 to discuss the importance of digitalisation and why it’s critical if you’re to remain competitive in the spirits sector.

Everyone working with spirits knows that precision is paramount to success. Precision in production, precision in inventory management, precision in distribution. Get it right and you have an efficient and profitable business with a product that excites and delights consumers. But as demand grows, scaling the same care and attention you put in at the very start can be tricky. That’s where digitalisation comes in to support distilleries as they expand and look to gain a competitive advantage, optimising operations whilst at the same time engaging more meaningfully with consumers.

To support teams in getting ahead, in April 2023, we launched our proprietary SaaS (software as a system) solution to help connect the spirits supply chain from production, maturation, and bottling to customer engagement and digital ownership.

Our CEO, Rob Hollands, explains the value our Proofworks platform provides: "The demand for connectivity is high as brands and producers realise the potential it has to deliver previously unearthed data and insights, and how valuable this visibility can be to solve genuine business and consumer challenges."

This data-driven decision making supports businesses in anticipating demand, optimising production schedules and processes, managing and storing inventory and allocating resources more efficiently. Tasks like stock-taking which previously would have taken days can now take only a few hours.

Powered by Web3 and blockchain technologies, Proofworks is already deployed in distilleries and warehouses in Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. The technology not only allows producers to track inventories more efficiently but also supports sustainable practices. Rob comments, "The focus on sustainability goals today means spirits businesses need robust data that stands up to stakeholder and consumer scrutiny when making public sustainability statements. Our Proofworks platform can provide crucial data on sustainability metrics such as energy and water usage."

Along with sustainability, fraud is another issue of concern for the sector.

more than £3 million [US$3.8m] of losses were reported to Action Fraud

 over alcohol investments. The control and ownership of casks today is still largely through paper-based transactions and documentation that can – and often does – lead to error.”

With Proofworks, each cask and bottle has a unique digital identity linked through technologies like NFC or QR codes. This means there is an immutable record of the physical product stored on the blockchain reducing the possibility of fraud. Not only that, the speed and efficiency in the way casks and bottles can be traded is significantly sped up and collectors and producers have peace of mind the product is genuine and accurately accounted for.

"The demand for connectivity is high as brands and producers realise the potential it has to deliver previously unearthed data and insights”

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Marketplace

Connected Products Coming soon

About

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The Spirits Business: Digitalisation ‘critical’

The Spirits Business: Digitalisation ‘critical’

More from Proof 8

Platform

Marketplace

Connected Products Coming soon

About

Team

Careers

The Spirits Business: Digitalisation ‘critical’

More from Proof 8

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