New rum with celebrity fan inspired by city’s own ‘ spooky spirit’
Pals take a shot at making drink
MANY will relate to the experience of making grand plans amongst f r iends late at night as both drinks and ideas begin to flow.
Whether it’s an impulse holiday, a resolution to climb the odd Munro or even a master business plan, nine times out of 10, the morning brings with it a harsh dose of reality which sees these kitchen table commitments hastily forgotten.
Thankfully, this was not the case for Anton Peters, 28, and Jason Haggerty, 27, long- time pals whose vision for a life beyond the nine to five pushed them launch Necropolis Spirits.
Anton said: “The two of us have been friends for a long, long time so we’ve been on a good few nights out together.
“We were up in Jason’s flat one night having a drink when he turned to me and said ‘ we drink rum all of the time, why don’t we try making it?’
“It started off as a laugh but then we realised it was something that we could maybe take seriously.”
And so began the idea for a company that reimagined Anton and Jason’s favourite drink, prioritising the highest quality ingredients to produce a small batch, hand- crafted rum that is proudly distilled in Scotland.
When the time came to choose a name for their beloved side project, inspiration was no further than their doorstep.
Anton said: “We weren’t ever just going to start selling moonshine from our flats.
“When we decided to really go for it there was so much research and planning involved.
“A lot of our meetings took place at Jason’s old flat which was in Dennistoun, overlooking the Necropolis, and that’s how we decided on the name.
“The two of us love Glasgow as much as we love rum so that’s what we built the whole company around.” What followed was months of learning a new trade from the inside out, with countless taste testings (“the fun part”), visits to the distillery and plenty of research needed before tentatively giving a first batch of Deid Merchant spiced rum the green light.
In a bid to stretch their funds as far as possible the pair even chose to label and number each of the 400 bottles by hand after carrying them up flights of stairs to Anton’s kitchen.
Hard graft, however, proved worth it with almost the entire batch snapped up by rum fans across the city including one par
ticular famous face. Anton said: “Our first bottle was distilled a few months ago and we managed to stock it in a few bars and shops in the local area.
“Frank McAvennie is a friend of a friend of my dad and when he saw someone posting about the rum on Twitter he said he was keen to try it.
“He loved it and shared a post on his social media which was great for us, but everyone else seems to be enjoying it so far too.
“I can’t give away too much of the secret recipe but it’s citrusy, spicy and a wee bit sweet.
“It goes well with apple juice, ginger beer or Coke but it’s also so nice over ice that it could be classed as dangerous.”
Looking back to those first conversations which grew to become Necropolis Spirits, Anton says that their journey still feels ‘ surreal’, but hopes that their incredible success will continue throughout the new year.
He said: “We’re so proud to have produced even one bottle, never mind selling 350.
“This year for us will be all about going to as many fairs or festivals as possible and getting the word out.
“It was great to have support from people like Frank but even the reception from friends, family or people who just want to see us do well has been amazing.
“I think that’s a real example of the Glasgow community spirit, it’s not something I think you’ll find anywhere else in the world.”