There could have been easier times than during a global pandemic but that was the beginning of Cabezon Beverage.
Founder David Smith reveals the initial idea for the rum brand first came around in the autumn of 2019 and was incorporated in December 2019.
Cabezon Beverage’s signature product, the botanical aged rum, Ron Cabezon, launched in October 2020 when the first products were bottled.
Cabezon Beverage had been working away behinds the scenes, perfecting the recipe and branding before formally launching the product to the market. In early 2021 Ron Cabezon received a silver medal at the illustrious London Spirits Competition.
Managing director David Smith said: ‘Ron Cabezon is produced at Lost Loch Spirits in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire.
‘We buy five-year aged Caribbean rum from Guyana and the Dominican Republic and when the rum reaches the distillery in Aberdeenshire, we create the blended rum that works as the base for Ron Cabezon.
‘We then split this batch in two and in one, macerate sultanas over a period of weeks. In the other batch, we infuse our botanicals and distil again to enhance the flavour profiles of the rum. We add cubeb which was used to flavour tobacco. It is in the black pepper family and has a real smokiness to it. As well as Kola Nut which gave its name to the worlds most popular soft drink.
‘There’s a farm down the road where we get some local honey from, so we use that too and there’s a nice nod to local influences. We also use Royal Deeside water, which if good enough for The Queen at Balmoral, then it is good enough for us. The rum can be enjoyed neat and goes really well with cola mixers as well as ginger ale/beer, apple juice. Ron Cabezon is also delicious when mixed in cocktails.’
Marketing director Fraser Graham said: ‘The first eight months we were focusing fully on the off trade and direct sales. This was mainly circumstantial, but it allowed us to really focus on our product and our messaging.
‘We are now listed with a couple of national distributors and are in ongoing conversations with more. Ron Cabezon is stocked across Scotland from Aberdeenshire, down to Edinburgh, across the central belt to Glasgow and into the west coast as well as far south as Leeds and Bolton with continued discussions for further stockists as our brand continues to grow.
‘The return of the on trade has been a fantastic boost for growth along with our customers willingness to not only shop local but utilise the power of social media to drive interest and sales. We are receiving really positive feedback from their clientele and actually replacing lines that undersold in the past.
‘We are adding new bar listings nearly every week. From Fraserburgh in the north east of Scotland, through Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh down to Norwich and as far south as St Ives. We are now in about 20 bars across the country but projecting 100 bars by the end of the year.’
Cabezon Beverage aims to continue to grow the business and have a second product line to be launched in the autumn of 2021. The release of Ron Cabezon – The Accord, will be an exclusive Speyside cask aged release of their signature spirit, Ron Cabezon and they are currently developing a new aged blend to bring to the market.
Cabezon Beverage are always looking to speak to those in the on and off trade, and to findn out more visit contact@cabezonbeverage.com.
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