FOUNDER FOR LIFE
One-off £100 payment
YOUR FOUNDERS RELEASE
Exclusive to our founders
TASTE IT AS IT MATURES
Yearly maturation tasting inlcuded
MADE IN EXETER
From grain to spirit
Founders Club Membership
£100.00
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Be there from the beginning
Founders Club Membership
At Crossed Anchors Brewery in Exeter, we’re bringing together brewing and distilling to make a Devon whisky.
We invite you to join us on this journey from the very beginning.
£100.00
One-off payment. Founder for life
- You’ll get a bottle of our exclusive Founders Release Whisky.
- You’ll have Lifetime Founder status, and you won’t pay any annual membership fees!
- Join us each year for maturation tastings as the whisky evolves.
- You’ll have priority access to new Bainbridge & Tapp whisky releases.
- You’ll also be able to book Bainbridge & Tapp whisky events before anyone else.
- You’ll enjoy access to our changing selection of Founders Drams at the bar.
We are building a distillery in Exeter!
We’ve wanted to make whisky together for years.
Ollie brews beer, and James distils spirits. Now, by joining forces at Crossed Anchors Brewery, we can make whisky in a way that truly excites us. The whisky journey starts long before it reaches the cask. We want you to be part of every step.
That’s why we’re bringing Bainbridge & Tapp to Crossed Anchors and starting our own whisky journey here in Exeter.
Become a founder
The Bainbridge & Tapp Founders Club is for anyone who wants to get involved right from the start.
Membership is a one-time payment of £100. And you get more than just a bottle of whisky in return…
Your Founders Release
We’re setting aside whisky just for our Founders.
Once we feel the whisky is ready, we’ll use those casks to create the Bainbridge & Tapp Founders Release.
Each Founder will get a bottle. The Founders Release won’t be sold in shops. It’s yours as a thank you for being with us from the start!
Taste your whisky as it grows
Whisky takes time!
We think that's something to celebrate, not hide.
Each year, as the Founders whisky matures, we invite our Founders to join us for a special tasting.
We’ll take samples, pour the whisky, and taste together to see how another year in the cask has changed it.
You’ll get to follow the whisky’s journey from young spirit, through maturation, and finally to the finished Founders Release. Your membership includes the annual Founders maturation tasting.
Year One, Year Two, Year Three, and beyond. All leading up to the Founders Release.
Founder for life
You only need to pay £100 once. There are no yearly membership fees. Once you become a Bainbridge & Tapp Founder, you stay a founder.
Your membership doesn't end when we hand you your bottle.
There is more to being a founder!
First access to future whisky
Founders will have the chance to buy future Bainbridge & Tapp whisky releases before they become available to the general public.
Some releases may be small, so priority access does not guarantee availability but our Founders will get the first opportunity.
Priority event bookings
We have many more whisky tastings, events, and experiments coming up.
As a founder, you’ll get the chance to book Bainbridge & Tapp whisky events before tickets go on sale to everyone else.
Founders Drams
We like opening interesting whisky.
That’s why we’ll keep a rotating selection of special bottles behind the bar just for our Founders.
These could be rare releases, bottles we’ve come across, or simply something we think is too interesting to leave unopened.
Founders can buy drams from this selection whenever they’re available.
Meet Bainbridge & Tapp
OLLIE BAINBRIDGE
The brewer
Ollie is the brewing expert at Crossed Anchors.
Ollie does more than just provide James with something to distill. Together, we look at how brewing and fermentation shape the final spirit we create.
JAMES TAPP
The distiller
James is the one behind distilling at Bainbridge & Tapp, and he’s pretty obsessed with whisky.
He takes what we’ve made through brewing and fermentation and turns it into a spirit that’s good enough to spend years aging in a cask.
This is where it is happening
The brewing. The fermentation. The distillation.
The beginning of the Bainbridge & Tapp whisky story.
We hope you can say you were there from the very beginning.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Everything you need to know
How much does it cost?
The Bainbridge & Tapp Founders Club membership is a one-time payment of £100.
You won’t need to pay an annual membership fee.
What do I receive?
As a member, you receive Founder status, a bottle of the future Bainbridge & Tapp Founders Release, and an invitation to one Founders maturation tasting each year as the whisky matures. You also get priority access to buy future whisky releases, priority booking for our events, and the chance to purchase our Founders Drams.
When will I receive my Founders Release?
We're not promising a particular bottling date.
Whisky needs time to mature, and we want to release the Founders whisky only when we feel it is ready and meets the high standards we set for Bainbridge & Tapp.
We’ll keep our Founders updated and involved as the whisky develops.
Is my annual maturation tasting included?
Yes, that's correct.
Founders will receive an invitation to one maturation tasting each year while the Founders whisky is aging.
There is no extra cost to attend the annual maturation tasting.
What happens if I can't attend a maturation tasting?
You are welcome to attend, but it is entirely up to you.
If you are unable to join us, we are not able to offer cash, products, or alternative tastings in place of the event.
We will keep all Founders updated on how the whisky is coming along.
Are the Founders Drams at the bar free?
I'm afraid not, but only Founders can buy them.
As a member, you can buy drams from our rotating selection of special bottles reserved for Founders.
Does priority access guarantee I can buy every future whisky?
No, not all future releases will be widely available. Some may be very limited. However, founders will get a chance to buy before anyone else, but we cannot always guarantee availability.
What does priority event booking mean?
Founders can book Bainbridge & Tapp whisky events before tickets become available to the general public.
However, this early access does not guarantee a ticket if the event sells out.
Can I become a Founder if I don't live in Devon?
Yes, definitely!
You don’t have to live in Exeter or Devon to become a Founder.
Please note that our annual maturation tastings are held in Exeter, but attending is up to you.
Can I give Founder membership as a gift?
Absolutely!
You can buy a Founder membership as a gift, and we will register it in the recipient's name.
Can I transfer my membership?
After you register, Founder membership cannot be transferred to someone else unless Bainbridge & Tapp approves it.
How will I receive my Founders Release?
Founders can pick up their bottle from Bainbridge & Tapp with no delivery fee.
If delivery is available, you'll need to pay the delivery charge at the time of release.
We’ll share all the details with Founders closer to the release date.
One day, we will open these casks
We’ll pour the whisky, debate if it’s ready, and probably taste it again just to be sure.
When it’s finally time to bottle the whisky, we want everyone who helped us begin this journey to be there with us.
You’ll have tasted the whisky as it grew and changed.
You’ll have seen the distillery grow right alongside the whisky.
You’ll take home a bottle that captures the beginning of Bainbridge & Tapp.