Friends Jake Chapman-Brown, Isaac Mayne and reality star Callum Alexandre Izzard have teamed up to create Amàre vodka, which is distilled in Yorkshire using British ingredients. Amàre will launch exclusively in Jake and Isaac’s home city of Leeds, before being rolled out to bars in cities across the UK and global club destinations including Dubai, Ibiza, Marbella and Zante.
Once the brand is established, the business partners have next stage plans for expansion which will see Amàre stocked in high-end retailers.
Jake says all three vodkas in the first range have already been getting positive reaction, especially from fans of one of the nation’s favourite cocktails. He said: “Our passion fruit flavour is the perfect shortcut to making a Pornstar Martini, which is really simple and tastes amazing, and the response we’ve had to it has been incredible.”
Jake and Isaac, who share a background in hospitality and marketing, used their insight into drinks sector trends to decide on Amàre’s launch trio.
“We researched the top-selling flavours and cocktails to find out what people really loved,” explained Jake. “Strawberry and passion fruit were both in the top 10. Passion fruit was actually number one, so that informed our choice for fruit vodkas alongside the classic premium.”
Jake and Isaac became friends in their early 20s when Jake was a promoter and Isaac was DJing in Leeds. He met Ibiza Weekender and Celebs Go Dating star Callum when he moved to Manchester. Now the trio are combining their expertise, influencer marketing network and significant social media following to create a brand that’s perfectly timed.
Jake added: “The gin market is really over-crowded now, and the tequila market is impossible at the moment, so we decided on vodka because we already had several businesses around Leeds who were keen to work with us on that.
“A lot of bars, restaurants and supermarkets have taken Russian vodka off their shelves because of the war in Ukraine, but we’re fully UK-made in a distillery in Yorkshire. And the fruit flavours especially have got a really summery vibe so we’re confident that our timing for the launch is just right.”
Amàre has been almost a year in planning and development, with Jake, Isaac and Callum involved in each stage including tastings at the distillery.
Now Jake says they’re excited to see it becoming one of the hottest new drinks brands of the summer.
“The support we’ve already had is unreal and it feels surreal to see our brand out there. I’m being tagged in videos at bars I used to go out to when I was younger, ones that I struggled to get into – now my vodka’s being sold there.”