Taking some time away from the desk here in North Uist and with a trusty phrasebook and some spf 50 in his backpack, Ali jetted off at the end of May for a whirlwind couple of days representing Downpour at Roma Bar Show, Italy’s number one drinks and mixology show.

Against the historic backdrop of the Palazzo Dei Congressi in Rome, Roma Bar Show brings together thousands of brands and industry players to experience the best that the hospitality world has to offer in a joyful, celebratory extravaganza of drinks, music and culture attended by 14,000 people over two days. 

With masterclasses, tastings, discussion panels and workshops held against a backdrop of buzzing entertainment and glorious sunshine, Roma Bar Show is a world leader in hospitality events and we were super excited to be a part of it. 

Invited by Tekbar, our distribution partners in Italy, to be a part of not only their stand but a Scottish Gin Masterclass organised with Scottish Development International, Ali was given a fantastic chance to tell a gathering of press and international industry professionals what makes Scottish gin, and Downpour in particular, so very special. 

Making the most of his time at the show, Ali chatted with not all but a good number of those 14,000 attendees about all things Downpour and North Uist Distillery, making some great connections that will definitely help with our dream of bringing Downpour to the Italian market, a mission in the safe hands of the good folk at Tekbar! 

Of course not all of that mingling happened on the show floor, Tekbar made sure that Ali experienced some good old Italian hospitality once the work day was over, getting to know everyone better over some late night pasta and wine and checking out Bar Roma’s events schedule at bars across the city. 

Despite a couple of extremely long days repping Team Downpour, Ali rather impressively managed to squeeze in a couple of hours sightseeing on his second night in Rome, taking in some cultural classics in the slightly cooler and less crowded after dark hours. 

It was an intensely busy couple of days, with the show running until 9pm both nights, providing a fantastic opportunity to meet not only our wonderful distributors, but also potential customers, fellow distilleries who have navigated the export process, and some of our other international partners who were in town for the show. Connections that we look forward to strengthening over the coming months!