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Spirits & Distilling

Finance for distilleries, bottling & spirit maturation

From financing copper stills and bottling lines to securing working capital for expansion and visitor centres, Sorbus Finance can consider options from its panel of 150+ UK lenders for the distilling industry.

Arran Turner, Managing Director at Sorbus Finance
Graham Nash, Commercial Finance Director at Sorbus Finance

Talk it through with Arran or Graham

Managing Director

View Arran's profile

We aim to respond within one business day (Mon–Fri, 9am–5:30pm).

Capital Equipment

Asset finance for stills and production lines

Building or expanding a distillery requires significant capital investment in highly specialised equipment. Asset finance allows distilleries to acquire copper pot stills, mash tuns, and bottling lines while preserving working capital for marketing, raw materials, and the long maturation cycles often required in spirits production.

  • Preserve cashflow by spreading equipment costs over 1 to 5 years
  • Finance available for bespoke and imported stills
  • Fund the purchase of physical casks and barrels
  • Upgrade bottling lines to improve production efficiency
  • Flexible end-of-term options, including ownership
Discuss equipment finance
1-5 years
Finance terms
Bespoke
Equipment
150+
Lender panel
Specialist
Sector expertise

Distilling operations we finance

We work across the spirits industry, matching operational requirements with lenders who understand the nuances of distilling and maturation.

Core Focus

Whisky Distilleries

Asset finance for copper pot stills, cask procurement, and long-term capital strategies

Gin & Vodka Producers

Funding for column stills, bottling lines, and rapid-turnaround production scaling

Rum & Specialty Spirits

Equipment finance and working capital for product line expansion

Contract Distillers

High-capacity production equipment and laboratory fit-outs

Independent Bottlers

Finance for advanced bottling lines, labelling machinery, and logistics

Maturation Warehouses

Commercial mortgages for bonded warehouses and racking systems

Distillery assets we finance

We match high-value, durable production equipment with specialist asset finance lenders.

Copper pot & column stills
Mash tuns & washbacks
Fermentation vessels
Bottling & labelling lines
Oak casks & barrels
Heat recovery systems
Bonded warehouse racking
Laboratory & testing equipment
Visitor centre fit-outs
Forklifts & material handling
Biomass boilers & solar panels
Commercial delivery vehicles

Why distilleries choose Sorbus Finance

Understanding long cycles

We know that brown spirits take years to mature. We help structure finance packages that take into account the delayed cashflow nature of whisky and rum production.

Complex asset finance

Financing bespoke copper stills from overseas manufacturers can be complex. We work with lenders experienced in international equipment procurement and installation.

Holistic funding

We look at the whole picture—from the commercial mortgage on your bonded warehouse to the asset finance on your bottling line—finding the most efficient capital stack.

No upfront broker fees

We are paid by the lender on completion. You pay nothing upfront for our advice, our market search, or our end-to-end case management.

Who you could speak to

Arran Turner, Managing Director at Sorbus Finance

Arran Turner

Managing Director

General commercial finance and how Sorbus works

Profile
Graham Nash, Commercial Finance Director at Sorbus Finance

Graham Nash

Commercial Finance Director

Business loans, cash flow and wider commercial funding

Profile
  1. STEP 1

    A conversation with a broker

    You talk to a real Sorbus broker about the business, the purpose and what is affordable. No application at this stage.

  2. STEP 2

    Credit placement

    If you choose to go further, we prepare the case and decide which lenders on our panel of 150+ are worth approaching.

  3. STEP 3

    Lender assessment

    The lender, not Sorbus, underwrites and makes the credit decision. Approval is never guaranteed.

  4. STEP 4

    Documentation

    If a lender offers terms and you accept, we help coordinate agreements and payout paperwork with you.

Every step after the first is optional. You can stop after the conversation. Sorbus is a broker, not a lender.

Client journey

Explore real client journeys

Read how real businesses approached a funding goal, what Sorbus arranged and what happened next.

Browse anonymised case studies
Enquire about Distillery Finance

Start with a conversation

Tell us a little about what you need and who you would like to speak to. No obligation, no credit check at this stage. We aim to respond within one business day, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm.

A preference, not an appointment. We pass it on where we can. We aim to respond within one business day, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. This is an aim, not a guaranteed callback time.

We will use your details to respond to your enquiry. We may share information with our principal, lenders and service providers where necessary, or where required by law, as explained in our Privacy Policy. Marketing emails are optional and depend on your separate choice.

Prefer to call?

Speak directly to an adviser Monday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm.

01246 383500

Free call. No obligation.

Unique to Sorbus Finance

Optional: Business Finance Health Check

Before applying, understand your lending readiness and cashflow resilience with our free Business Finance Health Check, tailored for UK distilleries.

Take the short Health Check

Free · No credit check · Not required before you talk

Want the full picture? The full fact-find is longer and also optional.

Distillery finance questions answered

Common questions from distillery owners and managers.

Ready to fund your distillery's growth?

Speak to a Sorbus Finance specialist for a free, no-obligation quote on production equipment, expansion loans, or property finance.

01246 383500