UK-based Ellers Farm Distillery has signed Opici Wine & Spirits to handle importation duties for its Dutch Barn vodka brand in the US.
Set at a per-bottle SRP of US$30, Dutch Barn will be available from the end of this month in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington DC, before expanding to other states later this year. Ellers Farm founder Chris Fraser said that the launch introduces the brand “to a whole new audience in the world’s largest vodka market”.
Opici is a fourth-generation importer and producer with a history in the wine business dating back to 1913. Led by Don Opici as CEO, the company handles a roster of around 50 brands from nine countries.
Two years ago, comedian Ricky Gervais purchased an unspecified-size holding in Ellers Farm and was featured in a marketing activation for the distillery last year. “Since the day we launched, I’ve been getting asked about when Dutch Barn would be available in the US,” he said. “I’m very excited to announce that the answer is now.”
Earlier this week, another celebrity entered the vodka category as actor Dolph Lundgren partnered with the founder of Bacardi’s Leblon cachaça brand to release Hard Cut vodka in the US.
