Dunning has more than 15 years’ experience working in export, covering a range of countries including Australia, Russia, Holland and Hungry.

Nick said: “I believe the Slingsby brand has everything required to succeed in international markets. It has a focus on heritage, provenance and quality with the essential ‘Britishness’ that many importers are looking for.

“I have had a particular focus on new business within previous positions and I’m looking forward to bringing this area of expertise to my new role at Spirit of Harrogate. My goal is to build on the spectacular success of the brand here in the UK and turn Slingsby into a recognised global brand.”

Slingsby already exports to New Zealand, Germany, Malta, Finland, Denmark and Croatia. The four-year-old brand, which currently has seven variants including Yorkshire Rhubarb Gin, now has its sights set on building international success, focusing on the Far East and Middle Eastern markets.

Director of sales at Spirit of Harrogate, Tony Ince added: “This is a completely new position at Spirit of Harrogate which showcases how far the brand has come in only four years. There are no limits to the role so we’re very excited to see how far and wide Nick can get the Slingsby brand.”