Start-up rum brand secures national listing with supermarket giant

Rockstar Spirits, a Manchester-based alcoholic drinks brand with a focus on premium spiced rum, has announced a partnership with Sainsbury’s, the UK’s oldest and most trusted supermarket.

The deal means Rockstar Spirits’ new flavours – Captain Webb’s Two Swallows Citrus and Salted Caramel Spiced Rum – will be available across nearly 300 stores as well as online for home delivery across the UK from March 1.

The company has created a new larger sized 70cl bottle developed exclusively for the premium retailer.

Rockstar Spirits has created a range of innovative premium, spiced rums since being launched by Tom Hurst in November 2018.

The aim of Two Swallows was to create a spirit that mixes perfectly with Cola.

As a result, the company is now working closely with Coca Cola, Fentimans, Karma Cola and Gunna Drinks, developing super premium Cuba Libre served with their Rockstar Rum.

The brand itself was created as a tribute to Tom’s famous Victorian relative, Captain Matthew Webb, who was the first man to swim the English Channel in 1875.

It has been heavily featured in the media with highlights including being voted one of the world’s best rums by GQ, being tipped by The Telegraph as one of the trends of 2020 and being voted best flavoured spirit on ITV’s This Morning.

The company’s expansion has been supported by GC Business Finance, which invested a five-figure sum into the business in Summer 2018.

This has helped the company launch two new flavours and ramp up production after it secured partnerships with many of the UK’s leading retailers.

Tom Hurst said: “Having already worked with high-end stores such as Selfridges, Booths and Majestic Wine, we’re keen to continue partnering with retailers that understand our brand and appreciate the premium nature of our spirits.

“In this regard, Sainsbury’s is the perfect fit for our business – we now have the scope to add our rum to consumers’ weekly shop across the country which is a huge leap forward for us going into our second year of trading.”

Sainsburys spirit buyer, Caroline Glover, said: “Sainsbury’s are excited to be adding Two Swallows Spiced Rum to our range.

“We hope that this lovely product creates excitement amongst our customer base and continues to drive the significant growth we have seen in spiced rum sales in recent months.”

Simon Truby, senior loan manager at GC Business Finance, said: “We’re happy to see Rockstar Spirits add another blue-chip retailer to its network of customers.

“To work with a company the size of Sainsbury’s is testament to the quality and popularity of the products.

“Rockstar Spirits has certainly enjoyed a meteoric rise in the two years they have been operating, and we’re excited to see how Tom’s business develops in what will be a successful 2020.”