Sir James, who worked in senior roles with Buchanan’s whisky and Martini and Rossi and more recently stepped down as a shareholder and chairman of Speyside Distillers, said: “Back in 1928 my great grandfather - Sir James Roberts – bought the Haworth village parsonage and gifted it to the Brontë Society.

“Today that building is the Brontë Parsonage Museum and this is something our family is immensely proud of - I still hold the key to the parsonage’s front door.”

While the original Brontë Liqueur was honey-based and presented in a ceramic jug, the new-tasting drink celebrates God’s Own County with blackberry and sloe and a hint of jasmine.

Sir James and Brontë Liqueur Co Ltd plan to market the drink to a younger audience as a mixer for cocktails, and have already devised a series of recipes, including the Brontë Royale, made from the liqueur topped up with champagne and a Brontë Mule -a refreshing mix of Brontë Liqueur, fresh lime and ginger beer served over ice.

The Yorkshire company plans to sell directly to up-market bars and restaurants as well as specialist independent retailers. Contacts with importers in overseas markets have already been made in Scandinavia, Russia, Spain, Japan, UAE, Canada and the United States.

A percentage of all sales of Brontë Liqueur will be donated to the Brontë Society to ensure that the legacy of the Brontë family endures.

For more information visit: www.bronteliqueur.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .