Splash Out – Britain's first dedicated water shop with bottles costing up to £120

Welcome to the ultimate place to splash out – Britain's first dedicated water shop, where there is a sommelier on hand and bottles cost up to £120.

Fine Liquids launched in Fulham, south west London last week, run by Milin Patel, a certified water sommelier, who believes no two types of water in the world taste the same.

The shop, which also has a water-themed art gallery, stocks hundreds of bottles of natural water, sourced from as far away as Australia.

Prices range from as little as £2.50 to as much as £120 per bottle – with water-tasting courses also offered.

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Patel, 40, wants to show people water should be appreciated and can be paired with meals like wine.

"I call myself the Willy Wonka of natural water," he declares. "I've always had a deep passion for water – it's my life and I want to show others how to appreciate it.

"There are so many different factors that make a water unique – different temperatures and levels of minerals change its taste and how it feels in your mouth. There is no single best water in the world but it's my job to find the perfect one for you."

Patel, from London, has been working as a water consultant for nearly 20 years. He went on to become a water sommelier – just like a wine sommelier – after sitting various exams and gained his qualification from an official board in 2020. Patel met his now business partner, German Pat Eckert, 47, online in 2020, after Eckert took over Fine Liquids in 2018, which was founded back in 1987.

"We wanted to give people the opportunity to go in and discover water like you would with wine," enthuses Patel. "There isn't another shop like this in the country!"

The specialist store stocks hundreds of different waters, from various natural water sources across the world, including natural springs and collected rain pools, each with different properties.

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The most expensive option is APSU Origin Water, from Patagonia, sold at £120 per 750ml bottle. But the extreme price is justified by its origins, coming from a free-flowing glacier from the Gran Campo Nevado ice field in Subantarctic Chilean Patagonia.

"With these higher-priced waters, when you tell people about them, they stop and listen," he explains. "People buy bottles like these for things like dinner parties and telling guests about the water starts a beautiful dialogue. It really makes it memorable."

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Bearing in mind the UK's problem with plastic pollution, plastic bottles are banned from the shop. Instead, everything is stored in glass which prevents the flavour of the water being altered – but surprisingly, Patel is far from anti-tap water. He said his aim is to "bring joy back to drinking tap water" – and drinking filtered tap water is miles better than buying cheap water in plastic bottles from the supermarket.

"My personal view as a water consultant is that we are very lucky to have and drink tap water," he emphasises. "We should respect and love the tap. You'd be surprised how many people in the UK who buy cheap, plastic, commoditised water think it's better than tap water.

His wants to see everyone savouring the wonders of water. "We should all drink tap water, or filtered tap water, for hydration, and drink glass-bottled water like a fine wine, or a sweet treat," he muses.

Given the NHS recommends we consume eight glasses of water a day, let's all drink to that. Why not liven up your water with a slice of lemon or lime, if you don't fancy splashing out on Patel's £120 bottle?

Additional reporting by SWNS