Jj Whitley

Jj Whitley at a Glance

Jj Whitley has 9 distinct products with 15 total TTB label approvals, including Vodka - Other Flavored, Vodka 80-89 Proof. Labels approved between 2020-05-28 and 2022-07-26. Label origins on file: Russia Or The Russian Federation, United Kingdom.

At a Glance data sourced from public TTB records.

JJ Whitley Vodka: A Cheshire Family Name Distilled in Saint Petersburg

Halewood moved production of its JJ Whitley vodka back to England in March 2022, two years after it opened a multi-million-pound distillery for the brand in Russia, The Spirits Business reported. The move followed a year in which value sales of the brand's Russian vodka grew 102% to £32.1m on volumes up 99.3%, The Grocer said, citing NielsenIQ data for the 52 weeks to 11 September 2021.

How the JJ Whitley range started

The range launched with two gins plus two vodkas named JJ Whitley Potato Vodka and Rhubarb Vodka, each at 38.6% ABV, Halewood International's 2016 launch release said. It is named after the Whitley family, which began creating spirits in Daresbury, Cheshire in 1762, and the Potato Vodka is made with 100% potato, the release added.

The Saint Petersburg distillery

Halewood, formerly known as Halewood Wines & Spirits, opened a £5 million distillery in Saint Petersburg for JJ Whitley vodka, The Spirits Business reported in September 2020. The range would be produced and bottled there for markets including the UK and Russia, the report said. The site draws water from wells 160 metres deep protected by layers of Cambrian clay, filtered in four stages, Halewood said, and it was the company's 13th distillery, the publication added.

Group CEO Stewart Hainsworth said it let the company offer vodka distilled in one of Russia's most historic cities using Russian grain and water, Drinks International reported. The core vodka, at 38% ABV with a recommended price of £16, won a Gold Medal with a score of 95 out of 100 at that year's International Wines & Spirits Competition, Wholesale Manager reported in 2020.

A July 2021 Spirits Business report instead dated the opening to 2019, and Scottish Grocer said in September 2021 that production had moved to a £3 million distillery in Saint Petersburg in 2019.

The 2021 campaign built on Russian provenance

In July 2021 Halewood began a £3.5 million campaign for JJ Whitley celebrating its Russian provenance and British heritage, running to December, with the brand's first television sponsorship on Sky One's Nights In in August, The Spirits Business reported. That year the brand also released a raspberry variant and a vodka filtered through a gold silk thread, the publication said.

What leaving Russia cost Halewood

Some production had moved back to the Chorley site with immediate effect following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and British-made JJ Whitley was planned by the end of March, The Grocer reported on 2 March 2022. The Saint Petersburg site also produced Halewood's Red Square Vodka, The Spirits Business said.

Shutting the Russian operations cost £8.2m in supply chain costs, covering the repurposing of the Chorley distillery and new glass suppliers, The Grocer reported in April 2023. The group then consolidated production of its entire portfolio into the UK, with Yorkshire-based Beatson Clark making its glass, the report added.

In the BUY.VODKA TTB snapshot, the filings that list Russia as the label origin on file are dated June 2020 to October 2021, and filings listing the United Kingdom appear both before and after that span. See the TTB label records for JJ Whitley on this page.

Sources

• Drinks International. “Halewood opens distillery in St. Petersburg.” 7 September 2020. https://drinksint.com/halewood-opens-distillery-in-st-petersburg/
• The Grocer. “Halewood to move production of JJ Whitley vodka from Russia to UK.” 2 March 2022. https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/alcohol/halewood-to-move-production-of-jj-whitley-vodka-from-russia-to-uk/665095.article
• The Spirits Business. “Halewood brings vodka production back to UK.” 7 March 2022. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2022/03/halewood-brings-vodka-production-back-to-uk/
• The Grocer. “Halewood losses hiked by cost of moving JJ Whitley out of Russia.” 22 April 2023. https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/results/halewood-losses-hiked-by-cost-of-moving-jj-whitley-out-of-russia/678539.article
• The Spirits Business. “Halewood opens £5m vodka distillery in Russia.” 7 September 2020. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2020/09/halewood-opens-5m-vodka-distillery-in-russia/
• Wholesale Manager. “Taste for Provenance Sees Halewood Open New Russian Distillery.” 7 September 2020. https://wholesalemanager.co.uk/taste-for-provenance-sees-halewood-open-new-russian-distillery/
• The Spirits Business. “JJ Whitley gets £3.5m UK advertising push.” 28 July 2021. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2021/07/jj-whitley-gets-3-5m-uk-advertising-push/
• Halewood Sales. “Halewood launches JJ Whitley spirits range.” 29 March 2016. https://www.halewoodsales.com/news-media/halewood-launches-jj-whitley-spirits-range/
• Scottish Grocer. “A Russian production.” 1 September 2021. https://scottishgrocer.co.uk/2021/09/01/a-russian-production/
• TTB Public COLA Registry via BUY.VODKA data snapshot (src/data/labels.json, local build 20 October 2026). “JJ Whitley” label approvals. Local read-only query, 20 October 2026.

Produced At

Related Brands

• Beluga also from Russia Or The Russian Federation
• Recipe 21 also from United Kingdom
• Mr Boston also from United Kingdom
• Taaka also from United Kingdom
• Fleischmann's also from United Kingdom
• Muscle also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Veil also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Stoli also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Heritage Distilling CO also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Holla also makes Vodka - Other Flavored

Related Questions

• Where is Jj Whitley vodka made?
• Who makes Jj Whitley vodka and who owns the brand?
• What proof is Jj Whitley vodka?

Browse All Labels

• a
• b
• c
• d
• e
• f
• g
• h
• i
• j
• k
• l
• m
• n
• o
• p
• q
• r
• s
• t
• u
• v
• w
• x
• y
• z
• 0-9