Confessions of a Rum Brand Owner
Chapter One
It all began in the summer of 2004, when I first visited my brother, who lived on the Isle of Man. One of the first pieces of local history I heard was the story of the Peggy of Castletown: a schooner built in 1789 by the enigmatic George Quayle and rediscovered after being hidden for 150 years in the boathouse beneath his home. That house sits at the harbour entrance, opposite Castle Rushen in Castletown, the ancient capital of the Isle of Man.
George, it turns out, was an Indiana Jones-type character – adventurer, sailor, banker, inventor and, generally, a man of mystery. As a brand marketing man, I fell in love with the story. I knew there was a rum brand in there somewhere.
“I knew there was a rum brand in there somewhere.”
Fifteen years later, Peggy was born
Before then, I had approached several local distilleries to see whether they would work with me to create a white-label rum. For a variety of reasons, none was interested, and the project stalled while I tried to work out how to make the idea real.
Enter Doug Hey. He relocated with his family to the Island after 30 years with Coca-Cola in South Africa. We immediately connected, and the dream quickly became a reality after Doug took the reins and put the building blocks of the business in place.
First, we needed a distillery partner who could create a product capable of winning taste awards. Enter Dr Tom Read of The Cornish Distilling Company in Bude, Cornwall. The fact that he remains very much part of the family speaks volumes.
The practical man. The brand man. And the distiller
In his characteristically pragmatic way, Doug proposed the brand name, set up Far Shore Merchants Limited, registered the business, trademarked Peggy Dark Rum and made sure we were legally and operationally sound. We also ensured Manx National Heritage was on board before registering the name Peggy of Castletown.
Our vision was for Far Shore Merchants to become a retail vehicle for a range of drinks – alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Basically, stuff Doug and I liked.
Then I was free to do what I do best: create the brand
Far Shore Merchants shared offices with my advertising agency, Ashgrove Marketing. What is typically an expensive exercise for any new business came with the benefit of an entire agency’s creative talent at our disposal.
I also worked with an old friend, Maria, whom I had employed as an illustrator at my Cape Town agency in the late 1980s. Our aim was to make the label feel like a product from the early 1800s. The etched illustration of the boat, the typography and the flourishes all echo the design sensibilities of the period.
Taste came next – along with lockdown
Interesting times, but we took the challenges in our stride. If it all went tits up, at least we would have a few bottles of rum to enjoy.
Tom sent sample bottles of various dark rum blends with his tasting notes. Doug received them by post, decanted them into smaller bottles and delivered them to my front door. We conducted tastings by video call and even ‘blended’ our own versions with eyedroppers – a bit of that and a smidge of this – until we, complete novices, were happy.
I’m not sure what Tom really thought of these two marketing numb-nuts offering opinions on his fine creations. In hindsight, how little we knew may have been a good thing. And so Peggy was given her taste personality.
Seeing the first labels come to life
After selecting a bottle shape, we visited our printer, Words & Spaces, to see the first sheets coming off the lithographic press. I’ve seen countless products come off a press in my life, but nothing beats the moment your own creation first sees the light. We chose a high-quality print specification and, once the foiling was added, the label truly came alive.
One hundred and fifty bottles. Every one finished by hand
There was huge excitement when the first 150 bottles of our liquid gold arrived. Doug, Jenny – my wife – and I gathered around the Ashgrove boardroom table to apply labels by hand and add wax seals bearing our FSM mark. I also made wooden gift boxes, distressing and varnishing them to look suitably old.
The highly glamorous box factory
The production line extended into the back garden, where raw wooden boxes were transformed into convincingly timeworn presentation cases – one layer of stain, varnish and determination at a time.
Then came the moment of truth: would anyone actually buy it?
The grand plan was to use Peggy as proof of concept in the Isle of Man market before rolling out to other markets – and then on to world domination.
We were extremely fortunate to secure an effective retail channel with local retailer The Wine Cellar. It was a precious gift for a new brand, and the team generously offered their store as our launch platform. We had prominent display space and supportive staff who helped tell Peggy’s story.
We put all our merchandising and advertising experience to work – especially Doug, with his incredible knowledge from his time at Coca-Cola. To be honest, we were probably rather overbearing and made a nuisance of ourselves while fussing over the display. On each visit, however, I also stocked up the agency and my home cellar from their wide selection of wines. So it wasn’t entirely one-sided.
“There are few things more rewarding than overhearing a customer ask for your product.”
It happened several times, and it never got old. With Ashgrove’s design and PR support, it was perhaps no surprise that we generated a great deal of brand awareness early in the journey.
This first chapter was exciting and rewarding: a first-hand lesson in what it takes to launch a new rum brand. We were energised, optimistic and confident that we had our proof of concept.
In the next chapter, we add to the rum range and expand our offering.