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Set up in 2019 by three local lads, Alan, Andy & Paul, in Liverpool to celebrate the most significant moment in the history of the great city.
We caught up with one of the lads, Alan Dolan and asked
him to give us the lowdown....
The Old Dock of Liverpool
Back in 1708, Liverpool was an insignificant port town with a population of approximately 5000 people. An old tidal inlet or “The Pool”, from which Liverpool got its name, was used as the main port. However, due to the tidal nature of the inlet, ships would take about two weeks to unload and reload their cargo. Not very efficient.
The leaders of Liverpool came together and decided this had to change in order for the city to survive. They enlisted the help of a Canal Engineer called Thomas Steer. He had a revolutionary idea to create a dock with gates to retain the water, or a “wet dock” as he called it.
The leaders of Liverpool invested heavily in the idea and in 1715, the world's first commercial wet dock was opened. It was a huge success, reducing the turnaround time for ships from two weeks to two days. Suddenly, all the major merchants around the world wanted to trade through Liverpool. Within a year the population of Liverpool grew to over 100,000 people.
Without the innovative design of Thomas Steer the Liverpool we know and love today wouldn’t exist.
The Inspiration
The Old Dock is the single most significant moment in the history of Liverpool. Without it we wouldn’t have the Liver birds, two glorious cathedrals, The Beatles and two massive football clubs to name but a few.
The Old Dock was a victim of its own success and demand quickly outstripped its capacity. It was closed in 1826 and filled in to make way for new developments. The Old Dock was lost for nearly two centuries, before being excavated and opened to the public as a tourist site in 2010.
After researching the history of the Docks, we wanted our Rum to take inspiration from the daily shipments of Rum, Tea, Sugar and
Spices that would have flowed into the city on a daily basis.
As passionate rum fans we wanted to create a product and a brand that will stand out from the crowd. An accessible but premium product that balances subtle spices with quality rum.
We are not driven by profits or growth but by our passion for our city
and our pridein the brand we have created. We want to share the story of the Old Dock over a glass of rum with the world.
The Design
Working extensively with the very talented artist Hugo Marques from
Think Bold Studio, Portugal, we were able to create a design that will look
good on any drinks shelf or bar, whilst retaining a traditional feel.
The overall design is based around old bank notes, which represent the
wealth that the docks brought to the city.
A hand drawn illustration of the Old Dock is also featured and named on the labels as well as the signature of the designer and chief engineer of
the project, Thomas Steers.
The stunning design was awarded a silver medal at the World Rum
Awards 2020, which is a fitting tribute to the designer and
the story of the Old Dock that inspired him.
Our Golden Spiced Rum was the first in our range and was
launched in November 2019, winning bronze for taste in the
world rum awards 2022.
This is the rum that was directly created by the inspiration of the Old Dock and all the Rum, Sugar, Tea and Spices that flowed through the city from the Dock.
It features a quality column still base rum from Guyana and is delicately
spiced with Vanilla, Ginger, Cardamom, Black Tea, Black Pepper,
Orange and a hint of Smoke.
The rum is incredibly smooth with a Vanilla and Caramel opening with
hints of Ginger, Cardamom and Black Tea with a Smokey Orange Finish.
We wanted to avoid the ‘Christmas/Wintery’ notes seen in traditional spiced rums and create one at home in any weather for any occasion.
