Focusing on sales of artisanal spirits, including premium gin brand Whitley Neill, in grocery stores and online has helped this Liverpool business navigate the turbulence caused by the pandemic, although the impact of Covid-19 and the abolition of duty dilution mean that it is planning the closure of its Liverpool production facility. Among its brands that have seen growth despite the pandemic is JJ Whitley vodka, which will be produced in the firm’s new £5m distillery in St Petersburg, opened earlier this month. The group is led by chief executive Stewart Hainsworth, 51.