Warner Edwards will use the money to invest in new equipment and staff to increase production and fulfil larger orders.
The business is also planning to build a botanical garden next to its distillery in Northampton to grow its own botanicals.
Tom Warner, founding partner of Warner Edwards, said: “This is a real game-changer for our business and will enable us to turbo-charge our growth plans. It means being able to invest in increasing our capacity much sooner than we’d planned so we can take advantage of the demand for gin globally.
“Our first task will be to strengthen our team and start to develop our markets overseas. This win gives us the confidence to move forward.”
More than 1,000 enterprises from across the UK entered the competition by submitting a 90-second video pitch explaining how they would spend the prize.
Martin Hanson, HSBC’s head of business banking in the Midlands region, added: “The UK gin market is projected to be worth an estimated £1.3bn by 2020 and Warner Edwards is one of many craft gin distillers fighting for a share of that burgeoning market.
“Our judges recognised Warner Edwards’ potential to succeed in the UK but were also impressed with the business’s overseas ambitions. The prize money will help the business put in place the resources it needs to take on the competition in existing and new markets.”
