Fortitude Spirits Group is a multi-faceted organisation, with substantial capabilities as a manufacturer, developer, and distributor. Through a combination of innovation and industry expertise, the organisation has assembled a pioneering portfolio of spirits, liqueurs, and ready to drink items popular across the UK.
Structurally, Fortitude Spirits Group is divided into three core divisions: Fortitude Spirits, Fortitude Drinks, and ICB Distillers. Each of these units performs key functions that contribute to the success of Fortitude as a whole.
Fortitude’s first division, Fortitude Spirits, is dedicated to brand creation. Leveraging decades of experience in developing and marketing drinks brands, Fortitude Spirits is a creative force with the agility to react to specific customer needs and prevailing market trends.
Innovative Brands
Fortitude Spirits is home to a number of popular brands, including Rozél Rosé Vodka, Café Solo, and Hawksbill Spiced Rum. Hawksbill was under the spotlight in early 2025 when Fortitude Spirits provided the award-winning spiced rum with an innovative rebrand. After securing a listing across 130 Booker depots, the product – known for its commitment to sustainability and sea turtle conservation – is now bottled in a manner that reflects its mission.
Redesigned Hawksbill bottles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled glass, with labels produced from recycled sugarcane fibre. All inks and seals on the bottle are plant-based, while corks are made from waste materials. The front of the bottle prominently features a sea turtle, reflecting the fact that Hawksbill regularly makes donations to sea turtle conservation projects.
The Hawksbill project is an example of how Fortitude Spirits is capable of reinventing brands to better suit their vision, without losing sight of their central concept. The division’s aptitude for communicating a message in the most effective way possible has made it a valuable asset to Fortitude and its clients.
Fortitude’s second core division is Fortitude Drinks UK. Working hand in hand with Fortitude Spirits, the division specialises in scaling its own brands and third party brands across the UK and internationally.
Benefitting from a sales team experienced across all sectors of the UK drinks market, Fortitude Drinks supplies over 8,000 convenience retailers, as well as nationwide pubs, bars, hotels, and restaurants.
Bringing Spirits to Life
One of the most recent brands to partner up with Fortitude Drinks is Crystal Head – a Canadian vodka co-founded by Hollywood star Dan Aykroyd. The company announced an exclusive distribution deal with Fortitude Drinks in April 2025.
Fortitude Drinks’ mission will now be to expand the availability of Crystal Head vodka across the UK. To do so, the division will lean on its established distribution network, forging pathways to potential as it boosts brand visibility and volumes.
The third and final division at Fortitude is ICB Distillers. The division is a vital part of the wider group, collaborating with new and established brands to bring spirits to life.
Based in Middlesbrough, where it operates a British Retail Consortium-accredited production facility, ICB Distillers can handle all stages of spirit development and production. This includes liquid and concept development, distilling, blending, and bottling for Fortitude products and private label/third-party brands.
In 2024, ICB Distillers received a significant boost in its production capacity and capabilities. ICB Distillers’ modern facility features top-of-the-range equipment, including state-of-the-art bottling lines and an in-house laboratory specialising in liquid development and chemical product testing.
Each year, ICB Distillers produces around 30 million bottles of drinks across almost 500 SKUs. The division can run spirit formats from 5cl miniatures to 1 litre glass bottles, and also boasts a newer ‘craft line’ providing smaller scale runs from independent producers looking to break into the market.
Complementing the ICB production facility is on-site storage with a capacity of one million litres. Similarly, an on-site warehouse can hold up to 1,700 finished pallets of product, which will go on to UK supermarkets, wholesalers, cash and carry stores, and pub groups.
Exceeding Expectations
Despite all its technology and production capabilities, Fortitude’s greatest strength lies in its people. At ICB Distillers, for instance, a team of just over 85 keeps the division’s production facility running with their knowledge, technical expertise, and flexible approach.
ICB Distillers’ workforce is representative of the way teams operate across the entire Fortitude Spirits Group. Just as Fortitude’s three divisions collaborate to form a greater whole, so the company’s workforce comes together to exceed expectations and achieve something greater than the sum of its parts.
With roots that stretch back to 1990, Fortitude Spirits Group enjoys an ideal balance of tradition and modernity. Experience has helped the company achieve its high standing in the spirits industry, and as continued investment in its Middlesbrough production facility illustrates, the organisation is determined to stay true to its history in the North East of England. The business is currently planning to install a new canning line at the site, which will be operational by the end of November 2025.
At the same time, Fortitude is always looking to the future. In 2024, the company opened an office at 91 Wimpole Street in London, close to Bond Street Station. The new site in the English Capital is another step into the future for the business, and is designed to help propel the company forward.
Ultimately, the key to Fortitude Spirits Group’s future can be found in the company’s name. The organisation is fuelled by a shared spirit across the group to succeed, to break new boundaries, and to set new standards. Simultaneously, Fortitude’s central focus will remain the spirits it produces – products that surpass client requirements, lead their categories, and delight consumers at every occasion.
