MERMAID MAKES A SPLASH WITH GLOBAL GROWTH STRATEGY

Mermaid Gin has launched an ambitious global growth push, securing US distribution with Southern Glazer’s and expanding its leadership team with industry veterans including Jim Clerkin and Pierrick Bouquet. With investor backing and founders still at the helm, the Isle of Wight brand aims to scale in the US while preserving its island authenticity.

Isle of Wight gin brand Mermaid is charting bold new waters as it prepares for its next phase of global expansion, signing a master US distribution agreement with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and forming a strategic partnership with senior drinks industry leaders who will help scale the brand in one of the world’s most important premium spirits markets. The move signals a significant ramp-up in international ambition for Mermaid, which has steadily cultivated a reputation for provenance, design-led branding and coastal authenticity since its founding in 2014.

Central to the new strategy is a renewed focus on expanding distribution, deepening trade relationships and building long-term brand equity across both the on- and off-trade, while retaining the island identity that has become synonymous with Mermaid’s storytelling. To steer the US growth strategy, the company has welcomed industry veteran Jim Clerkin as chief executive officer and board director. Clerkin brings more than four decades of global wine and spirits experience, having held leadership roles at Guinness, The Jim Beam Company, and Allied Domecq, before serving as president and CEO of Moët Hennessy USA and later overseeing the North America region. His appointment underscores the brand’s commitment to scaling in the United States with serious commercial intent rather than prioritising short-term volume gains.

Supporting the expansion is the appointment of Pierrick Bouquet as chief operating officer for the US market, responsible for commercial, marketing and operational execution across the region. Bouquet has spent nearly twenty years growing premium wine and spirits brands in the United States, including at 21Seeds Tequila and Whispering Angel, and will play a key role in translating Mermaid’s European positioning into a competitive US proposition. The partnership has also welcomed Will Ward, founder and managing partner of Fourward Ventures, as a board member and lead investor. Ward, who previously co-founded Z Alexander Brown, led the investment round in Mermaid and brings substantial experience in capital strategy, entertainment and brand scaling. “Having been in marketing and the consumer business for decades, I’ve rarely seen many brands as powerful as Mermaid,” Ward said. “I look forward to helping make Mermaid a leading brand in the global spirits market.”

Mermaid’s founders, Xavier Baker and Conrad Gauntlett, remain at the helm of the business and will continue to manage day-to-day operations, with Baker becoming managing director for the UK & Europe and Gauntlett stepping into the role of COO for the same region. They are joined by long-serving sales director Malcolm McClellan and marketing director Claire Layfield, who joined in 2025 following her tenure as brand director for Bombay Sapphire. The company also confirmed that the Isle of Wight will remain the heart of Mermaid’s production and brand experience, with distillation, bottling and the visitor centre soon relocating under one roof to support future capacity and tourism demand.

For Baker, maintaining integrity of origin remains core as the brand scales. “Mermaid was born on the Isle of Wight with a simple idea: to create a gin that genuinely reflects the place we call home,” he said. “As we grow in the US, this partnership allows us to stay true to our island roots, our commitment to quality and our responsibility to the environment, while building a stronger long-term presence with American trade.” Gauntlett reinforced the focus on liquid quality as the foundation for growth, adding: “From day one, the liquid has led everything we do. Our focus has always been on crafting a gin with real depth, balance and a sense of place. This next phase is about sharing that quality more widely in the US, working closely with bartenders and retailers who value authenticity and provenance.”

Clerkin said Mermaid was well positioned for a US market where the super-premium gin segment has shown strong momentum. According to IWSR data cited by Clerkin, the super-premium tier—defined as gin priced between US$30 and US$45—grew 57% between 2020 and 2024, reaching more than 1.25 million nine-litre cases and delivering a compound annual growth rate of 12%. That rate is roughly double the growth of super-premium Tequila over the same period, even as Tequila remains a much larger category overall. “Mermaid Gin brings together craftsmanship, story and distinctive flavour—exactly what today’s premium gin consumer is seeking,” Clerkin said. “As younger, design- and values-driven consumers enter the category, gin is playing an increasingly important role in American cocktail culture, and we’re excited to build Mermaid’s future in the US.”

With its island provenance, growing investor confidence and a reinforced leadership structure bridging both sides of the Atlantic, Mermaid is preparing to compete in a market increasingly defined by brand differentiation, craftsmanship and cultural relevance. Its next chapter suggests that British craft gin, once considered a niche segment, still has the capacity to captivate drinkers far beyond its coastal origins—and that for Mermaid, the tide may just be turning in its favour.