Master of Malt named Online Drinks Retailer of the Year 2025 at the DRAs!

The Drinks Retailing Awards presented Master of Malt the trophy for Online Drinks Retailer of the Year for the fourth time on Tuesday night! Huzzah!

Well this is a nice way to end the week, announcing something we’re immensely proud of. The past year – of course – saw us once again become fully independent and 100% founder-owned. Since then we’ve been doubling down more than ever on creating the greatest possible drinks buying experience, delivered in a human and real way, by people who genuinely give a shit. (I’m paraphrasing Justin there, and his Happy New Year, and Thank You! blog post which is well worth a read.) To be recognised for what we’re doing is tremendous (thank you Drinks Retailing!), but as ever this journey is only possible with the support of you, our wonderful customers. So a massive thank you to specifically you!

Some of the awards we used to blushingly hoover up simply don’t exist any more (perhaps we won them too much?), but the DRAs remains one of the biggest nights in the UK drinks industry’s calendar. I say “drinks” because this isn’t just across whisky retail, or even all of spirits retail, but all drinks. On Tuesday night we were brushing shoulders with all the massive supermarkets for example, as they duked it out in the multiple store categories. Meanwhile, we were flying the flag for spirits in the independent online category against the cream of online wine retail (including Virgin Wines who’ve bagged this award several times in the past).

What are the Drinks Retailing Awards?

Good question. Let’s take a step back and explain a little about these gongs. Drinks Retailing’s a leading trade publication that’s been “championing the off-trade since 1863”(!), and their prestigious awards are free to enter with particularly rigorous judging. Expert judges, additional input from key industry figures, secret shopping, NIQ data, the works. Just three companies are shortlisted per category (congrats to all our fellow finalists!), but when the Oscars-style envelopes are opened – much like Highlander – there can be only one…

What were the judges looking for?

For the Online Drinks Retailer of the Year award, the DRA team were “on a mission to celebrate small or medium independent online drinks retailers… [who’ve] made the benefits in range and service of shopping with an independent available nationally (or internationally!), while retaining the personality of a small or medium-sized business.” Nice. They also wanted to recognise stores that “make online alcohol shopping a safe, secure, easy, reliable and pleasurable experience for consumers…” with “genuine innovation in the online space”, and who demonstrated evidence of “high fulfilment standards, including accuracy of orders and punctuality of deliveries” and “positive measures of customer satisfaction”. Double nice.

This is the fourth time we’ve been honoured with a version of this trophy at the DRAs, also winning in 2023, but dating right back to 2013 (when the award still had “Online/Direct Mail” in the name!). As we always say though, we don’t rest on these kinds of laurels, delightful as they are. They do give us all a little lift here at MoM Towers and a moment to reflect on what we’re achieving, but more importantly they spur us on to keep at it, to keep improving, innovating, and delighting.

Perhaps that can start on Monday though…?

Celebratory dram? Cheers!

The post Master of Malt named Online Drinks Retailer of the Year 2025 at the DRAs! appeared first on Master of Malt blog.