‘Gin boom will end in two years’ claims expert
While rum is one possible trend after gin has had its day, Whitby outlined how the two spirits are different and how the former isn’t as versatile as the latter.
Whitby said: “Everything has a time limit but with gin, it isn’t going to stop any time soon. But there’s still about 18 months to a couple of years it could grow until consumers get fed up of it.
“We will drop it eventually and find something else new and shiny that we all like because that’s how things go."
Bold flavour
He added: “There is talk of rum coming back around but rum is a very acquired taste whereas, gin is so diverse and light. Rum is quite a bold flavour.
“I am unsure as to whether you can be as experimental with rum in a way that operators and drinkers will understand it.
“To really understand the different flavours, you’ve got to really want to that bold and punchy taste in the drink.”
Whitby came into the trade by fluke. He had never been to college and started work in a tattoo parlour at 19, but hit a glass ceiling there in terms of progress and instead chose to go travelling to “discover himself”.
Success secrets
His quest for cash to fund his travels took Whitby to NWTC’s Botanist at Alderley Edge at just 23, where he took a job as a bartender.
He stayed in that role for 15 months, but as the job grew, he began opening bars for the business and managed bars at other sites.
Meanwhile last October, Whitby revealed his secrets to rising to the top of NWTC and put his success down to nothing more than giving it his all.
He told The Morning Advertiser: “Be prepared to put the work in and never stop putting the work in. Have standards, maintain those standards and never let your guard down with those standards.”
