Merchant's Heart

United Kingdom - England

In 1899, Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii had a vision: he wanted to bring western drinking experiences to his native Japan. He made it his life’s work to make and sell outstanding drinks, and deliver exceptional drinking experiences – from his early products’ exquisite packaging to set up a touring opera company to dispatch his port wine. Shinjiro’s passion for his product saw him graduate from modest beginners as a small wine-maker to becoming the Taisho – or chief – of a luxury drinks brand with world renown.
More than a century later, this spirit lives on and is at the very root of Merchant’s Heart – a brand founded in 2015 and named for Shinjiro’s own ethos. But 19th-century humility and values are enhanced by the very best that modern research and experience have taught us about the making of the perfect drink.
We then formed a Beta Collective – a small ministry of the best bartenders in the business (Tom Soden, Diego Cabrera, Bobby Hiddleston Ali Reynolds, Davide Segat, Ali Burgess and more) to test, scrutinise and perfect our formulations. We took the Beta Collective to meet the Suntory Head of Innovation, and then worked tirelessly as a team to conjure up flavour ideas, deduce the optimum carbonation levels and hone flavours.