Locals are being invited to buy shares in one of the region’s fastest growing and unique start-up businesses, founded by one of the UK’s award-winning and globally acclaimed mixologists.
DropWorks Rum is about to launch its first crowdfunding campaign, in which people from Nottinghamshire can be some of the first to invest in this local business with global goals, located in the heart of Sherwood Forest.
Founded two years ago by leading spirits industry figure Lewis Hayes, DropWorks is already award-winning and is proudly British-made in the largest distillery of its kind in Europe, right in the middle of the culinary hotspot Welbeck Estate. DropWorks’ rums are now present in over 400 high-end venues, a third of the UK’s top 50 bars and numerous Michelin-starred restaurants, including The Clove Club, Dorian, Moor Hall, Adam Handling and The Pig Hotels.
CEO at DropWorks and former Diageo Exec Graham Appleyard said
“The opportunity to buy a slice of the business at such an exciting moment – with the brand poised for major expansion and with the category set to become more popular than gin and vodka – wasn’t to be missed.”
“Rum is about to have its ‘moment’ just as other spirits such as gin have seen a major increase in popularity – leading to more drinks made with the spirit both in bars and at home – over recent years. As the business continues to grow and reach new rum-lovers all over the UK, we wanted to offer shares to local people because we have a tangible passion for our roots in Notts.”
“Our distillery is where the talented DropWorks team creates the most delicious and high-quality drops, and we think it will be really rewarding to know that local people who live close to the distillery will play a part in scaling our business so more and more people can enjoy rum made in Nottinghamshire.” DropWorks will be crowdfunding with Crowdcube, in essence, pitching the business to the general public for support and offering shares in return for investment.”
Graham, Lewis and the team are building a global rum brand from the ground up and have established DropWorks in premium bars and restaurants up and down the UK. They’re inviting local people to join them as they scale, launch into premium retailers and expand their distillery experience.
Lewis, who founded the business in 2023, has been in the drinks industry for the past 20 years. From initially working in bars, he has previously opened multiple venues around the world with his consultancy, the London Bar Consultants, including an award-winning cocktail bar and ‘the best stocked rum bar in London’.
He said: “Rum is a huge global category, but most are mass-produced and heavily reliant on artificial flavourings. The global rum category is worth $20bn and is the last of the UK’s major spirits categories to premiumise, so the opportunity on the table here is so compelling and special.
“We’re really excited to offer local people in Notts the chance to be a part of our future success. We’re uniquely positioned to capitalise on the rapid growth of premium rum and disrupt the category, offering our award-winning, high-quality, naturally full-flavoured, and crafted in Great Britain drops. Our crowdfunding campaign is the perfect chance to get involved as we scale the brand at pace.”
Interested investors can visit the distillery in person and taste test DropWorks’ range of rums, either on a personally arranged tour or as part of a group tour. There will also be free ticketed events as part of the Crowdfunding campaign, where those signed up to Crowdcube or the DropWorks email list will be invited. Those keen to grab a share of the business can pre-register their interest on Crowdcube from late August and can start early-funding from Sept 1st. For more information, contact a member of the DropWorks team to arrange a tour of the distillery or chat about levels of investment.
Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more: https://www.crowdcube.com/explore/risk-warning.
Posted on 28 August 2025
