She will now lead the senior management team in driving a programme of growth for the five-year-old business, building on the success to date of its award-winning service and owned spirits portfolio.

Ms Scott has over 30 years’ experience in supply chain and operations management within the global drinks business. Joining Young Spirits in 2023 as director of operations, she has provided leadership and strategic direction across the business, overseeing operational management at the site and ensuring long term organisational growth through her commitment to brand and service development.

She will now focus on scaling the Young Spirits service, building its highly skilled team, and strengthening the commitment to operational and customer service excellence, sustainability and sector-leading innovation for which Young Spirits is known. 

Young Spirits co-founder Alex Harrison said: “Barbara has been a huge asset to our team in the last couple of years and we are thrilled that she will be taking on this new role at such an exciting stage in Young Spirits’ development.

“We are confident that her strong leadership skillset and strategic vision will help us to take our fast-evolving business to the next level.”

Mr Harrison founded Young Spirits in 2019 with fellow entrepreneur and spirits enthusiast John Ferguson. They established the business as a progressive, sustainable partner for the spirits community.

The business specialises in new product development and branding projects for clients of any scale: from exclusive ultra-premium private bottlings to large commissions for global brands, with each client having a dedicated account manager.

Ms Scott added: “I’m delighted to take on the role of managing director and deeply grateful to Alex and John (Young Spirits Co-Founders) for their trust. I’m committed to building on the business’s successes, delivering strong results, and driving positive growth for the future.”

Alongside the core Young Spirits service, the business is building a portfolio of its own spirits brands. This includes Ferg & Harris, a luxury single malt brand pairing exquisite whiskies with different wood finishes for a truly distinctive dram; and Uhuru, a spirits brand with a mission at its heart, with 10% of profits donated to African-driven conservation efforts through a partnership with the charity Tusk. Young Spirits also has expertise in cask and bulk trading.