Rum brand in high spirits following loan

A premium alcoholic drinks brand selected by Coca-Cola as its official spirit partner has developed two new, highly anticipated flavours following a five-figure loan from GC Business Finance.

Tom Hurst, founder of Manchester-based Rockstar Spirits, aimed to create a drink perfect for mixing with coke, putting resources into researching the traditional flavours of the soft drink to blend the perfect match. Given that 80 per cent of the nation’s rum is sold with the cola, Rockstar Spirits launched the Two Swallows rum range, which was recently selected by Coca-Cola as the official partner for its new Signature Premium Mixers range of flavours.

With a focus on premium spiced rums, the firm’s two existing flavours – Pineapple Grenade and Two Swallows – have proved popular with the public. Following rave reviews from Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on ITV’s This Morning, Pineapple Grenade sold out on Amazon within an hour. The ‘Two Swallows’ range of Rockstar Spirits is 38 per cent ABV while the ‘Grenade’ range is amongst the only over-proof premium rums available at 65 per cent ABV. Despite the ABV strength of the Grenade series, the rum offers a smooth easy drinking spirit due to the high quality and unique flavour combinations.

The Rockstar Spirits brand has developed significantly across Manchester since launch in October 2018. So far, company director Daren Newman – whose artwork Manchester bargoers might recognise in the branding of The Botanist and Crazy Pedros – has helped the development of a strong brand identity for Rockstar Spirits. The ‘orange strip’ along the bottleneck – which signals quality to customers – is available in Booths, on Amazon, and in bars such as Revolucion de Cuba across the country.

The loan comes as the latest development in the relationship between GC Business Finance and Rockstar – a previous loan of £14,000 had helped to establish the company in 2018. The new funding has enabled Rockstar to develop two new flavours: Grapefruit Grenade, which is now available to purchase; and Two Swallows Cherry, which is set to launch at the end of August. The loan has also helped ramp up production of its original flavours to help the business deliver on current order volumes.

Owner of Rockstar Spirits, Tom Hurst said: “Right now is a very interesting time for spirits – we’ve seen gin reinvigorated by producers looking to please a more discerning audience which has paid off massively. Now I believe is the time for rum to undergo the same transition. Our Coca-Cola partnership shows that the appetite for our upmarket rums is growing, and with the help of this latest loan we’ll be able to make a bigger impact on the growing sector.

“We’ve established an excellent relationship with the team at GC Business Finance, who have supported Rockstar Spirits right from the get-go. We’re looking forward to working with them and hitting our target of releasing the next two flavours with use of this loan.”

Simon Truby, senior business loan manager at GC Business Finance, said: “Rockstar Spirits have thus far developed at an extraordinary rate – the official partnership with Coca-Cola’s Signature range is the latest example of this. Not only is the business really exciting to work with, the products are fantastic, and we look forward to working with the company to help maintain the impressive pace they’ve set.”