Meet Raj Batra, Founder and CEO at On-Demand Distillery: Diistil

Tell us about Diistil?

Diistil is an on-demand distillery creating innovative flavoured spirits. We allow our customers, which include The Peninsula Hotel, One Aldwych, and Experimental Cocktail Club, to create bespoke, co-branded spirits in as little as 25 bottles. We also have a collection of Classic products, including distilled Yuzu, Jalapeño, and Soy Sauce, which allow both hospitality venues and at-home consumers to elevate their drinks.

Our spirits are all specially developed to push the boundaries of flavour and innovation, using ingredients selected for their taste and quality. Each product is handcrafted and distilled under heat or vacuum depending on each ingredient’s optimal conditions.

Some of our notable bespoke collaborations include a coffee distillate for WatchHouse, and distilling Açaí Berry and Neroli for Zetter Clerkenwell. Our range of off-the-shelf flavours includes Jalapeño, Yuzu, Black Tea, Soy Sauce, Beetroot and Vanilla, as well as an award-winning London Dry Gin. These are available in hospitality venues and can be purchased by consumers via our website and Master of Malt.

What was the inspiration behind the company?

I have always been passionate about spirits and good quality cocktails. I realised that, whilst there are thousands of different brands out there, no one allows bartenders to create their own spirits.  For me, bartenders are the essence of the entire industry, they make the cocktails we all love to drink. I wanted to build a business that gave that creative power to the bartender to produce their own spirits in small quantities, but also use their feedback to develop products that we sell to the wider market.

We began with hospitality venues – hotels, bars and restaurants needed to be able to create spirits in small quantities, fast, that gives them an edge over their competitors. We can currently work with a venue on conception to bottling in 1 month! We also allow brands and companies to make their own bespoke spirits, as well as offering our best products to the consumer.

The timing of starting Diistil was entirely personally driven.  I became a father and wanted to do something more meaningful to me, as well as provide me with more flexibility to spend time with my daughter on my own terms.

Do you think your background in banking has played a part in shaping the creation of Diistil?

Before I stepped into the drinks industry, I spent 15 years in investment banking, first at Deutsche Bank and then Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where my last role was as Head of EMEA Private Capital Markets.

I had the pleasure of working with amazing entrepreneurs and seeing lots of different sectors innovating.  I wanted to bring my own ideas of innovation to the spirits industry, also incorporating the technological disruption we have seen elsewhere.  Banking is a very different industry, but there are some core skills like relationship-building and strategic thinking that have benefitted me in my journey with Diistil.

How has the company evolved over the last 12 months?

Just 12 months after launching, and with a dedicated focus on multi venue partnerships, we’re now a team of six and have led Diistil to be served on the cocktail menus of over 25 of London’s best venues including One Aldwych, The London Peninsula Hotel, Experimental Cocktail Club, Michelin Star restaurant Aulis and WatchHouse coffee shops.

Our last quarter was particularly significant as we secured Diistil’s first nationwide retailer listing with Master of Malt, as we look to expand our classic flavour range to the off-trade market.

What gives me most pride is the team we have built. We may be small, but everyone is passionate about what we are building and brings their own unique skillset.

What is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

No amount of planning or learning can really prepare you for starting a company.  At the same time, you cannot be completely unprepared, so make sure you do as much thinking and research into your business as possible before you start.  Whilst there are certainly more important and harder roles in society than being a founder, it still is a difficult job.

So have a support network around you – I couldn’t do this without my wife, family and friends – keep your feet on the ground, try to learn from others and don’t be afraid to follow your instincts.

What can we hope to see from Diistil over the next five years?

Technology has an important role to play in the development of the drinks industry. Not just in the latest equipment that can help us create new and innovative flavours, but also how technology enables us to create bespoke products, get insights on customer data to help shape NPD and ultimately provide the tools to serve our customers better.

Technology will play a huge part in allowing us to reach more people and support more bartenders in the industry over the next few years.