🍸 Buddies Gin: How We Accidentally Launched a Gin Company With No Gin
Every big brand starts small - and Buddies Gin was no different. Albeit slightly smaller than most… because we only had two bottles.
One was cracked open to celebrate the registration of Buddies Gin Limited.
The other? We sent to a photographer friend to capture some shots of the bottle.
A few days later, the photos landed in our inbox - and they looked incredible. We were proud. So proud, in fact, that we sent one of the images to our best Buddie, Mark Rowley, to get his thoughts.
It was still deep in that strange "lockdown" stage of the pandemic - a time when everything felt uncertain and nobody really knew what was coming next.
What we definitely didn’t expect was for Mark to share the photo with his 400,000 followers on Instagram.
Most people would have a plan for launching a company - a team of experts, a marketing strategy, and a big budget.
We had one photo and a phone. (To be fair, we don’t have much more now.)
📦 Our First Order... and Our First Problem
Our very first order came from the Philippines - someone buying a bottle as a birthday gift for their mum in Scotland. We were over the moon. Delighted. Shocked.
There was just one tiny issue... we didn’t have any bottles to sell.
Then more orders came in.
The Instagram page we’d set up the day before exploded overnight. Hundreds of new followers. Messages pouring in.
Some asked where they could buy Buddies Gin.
A pub in France wanted to stock it.
Others were... well, just asking for a date with Mark.
🚀 One Photo. One Post. One Spark.
That unexpected moment - one bottle photo, one post, one friend doing something kind - turned into the spark that launched a brand, slightly quicker than we’d planned.
Buddies Gin is still made in small batches, still handcrafted with bold botanicals, and still built on the spirit of friendship.
👉 Shop Buddies Gin here and become part of the story.
We’ve never really spoken to Mark properly about how much that moment meant, but if you’re reading this: Cheers, Buddie 🍸 - we couldn’t have done it without you.
You can follow Mark on Instagram @markrowley90.
❤️ A Huge Thank You
To everyone who has supported Buddies Gin since that chaotic first day - thank you. Whether you’ve bought a bottle, shared a post, told a friend, or simply followed our journey, you’re part of the reason this little idea has grown into something real.
This brand was built on friendship, and every order, every message, every "cheers" has meant the world. We’re still small-batch, still handcrafted, and still growing one bottle at a time - and we’re so grateful to have you with us on the journey.
Cheers,
The Buddies Gin Team