
Inside Never Say Die: The British Bourbon Backed By America's Whiskey Elite
There are worse things to base a whiskey brand on than a horse who refused to die. In the early 1950s, a foal born in Kentucky was declared lifeless after a traumatic birth. He was revived, as legend goes, with a shot of bourbon, and named accordingly: Never Say Die. A few years later, that same horse would be shipped to Britain and, against 33-to-1 odds, win the 1954 Epsom Derby—the first American-born colt to do so in over 70 years. One of the bettors who cashed in was Mona Best, a Liverpudlian mom who used the winnings to open the Casbah Club where The Beatles—then known as the Quarrymen—would play the first show. Her son even became The Beatles' first drummer, preceding Ringo Starr.
So yes, the name comes with baggage, and the bourbon that now bears it leans all the way in. The idea came to life at the Kentucky Derby, where David Wild—one of the brand's seven co-founders—reconnected with Pat Madden, whose family owned the farm where Never Say Die the horse was born. Wild and Madden had known each other since studying together at Cambridge, and this story, shared over a few mint juleps, became the spark. What if a bourbon could follow the same improbable journey? Born in Kentucky. Shipped across the Atlantic. Finished in Britain.
Wild brought in Martha Dalton early on, having worked with her and Fran O'Leary at political consultancy Lodestone. Dalton now leads the UK arm of the business, while Madden brought in Brian Luftman—an agricultural investor with strong ties to Kentucky bourbon—to run operations in the States. On the production side, Pat Heist and Shane Baker of Wilderness Trail were brought in to craft the liquid itself.
Never Say Die founders David, Brian and Martha
That founding legend fast became more than just a name. As the idea developed, the team realised the horse's unlikely voyage across the Atlantic could inform more than the branding. "We realised it would actually shape the whiskey, too," Dalton says. 'It wasn't just a symbolic journey. It would create a genuine difference in the flavour.'
Never Say Die's bourbon now spends at least five years ageing in Kentucky, then six weeks at sea, and is finally finished in England, where the cooler, more consistent conditions slow the ageing. "That combination of three distinct environments creates a flavour profile you don't get with traditional bourbon," Dalton explains. 'It adds complexity and smoothness, and it's something people can genuinely taste in the final product.'
The founding team had much more than the liquid to worry about, of course. They were also building a business from scratch—many of them with limited experience—and designed the early investor model to bring people into the process, not just onto a balance sheet. "One of the things that made our approach stand out was that every early investor was given a barrel of bourbon as part of their investment," Dalton says. 'They could choose to bottle it themselves, let us handle it, or even keep it aging. It meant they weren't just investing in a brand, they were literally getting a piece of its history.'
'Because our investors were whiskey enthusiasts, they were genuinely excited about the opportunity to be part of something from the ground up—especially something as unique as this. The bourbon investment space can sometimes feel like a closed shop, so being able to invest directly—and in such a personal way—really resonated with people.'
The reputation of the production team helped, too, distilled and aged by Shane Baker and Pat Heist of Wilderness Trail, who use a proprietary sweet mash bill unusual in an industry where sour mash is standard. 'It's more effort to produce, but it gives a smoother, higher-quality spirit. That attention to detail is a big part of what makes Never Say Die what it is.'
Yet even with a future award-winning liquid in place, international trade policy nearly killed the project before it began. When the UK placed retaliatory tariffs on American whiskey in response to the Trump administration's own tariffs, Dalton helped launch the Bourbon Alliance—a campaign group that brought together distillers, importers, bars and retailers to support one another and effect real change. 'We successfully campaigned for the tariffs to be removed, building cross-party political support and working with the media to keep up pressure. Eventually the tariffs were dropped in 2022, and within hours the first shipment of Never Say Die was on a ship making its way across the Atlantic.'
"That campaign really felt like a moment where both of my worlds aligned," she says. 'It meant a huge amount to be able to contribute something meaningful to the wider industry, not just our own brand.'
The duality of those two worlds—the private sector and the drinks industry—continues to shape Dalton's personal approach. "It's definitely a bit of a juggling act, but the two roles feed into each other more than people might expect," she says. "I've spent years helping clients understand how government works and how to get things done behind the scenes. That experience really came into its own."
Never Say Die's three expressions
Today, Never Say Die has three expressions: a Small Batch, a Rye, and a UK-exclusive Barrel Strength. The Small Batch and Rye both picked up Double Gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and the brand has expanded to nine US states, with Europe and Asia next on the list.
On-trade (and in my own personal, drinks writing experience), it's also rapidly gaining ground among some of the world's best bartenders who, as Dalton puts it, 'love having something with a proper story behind it to share with customers.'
The bottle offers a helping hand, too, packed with references, designed by Stranger & Stranger to reward close inspection. "We wanted the bottle to reflect that full-circle transatlantic journey—from Kentucky to England—and honour both the horse's legacy and our own," Dalton says. Among the visual touches: Lester Piggott's racing silks in magenta and silver, a crest mixing Kentucky grains with ocean waves, and a gold seal bearing an arm and hammer to represent craft. Another seal reads "Matured in England," with a British coat of arms—where the unicorn has been replaced by a horse.
"One of my favourite touches is the perforated edge on the label, which looks like an old bookie's betting slip," Dalton says. "That's a reference to Mona Best. She used her winnings to open the Casbah Club in Liverpool and bought her son, Pete Best, some drums—and from there, the early Beatles story began."
Never Say Die has become a bartender favorite
As one of the few women leading a whiskey brand, Dalton is increasingly vocal about the need for better representation in the industry, as well. 'Whisky has always been seen as quite a male space—both in terms of who drinks it and who works in it—but that perception is really out of date. The audience is far broader now, and the industry needs to reflect that.'
'I'm such a big supporter of what Becky Paskin is doing with OurWhisky. She's done a brilliant job spotlighting women across the industry and pushing for more inclusive representation—not just in leadership, but in how whisky is talked about and marketed.'
Dalton also points to Marianne Barnes and Dawn Davies as important figures. 'Whisky really is for everyone… or at least, it should be. The more we celebrate that diversity and shift the narrative around who whisky is 'for', the stronger the category becomes.'
That sense of collective progress is baked into the brand's ethos. 'Success isn't just about your own brand—it's about the strength of the category as a whole. That's something I've carried with me while building Never Say Die. There's room for all of us, and we're better when we back each other.'
There are collaborations on the horizon, too. A recent tie-up with White Peak Distillery has seen English whisky aged in freshly emptied Never Say Die barrels. "Because it's gone into a freshly emptied, wet barrel—which is pretty rare for Bourbon finishes in the UK—we're hoping you'll actually be able to taste the difference," Dalton says. "That extra layer of character the wet cask might bring."
"We're always on the lookout for partners who share our approach to craft and aren't afraid to try something a bit different," she says. 'When the passion's there on both sides, that's when the good stuff happens.'
And with more than a bit of passion on both sides of the pond now, Never Say Die is, unequivocally, producing the good stuff.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Forbes
4 hours ago
- Forbes
Hootie & The Blowfish Returns To The Hot 100 For The First Time In Almost Three Decades
Hootie & the Blowfish return to the Hot 100 for the first time in nearly 30 years with "Bottle ... More Rockets," the band's collaboration with Scotty McCreery. Portrait of American band Hootie and the Blowfish as they pose at Farm Aid, Louisville, Kentucky, October 1, 1995. Pictured are, clockwise from left, Peter Holsapple, Jim Sonefeld, Dean Felber, Mark Bryan, and Darius Rucker. (Photo by) Getty Images For a brief period in the mid-1990s, Hootie & the Blowfish was one of the biggest musical acts on the planet. The group hit it big with its debut album Cracked Rear View , which produced the band's three biggest hits on the Hot 100. The rock outfit had a hard time following that effort, and after breaking up for a period, Hootie & the Blowfish eventually reunited, at least for the occasional release. This week, the band returns to the Hot 100 with its first new hit in decades. Hootie & the Blowfish debuts on the Hot 100 this frame with "Bottle Rockets" alongside country musician Scotty McCreery, who leads the tune. The joint single opens at No. 80 after originally finding success on Billboard's country rankings. Hootie & the Blowfish earns its seventh career win on the Hot 100 and its first in almost 30 years. The last time the band launched a track on the tally, which ranks the most popular songs in the country, was back in July 1996, when "Tucker's Town" spent 20 weeks on the ranking and peaked at No. 38. Included in Hootie & the Blowfish's seven successes are three top 10 hits. The band peaked at No. 6 with "Only Wanna Be with You" in October 1995, and earlier that year pushed "Let Her Cry" and "Hold My Hand" into the loftiest region as well. As it arrives on the Hot 100, "Bottle Rockets" also enters the Digital Song Sales chart. The single opens at No. 14 with just under 2,100 pure purchases, according to Luminate. "Bottle Rocket" soars on three of Billboard's country-specific tallies, reaching a new high point on all of them at the same time just a little over a month into its lifetime on the rosters. The track shoots to No. 3 on the Country Digital Song Sales tally, No. 20 on the Country Airplay list, and No. 26 on the consumption-based Hot Country Songs ranking. Scotty McCreery's Return to the Hot 100 Former American Idol winner McCreery snags his eleventh Hot 100 win alongside Hootie & the Blowfish. It hasn't been long since he last appeared on the list, as "It Matters to Her" debuted in April 2023 and peaked at No. 49 that summer.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr 'Grasp Onto' Their Friendship as the Only Living Members of The Beatles
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr opened up about their decades-long bond in a new interview McCartney said that since their Beatles bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison are dead, their friendship has become even more special Starr also reminisced about writing — and failing to write — songs for The BeatlesRingo Starr and Paul McCartney have a very special bond. The longtime friends — who are famously one half of The Beatles — reflected on their bond in a July 2 profile of Starr in The New York Times. In The Beatles, the pair were joined by John Lennon, who was murdered in 1980 at age 40, and George Harrison, who died from cancer in 2001 at age 58. 'With John and George not here, I think we realize nothing lasts forever,' McCartney, 83, told the outlet. 'So we grasp onto what we have now because we realize that it's very special. It's something hardly anyone else has. In fact, in our case, it's something no one else has. There's only me and Ringo, and we're the only people who can share those memories.' In December, McCartney and Starr, 84, reunited on stage for the first time in five years. Starr joined McCartney to perform 'Helter Skelter' during McCartney's show at London's O2 Arena. McCartney told the outlet that even though the song is 'an out-and-out rocker,' he still ended up getting 'a little bit emotional' to be on stage again with his longtime friend. Much of the profile focused on Starr's place in The Beatles as well as his legacy as a drummer; fellow drummers Max Weinberg and Sheila E. weighed in on Starr's underappreciated talent. 'It's the most ludicrous and funny argument that, you know, you had these three talented singer-songwriters up front, and then you had the guy who got lucky,' Weinberg — a member of The E Street Band who was also Conan O'Brien's bandleader on Late Night — said. 'That was so far from the case, if you really go back and talk to people who were in that scene. To get Ringo in what became The Beatles was a coup for the three of them.' 'He was a fantastic drummer,' McCartney echoed. 'We asked him if he would be in our band, and luckily for us he agreed.' Starr also sang lead vocals on a handful of Beatles tracks, but he was the last member of the band to start writing songs. 'It's hard to come to the front when you've got John and Paul,' he told the Times of songwriting. His earliest attempts ended up more humorous than anything else. 'I'd say, 'I've got this song.' And halfway through they'd all be laying on the floor laughing, because I wasn't writing new songs. I was writing new words to old songs,' he said. McCartney remembered, 'We'd say, 'Yeah, that's a great one. That's a great Bob Dylan song.' ' The band ultimately released two songs Starr wrote solo, "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden,' and he was co-writer on songs like "What Goes On" and "Flying.' The Beatles were ultimately active from 1960 until they broke up in 1970. Starr also reflected on his bond with McCartney back in 2023. 'Paul loves me as much as I love him,' he told AARP magazine. 'He's the brother I never had.' He told the outlet in a video that joining The Beatles widely expanded the people closest to his heart. 'As an only child, suddenly I got three brothers. We looked out for each other,' he said. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In 2023, McCartney and Starr released 'Now and Then,' the final Beatles song. The song was started by Lennon before his death, and the three surviving members of the band tried to finish it in the 1990s. But the original tape of Lennon's demo had too much background noise, and it was only when Peter Jackson created the 2021 documentary Get Back that McCartney and Starr learned of and got access to technology that could make clear the performance Lennon had left on the tape. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Beatles Fans Send Ringo Starr A Message Of 'Peace And Love' On His 85th Birthday
School children from Ringo Starr's alma mater joined with The Beatles fans to mark the drummer's 85th birthday by sending him a message of 'peace and love' from The Beatles Story at Liverpool's Royal Albert Dock on Monday. Each year on his birthday since 2008, Ringo invites people everywhere to pause at 12 noon local time to say, think, or post "Peace and Love" as a collective moment of global unity. Fans and visitors who took part in this uplifting initiative filmed a special "Peace and Love" moment, which has been shared by Ringo himself on his official Facebook page as part of the international celebration - putting Liverpool's message of peace in the spotlight alongside other messages from all around the globe. Mary Chadwick, General Manager of The Beatles Story, said: "It is an honour for us that The Beatles Story is trusted to carry the torch for Liverpool's contribution to Ringo's incredible Peace and Love initiative, and we're so happy it is becoming a tradition for locals and fans. We were so warmed by the enthusiastic response from the pupils who joined us from Ringo's primary school St Silas - proving that Beatlemania is still alive in our community." In honour of Ringo's milestone birthday and lifelong advocacy for peace, The Beatles Story also unveiled the UK's first and only Ringo Starr Peace and Love Sculpture. The sculpture, created using an original casting of Ringo's right hand, symbolically and quite literally shows that Ringo had a hand in spreading peace. Each piece is handcrafted by seasoned artisans, blending artistic craftsmanship with heartfelt meaning to create a lasting emblem of positivity. This limited-edition sculpture is part of an exclusive initiative by the Ringo Starr organisation, with a select number made available to institutions and cultural spaces around the world. The statue, which was on display outside The Beatles Story during the Peace and Love event earlier today, has now been moved to its new home within the museum itself.