Inside Britain's first dedicated WATER shop where bottles cost 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 - and the team want to make you question what you think you know about H2O.

The unique branch is 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.

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

He said: "I call myself the Willy Wonka of natural water. 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."

Milin, from London, has been working as a water consultant for nearly two decades.

He went on to become a water sommelier - just like a wine sommelier - after sitting countless exams and gained his qualification from an official board in 2020.

Over the years, Milin has collaborated with companies including Water Aid and the NHS - and even Watches of Switzerland, where he paired water with watches.

Milin met his now business partner, German Pat Eckert, 47, online in 2020, after Pat took over Fine Liquids in 2018 after being founded in 1987.

Under its founder it had been a wine and water distribution company, but Pat completely relaunched it as a water only-distributor before Milin joined two years later.

Their tagline is "hydrate the imagination" with their aim to adapt the way people think of water.

Fine Liquids has two warehouses in Germany already and last week saw Milin open the doors of Fine Liquids' first UK shop in London.

Milin said: "We wanted to give people the opportunity to go in and discover water like you would with wine.

"There isn't another shop like this in the country!"

The shop stocks hundreds of different waters from different natural water sources all around the world, from natural springs to collected rain pools, each with different properties from the next.

Milin explained how this can be dependent on factors such as temperature and mineral content, because "different levels of calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate for example, all create a different taste and feel in the mouth".

He said: "When it comes to water tasting, you have to let your senses truly experience it - it's more than just the taste.

"Trying the different types of water will help you work out your personal preference - for example, a water with high silica levels has a very velvety mouth feel.

"Water with high levels of magnesium will have a slightly sweet, metallic taste."

Prices for their bottled water vary - with Milin insisting there is "a water for everybody and every budget."

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 in Subantarctic Chilean Patagonia.

They also run a monthly podcast where they discuss the 'drinking water lifestyle' and their favourite waters.