Cabal Ruminate Newsletter Autumn 2021

Ruminate

Edition No.1 Autumn 2021

The story behind Cabal Together in spirit Cabal No.1513 Chain reactions What people say Our brand ambassador Serves your way

We think deeply about rum. We ruminate.

Intrigued by its possibilities, we are a collective of liquid explorers.

We bring together experts, enthusiasts and sceptics from the UK and beyond.

People that love rum and also those that don’t know it yet.

We are the Cabal. Welcome to our first newsletter.

The story behind Cabal Our founders, Richard Dixon and Claire Kinloch are both passionate about the complexity, creativity and integrity that surrounds rum, and its taste.

“The spirits sector is fascinating. Nevermore so than in the current climate where, despite a real shift in consumer behaviour and the obvious challenges the sector has faced, there are real opportunities to think differently, and that’s what we’ve done with Cabal.”

RICHARD DIXON, HARPALION SPIRITS FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN

From the very beginning, both wanted to set out to change the way a rum brand was created, with a shared vision of collectively creating the most consumer-conscious, high-quality rum brand.

And how to do this? They brought together a collective of experts and consumers.

They formed The Cabal.

Equally passionate about the potential of rum, this group are united in the ethos of continually striving above and beyond the conventional, regular and mundane.

They are together in the spirit of creating something new.

The resulting liquids capture the personality and desires of individual people and allow us all to discover a new rum experience.

www.cabalrum.com

Together in Spirit What unwaveringly persisted throughout the impact of COVID-19 was our inherent values of being transparent, collective and collaborative.

With the help of industry experts and aficionados, we went onto developing and designing eight test samples, each with unique flavour profiles.

“Cabal is about a group of people, a collective, intrigued by rum. The “core” Cabal involved in liquid development comprised a range of consumers from those who love whisky, to rum, to gin. No.1513 was the sample name from our first research project that was the absolute favourite across all consumer groups. The bottle shape, label and branding were also shared in terms of concept development across this “core” Cabal to gain feedback and ideas.”

CLAIRE KINLOCH, CEO AT HARPALION SPIRITS

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We then asked our 32 consumer participants consisting of (whisky drinkers, gin lovers, rum champions, liquid specialists, trade experts, and literally the couple next door), to tell us what they like, what they don’t like, what they can detect to the nose and the palate, how, when and with whom they might serve and enjoy rum.

This was essential in our aim to create rums that represented the tastes of as many people as possible, to open up the world of rum and make it more accessible. The final result was one sample that was unanimously approved by all, expression No.1513.

The Reveal During late April, after 12 months of planning, developing, tasting, sharing, working together, and working hard, we were delighted to announce to the world that the first batch of our very first expression, Cabal No.1513, was available for pre-order.

Finally, after much-awaited anticipation, Harpalion Spirits and Cabal reached a massive milestone. On the 24th of May our founders, Richard and Claire, attended the first bottling of Cabal No.1513. Soon after, all pre-orders were shipped to eagerly awaiting customers.

We’ve been on an incredible journey since we started the business last year at the beginning of lockdown, building a team, brand, supply chain and business.

Tropically aged and naturally finished rum Cabal No.1513 is a tropically aged rum created using a combination of pot and column distillation techniques with rums from prominent distilleries in Guatemala, Guyana, Trinidad, Panama and the Caribbean. Aged at origin, the liquid is then finished in Pedro Ximénez casks in Speyside, creating a distinctive and complex, yet smooth taste profile.

Bottled at 43% ABV, Cabal No.1513 is nonchill filtered, and there is no added sugar, colouring, or flavour, leaving it a completely natural rum. Delicious for sipping neat, and the perfect base for a wide range of long drinks and cocktails too.

NATURALLY FINISHED No added sugar No colouring No flavouring

TO THE NOSE: Caramel Toffee Dark Chocolate Stone Fruits Orange Peel TO THE PALATE: Caramelised Apple Barbecued Pineapple Figs Sherry Fruit Cake

www.cabalrum.com

Cabal: Chain Reactions

For the creation of Cabal No. 1513, we sourced our Pedro Ximénez casks through Speyside Cooperage and worked with Caley Casks on the racking, storage and finishing of our product in beautiful Speyside.

Only once we have sampled our rum ourselves and are confident that it is a true representation of the taste and quality we expect, do we then take our product to our bottling and handling company in Scotland, QAS Copak.

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What people say There are many faces, consumers, experts and team members, who have created Cabal No.1513. Each has a different story to tell, a different part to play and a different view of our brand and spirit.

each sip a well-polished facet of a jewel

a really special offering “We designed the liquid to reflect and enhance each rum producing region that contributed to Cabal No. 1513 and to celebrate the unorthodox collaborative process which went into its creation.”

BRIAN WOODS, LIQUID SPECIALIST

a soft kiss of sherry www.cabalrum.com

delicious astounding

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“In many ways, I’ve been in and around the drinks trade my whole life. My sister and I often objected on holidays to the vineyard visits organised by our Father who ran a UK distributor and wholesaler.

I jumped at the chance to work on a brand from the ground up. It has been fascinating to be part of the team pulling together through the challenges of the past year.”

GEOFF WATTS, SECTOR & CHANNEL SPECIALIST

bitter bite of dark chocolate “I think you have something really special there. Light but lovely and buttery and a really long finish” CONSUMER PANELLIST

“Very smooth given the ABV” “Really complex but so easy to drink” “That tastes amazing”

beautifully made “Cabal No.1513 is a great example of the spirit blenders art, using the best rums from several distilleries. coupled with slower finishing in sherry casks in Speyside’s gentle climatic conditions. It is very smooth with true sherry top notes” CONSUMER PANELLIST

“The Cabal story is compelling and the liquid is delicious…It will certainly complement our portfolio and cater to the jump in interest in the rum category that we are experiencing.”

PHIL HARDING, CO-FOUNDER AT BBB+ DRINKS, UK DISTRIBUTION PARTNER FOR CABAL

chocolate orange

CONSUMER PANELLIST

“My initial thoughts were that the product had a great nose. The aroma is very good. The body was great with molasses” CONSUMER PANELLIST

barbecued pineapple

Our Brand Ambassador:

Plato Moysiadis has been busy supporting and training staff and presenting Cabal No.1513 to consumers since our launch.

From top to bottom THE FOODIES FESTIVAL LONDON THE BLACK CAT EDINBURGH THE THISTLE STREET BAR EDINBURGH STAFF AND OUR BRAND AMBASSADOR, PLATO, CELEBRATE THE FIRST ON-TRADE ESTABLISHMENT TO OFFICIALLY STOCK CABAL NO.1513 CABAL NO.1513 ADORNING THE SHELVES OF ARDROSS FARM SHOP, FIFE.

Plato

Moy

is, siad

www.cabalrum.com

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Aug’2

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Serves your way – enjoy together Cabal No.1513 promises so much. Served neat or mixed into one of our favourite serves, find one that is right for you. With moreish sweetness and lingering caramelised tones, these serves showcase Cabal at its very best.

Here are our Brand Ambassador’s top 3 serves this season.

SERVE

Nº1 The Cabalero In a highball glass full of ice add: – 50ml Cabal No.1513 – 15ml freshly squeezed orange juice – Ginger ale BARTENDERS TIP: Stir well and top up with ice if necessary. Garnish with orange wedge and ground coffee.

A seemingly simple recipe but a lot of thought has gone into this incredibly refreshing highball. In my many years of bartending I have combined hundreds of different spirits with ginger ale, but Cabal No.1513 seems to be the best base I have tried so far for the ubiquitous spicy mixer.

RECIPE www.cabalrum.com/ recipes/recipes-cabalero/

Serves your way – enjoy together

SERVE

Nº2 Cabal Royale In a highball glass full of ice add: – 50ml Cabal No.1513 – Handful of basil leaves (muddle lightly or tap in hand to release their aromas) – 20ml fresh lime juice – 15ml maple syrup BARTENDERS TIP: Add crushed ice and stir well.

Top up with more crushed ice and Champagne. Garnish with one big basil leaf.

During my travels around the Caribbean and Cuba, I was introduced to the Mojito’s long-lost cousin: the Negrón.

It is a flavourful cocktail that calls for rum, honey, lime, basil and soda. The Cabal Royale is a reinvention of the Negrón, bringing new life into the forgotten classic.

RECIPE www.cabalrum.com/ recipes/recipes-cabalroyale/

www.cabalrum.com

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Serves your way – enjoy together

SERVE

Nº3 A Farewell to Rums In a shaker full of ice add: – 50ml Cabal No.1513 – 25ml fresh grapefruit juice – 15ml fresh lime juice – Handful of mint – 2 heaped teaspoons of strawberry jam BARTENDERS TIP: Shake well and double strain into a chalice glass with ice. Garnish with mint and grapefruit.

When I started working on this recipe, I wanted to create something fruity and tasty but with a tart element to it. I envisioned a more approachable version of a Hemingway Daiquiri and, after a few attempts, I ended up combining Cabal No.1513 with lime, grapefruit, mint and strawberry; flavours that pair so perfectly together it’s hard to mess up the ratios in the cocktail.

RECIPE www.cabalrum.com/ recipes/recipes-afarewell-to-rums/

Be part of it The people who make up the Cabal want to feel connected, involved, to experiment and contribute. It’s this like-minded spirit that sets Cabal apart.

We are wholeheartedly committed to using consumer insight to create our liquids, our brand, our story and our future with more than 300 people involved in our journey so far.

We really want you to get involved – just let us know what part you want to play!

Let us know at theteam@cabalrum.com if you: Would you like to be invited to new product development tasting events?

Want to hear about new products we are planning to launch to market?

Would like to hear about Cabal Christmas gifts in advance of their launch?

Are you interested in limited edition packaging releases?

Would you like to invite a friend to the Cabal and for us to send them a miniature of Cabal No.1513 for them to try?

You have feedback on our first edition of Ruminate?

Have ideas for Ruminate editions in the future?

Find out more:

cabalrum.com