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13th December, 2024
WOWGR reform - what does it mean for warehousekeepers & cask owners?
The Warehousekeepers and Owners of Warehoused Goods Regulations (WOWGR) is set to be reformed and simplified. This is along with other simplifications to the holding and movement of goods which will bring the warehousing of duty suspended beer and spirits, including whisky casks, in line with those of wine and other fermented products. The changes are set to be introduced quickly, with the 3rd March 2025 set as the date for the reforms to come into force, leaving warehousekeepers with little time to prepare. Many in the industry see this long-anticipated repeal as a significant step to bring more accountability and transparency to cask ownership, especially where assets are held in suspended duty in bonded warehouses and third party facilities. With regard to bonded warehouses and third party facilities, WOWGR reform likely means disruption and confusion in the short term as the industry adapts. The importance of data integrity has never been more keenly felt. Reform for them means increased accountability and traceability in the storage and management of casks, as well as greater communication with brokers and cask owners who demand and expect robust proof of ownership. The use of spreadsheets , disparate legacy systems and unverified paper certificates denoting cask ownership are long-standing chinks in the whisky industry’s armour that this reform sets to put right.
29th November, 2024
Excel: friend or foe in distillery & warehouse management?
Love them or hate them, spreadsheets can be useful for recording many different types of data tracked by a distillery or warehouse. Financial planning, inventory management, recipe records, barrel locations, duty calculations, chances are you’ll find a spreadsheet at the heart of many of these important tasks in spirits operations. As producers and warehouses scale, the amount of data captured grows, so too the number of people using a shared spreadsheet and the demands put on it. The need for greater efficiency in production, coupled with the drive to introduce sustainability measures that stand up to close scrutiny, all further add to the vital importance of data that is held. As a result, many turn to technology to find a more streamlined and user-friendly solution to support the running of their day-to-day production, storage and operational tasks. The main drivers being the need for transparency and traceability across the entire supply chain, especially as a business grows and the number of assets produced increases. The need for a scalable solution becomes a priority, as does one that provides ultimate assurance that the data collected, and used to base important decisions on, is accurate and up-to-date. Data loss, or error, with something as simple as a mistakenly deleted row in Excel can mean game over. Or at best, a headache for a day or two whilst you wait to see if it can be recovered. A technology solution retains a full history and ensures all data is fully backed up and readily accessible. Here, we look at data challenges facing many distilleries and warehouses today and the tipping points that push organisations to seek solutions beyond spreadsheets.
25th November, 2024
High spirits at The Spirits Business Awards 2024
We’ve long been a fan of The Spirits Business and all their efforts to champion innovation and progression in the spirits industry. Their articles regularly feature comments from our CEO Rob Hollands who’s often invited to give his take on the big issues affecting the sector. So, when the opportunity to get involved in their prestigious awards came about, we took it! Especially when it meant sponsoring an award category close to our hearts - Distiller of the Year. It was sealed furthermore when we found out that the brilliant Claudia Winkleman was to be the esteemed host.
31st October, 2024
Introducing a new model for shared digital ownership
Unlocking new forms of ownership with SegMint. We’ve partnered with the formidable team at SegMint , by VanEck – global leaders in digital asset management, to bring a new form of shared digital ownership to the luxury cask spirits sector. This is a partnership that’s been in the works for months, so we’re excited to share all the details. Not just its significance for the spirits industry, but also to the fact we’re launching with a very special one-of-a-kind Linkwood Scotch whisky cask which pretty much anyone, anywhere, now has the opportunity to own a part of.
9th October, 2024
CX trends transforming the digital customer journey
Being that customer experience is central to all we do, it was an honour to be asked by CX Network for our insights and future predictions on the subject for their latest industry report. Managing customer journeys today requires intelligent design and dynamic management, driven by real-time data, delivered from a suite of robust tools that enable company-wide decision-making. But in designing effective customer journeys, customer experience teams today often face a number of complex challenges. From accessing the relevant data, to understanding customer behaviour and getting ‘buy-in’ from stakeholders as to the value of the modern customer journey, and what it takes to map and manage it. There’s a lot to consider. This is why each year, CX Network puts out its research report that covers the very latest on all the trends, challenges and opportunities that exist around customer journey management. Excited to be offered the opportunity to contribute, we handed the reins to our CEO Rob Hollands to give his commentary and analysis on the findings, as well as sharing his thoughts on where CX is heading over the coming year. The report, The state of customer journey success 2024-25 , in partnership with Alterian, looks at the roadblocks that hold up the customer experience, the adoption of products, tools and techniques that are making a difference and examines how journey management has progressed since the last report was published in 2023.
8th October, 2024
Tried and tested whisky cocktails
Crafted & considered whisky cocktails we’re diving into this London Cocktail Week . London Cocktail Week is on at the moment (3-13th October), and there’s no better time to dive into the wonderful world of whisky cocktails. With its complex flavours and unmistakable finesse, whisky is a spirit with deep soul, one that’s equally at home in a classic cocktail, as well as versatile enough to mix in an inventive blend. Whilst we all have our favourite drams , our team has plenty of time for a whisky cocktail too. Here’s our recommendations of what to try this London Cocktail Week.
30th September, 2024
Bourbon: All hail the Granddaddy of American spirits
Innovation and tradition in Bourbon whiskey. Bourbon: Unquestionably the foundation of American whiskey. Since bursting out of its ancestral home of Kentucky and onto the global spirits stage, bourbon’s journey to stardom has been lauded as one of creativity and transformation. Its popularity attributed to a revolution in flavour from both the craft distillery boom that brings a fresh perspective with small-batch production and local ingredients, and experimentation from distilleries that are merging traditional and new ageing and finishing techniques to produce complex, nuanced spirits.
30th July, 2024
Proofworks joins the BWA
We're now an associate member of the Bonded Warehousekeepers Association. This week, we’ve received the good news that we’ve been accepted to join The Bonded Warehousekeepers Association (BWA) as an associate member. We’re pleased to join their esteemed ranks of producers, warehouses, technology providers and supply chain members, all of whom are committed to advancing best practices in excise and customs. It’s a key milestone to have Proofworks recognised by the leading industry body for Bonded Warehouses.
24th July, 2024
Arriba Tequila! Journey to premiumisation
From slamming to sipping. Tequila’s journey to premiumisation is one to be shared over a drink. But not in a shot glass. Instead, the high quality tequilas of today deserve nothing short of a flute glass so you can really smell the notes. So says, Nitzan Podoswa, founder of Satryna Tequila . And there's no downing it in one. It's recommended to swish the liquid around your mouth. The re-education efforts around tequila appear to be working. It is now the fastest-growing alcoholic drink in the US with consumption up by 40% over the past five years, according to International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR).
16th July, 2024
If we could only pick one dram
Our team's top whisky picks this month. We come across many fine whiskies and we thought it was about time we shared some of our team’s favourites. It’s fair to say that deciding on just the one whisky has been a tough job. Too agonising for some in fact that they’ve gone off brief and chosen several!
3rd July, 2024
How is AI shaping the drinks industry?
Thoughts from The Drinks Business Artificial Intelligence Conference. What are the latest AI developments for wine & spirits? Could AI replace roles in the industry? And how are spirits brands using AI?. Just some of the questions that were discussed at length at the Drinks Business AI Conference in June 2024 - the drinks industry’s first-ever conference designed to delve into all aspects of artificial intelligence and examine how it’s shaping the industry.
28th June, 2024
How SaaS technology is revolutionising spirits
Which technology best supports distilleries looking to get-ahead?. SaaS technology is making waves in the spirits sector with many distilleries and brands future-proofing their business by implementing groundbreaking new solutions that give them a competitive advantage. Our Proofworks platform is one such solution.
18th June, 2024
Distillers Journal Podcast
Our CEO, Rob on the Distillers Journal Podcast. Your journey to digitalisation, your pace. Our latest podcast conversation takes place between Proofworks CEO, Rob Hollands, and the Distillers Journal, where the subject of digitalisation in the spirits industry is tackled head on.
11th June, 2024
Proofworks announces two board hires
Two new strategic additions to our Proofworks’ board. We’ve recently welcomed two new additions to our Proofworks’ board and thought it was time to introduce them properly - Investment banker to the drinks industry, Duncan McFadzean, and financial and regulatory expert, Jane Grier. Duncan and Jane joined our board of directors at the same time as we officially launched our Proofworks platform to the industry in April 2024. They will support us on our goal to digitalise the entire spirits supply chain and there’s no doubting that their experience will be invaluable as we move to unlock a new era of digital transformation for the sector.
1st June, 2024
Proofworks, guests on the Segmint Podcast
RWA SegMints podcast: From connected distilleries to digital deeds. What groundbreaking work is taking place in the digitalisation of the spirits industry? That’s the topic for this latest podcast from RWA SegMints who host a weekly discussion on tokenised real-world assets (RWAs) and their innovative use cases. Segmint have covered a variety of RWA topics so far, like the ‘future of luxury watch ownership’ and ‘the concept of tokenising property’, all of which are also well worth a listen.
16th May, 2024
Startups Magazine - Proofworks Feature
Startups Magazine - Proofworks unlocks digital transformation in the spirits industry. As Proofworks embarks on the next chapter of our journey, we caught up with Startups Magazine to share our vision for the future of the spirits industry. Our innovative platform aims to revolutionise the entire spirits supply chain, from production and maturation to bottling, customer engagement, and digital ownership. In the interview, we discussed how Proofworks combines user-friendly solutions with cutting-edge Web3 technologies to surface previously unseen data and insights, enabling optimisation and transparency at every stage of the product journey. Our mission is to empower the spirits industry to tackle genuine business and consumer challenges by leveraging these technologies.
14th May, 2024
The Spirits Business: Digitalisation ‘critical’
We recently caught up with The Spirits Business to discuss the importance of digitalisation and why it’s critical if you’re to remain competitive in the spirits sector. Everyone working with spirits knows that precision is paramount to success. Precision in production, precision in inventory management, precision in distribution. Get it right and you have an efficient and profitable business with a product that excites and delights consumers. But as demand grows, scaling the same care and attention you put in at the very start can be tricky. That’s where digitalisation comes in to support distilleries as they expand and look to gain a competitive advantage, optimising operations whilst at the same time engaging more meaningfully with consumers. To support teams in getting ahead, in April 2023, we launched our proprietary SaaS (software as a system) solution to help connect the spirits supply chain from production, maturation, and bottling to customer engagement and digital ownership.
10th May, 2024
The Block: Unlocking a new era
The Block: Unlocking a new era of digital transformation. Combining user-friendly solutions with cutting-edge Web3 technologies, the Proofworks platform will uncover previously unseen data and insights, enabling optimization and transparency at every stage of the product journey. This transformation will provide much-needed visibility into channel inventory, particularly as the spirits category experiences growth changes. Furthermore, as the industry grapples with rising costs and supply chain disruptions, the platform will drive greater efficiency and streamline processes. It recognizes the need to adapt to evolving consumer behaviours and equips brands with new, authentic, and meaningful ways to connect with their customers.
23rd April, 2024
Proofworks Launches
Proofworks launches to unlock a new era of digital transformation in the spirits industry. NEWS, London, 24th April: Proofworks launches today with a proprietary SaaS solution to digitalise the entire spirits supply chain, from production, maturation and bottling, to customer engagement and digital ownership. Combining user-friendly solutions with the latest in powerful Web3 technologies, the Proofworks platform surfaces previously unseen data and insights, allowing for optimisation and transparency at every stage of the product journey.
4th September, 2023
Welcome, our new CEO!
Rob Hollands join as CEO to lead our next chapter. This week we’ve announced the exciting news that industry veteran, Rob Hollands, has joined the Proofworks leadership team, taking the helm as CEO. As reported in Retail Tech Innovation Hub , Rob joins to lead Proofworks' ambitious growth strategy and further develop our unique product and services offer which is transforming the spirits industry. He brings with him over 20 years experience across the worlds of digital, tech, marketing, and design, having founded and led high-growth technology companies, from start-up through to exit, winning multiple awards along the way for the likes of Diageo, American Express, Nestlé, Pernod Ricard, PepsiCo and Estée Lauder Companies. In fact he’s already sharing his knowledge and was asked to provide his opinion for this recent Tech Round article on ‘ What happened to NFT’s?’ . Expect to hear more from Rob in the future.
3rd August, 2023
See you in Vegas!
Well more precisely, see you at the 20th American Distilling Institute Conference which is taking place in Las Vegas from 22nd and 23rd of August. A fitting venue and occasion to give a first look at our ‘fresh-out-the-box’ inventory management and asset tracking platform, Proofworks. We’ll be demo-ing Proofworks and showing its unique ability to present a complete picture of the entire spirits production process from grain to bottle. Catch us on booth 626 and you can book in a meeting with our team to receive a slot - https://meetings.metacask.com/#/customer/vegas. Our team is excited to introduce Proofworks and demonstrate why and how this new SaaS platform is set to transform the spirits world. Our Co-founder Nim Siriwardana, Business Director Marco Cuesta, CEO Rob Hollands, CFO Andrew Kennard and Chief Marketing Officer Rick Evans, will all be on our booth throughout the event talking about how Proofworks introduces much needed efficiency and transparency to spirits production and distribution. For spirits brands just getting started, the team will be on hand to talk about how Proofworks can drive cost-savings and grow as your business grows. One single source of information to track and manage the complex process from grain to bottle; from production to distribution.
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