The Public Spirit is an independent craft spirits brand based in Ancoats, which launched in early 2021. The brand began during the first Covid-19 lockdown, thanks to Manchester couple Olly Walker and Naomi Flaherty’s joint mission to bring people together to enjoy great quality drinks and support great causes.
Olly was made redundant during the first lockdown in 2020 so decided to launch a Crowdfunder to try and raise £10,000 to start their own rum brand. It only took them a week to reach their target to launch The Public Spirit. As the general public helped inspire and develop the brand, it will always have the local community spirit at its core.
Their spirits brand produces meticulously sourced and hand-crafted spirits, their first being two distinct expressions: Golden Aged Rum and Original Spiced Rum.
Setting out to be industry trailblazers, The Public Spirit also donates a quarter of their profits to local causes such as food banks, community projects, mental health charities and more throughout the UK, to supporting the crucial fight for equality and a fairer society.
They also recognise the threat posed by climate change and the need to protect the earth through responsibly sourcing their goods and using sustainable packaging to limit their environmental impact.
“For us, it’s about a lot more than just profit. We strive to make a real difference in the communities around us, and to the causes that need it the most,” says Ollie. “That’s why we make a commitment to giving back a quarter of all profits to great causes. That’s something we can all say cheers to. That’s The Public Spirit.”
The Public Spirit is now a Pending B Corp Certified Company (following an official year of pending status, they will undertake the process to gain full accreditation) which proves that the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to make sure they balance profit and purpose.
“Using business as a force for good is at the heart of The Public Spirit and so becoming a B Corp is an incredibly natural fit for us,” says Ollie. “Sustainability and community are core to our beliefs and we truly mean it when we say ‘when you drink the good stuff, you’ll be doing good too.’”
The Public Spirit hand picks rums from five different locations; Barbados, Jamaica, Panama, Trinidad and Venezuela - to create two completely unique blended aged rums.
The Public Spirit Golden Aged Rum is the blend in its most natural form, offering a full-flavoured rum with notes of ripe banana, roasted pineapple, juicy mango and oak - a beautifully moreish sipper and base for all classic mixers and cocktails.
The Original Spiced Rum is the same unique golden-aged rum, with creamy salted toffee and secret spices - great over ice and with ginger beer.
Now The Public Spirit has been working on two bartender quality, ready-to-drink rum cocktails in cans. The Rum & Ginger cocktail (RRP £3, 5% ABV) is an expert blend of The Public Spirit Original Spiced Rum, with a kick of ginger beer and a squeeze of lime.
It comes in 250ml cans and will be available in a pack of four or 12, direct from thepublicspirit.co.uk or as single cans from General Stores supermarkets throughout Greater Manchester. The Public Spirit will also offer next day delivery on cans ordered directly from the website.
Launching soon, a UK first, The Public Spirit have also successfully developed the first Rum Punch in a can (RRP £3.50, 8% ABV), an exotic mix of both The Public Spirit Original Spiced Rum and Golden Aged Rum, with papaya, citrus, soda and bitters.
The Public Spirit range is currently stocked nationally online at Master of Malt and Amazon and various independent wine and spirits retailers across the UK. It is also served in some of Manchester’s best bars, including The Jane Eyre, Feel Good Club, and Hatch.
For more information on the rum and for innovative cocktail ideas, visit https://www.thepublicspirit.co.uk/