A Story Of Fantasy And Bohemian Culture: The Rise Of Witch Kings Rum (The Rum Ration)

The story of rum is powerful, built on centuries of history and tradition. Many brands focus on telling the story of a specific region or use certain tropes to promote their rum to a wider audience. Maximilian Tin-Bradbury and Brandon Bissell, co-founders of Witch Kings Rum, took a different path.

For them, it’s all about telling the story of quality ingredients and quality rum through the lens of fantasy, art and creativity. Find out why Witch Kings Rum is on a mission to redefine how rum and rum liqueurs can be presented to the world.

The magic of lockdown 

Based in Manchester, UK, Witch Kings Rum is a brand conceived during lockdown. There weren’t any spells cast as far as I know, but there was a certain magic that came together when Bradbury and Bissell developed their idea during a time of uncertainty. 

Combining their years of experience in the hospitality industry, the duo set out to craft a drink with plenty of hex appeal. The story of the Witch King is an ethereal spirit with great power, as evident from the elegant logo on the bottles.

Bradbury and Bissell were keen to emphasise the bohemian qualities of their rum and worked with local Manchester businesses, such as Speak in Code to help design the bottle labels. Witch Kings also enlisted the aid of award-winning artist HazardOne to create the logo.

Working with other creatives is at the top of the list and as the brand grows, Witch Kings hopes to build a collaborative Manchester community where rum crosses into art, music and performance.

Distilling up a storm 

When creating their portfolio, Bradbury and Bissell worked with Kit Carruthers from Ninefold Distillery in Scotland. The brand uses Ninefold pure single white rum as the base ingredient. This helped to create three main products: Bohemian Dreams, Fires Of The Wild and Sunset Solstice. 

Bohemian Dreams is an effervescent concoction of pineapple, mint and blueberry. These ingredients pair extremely well with the caramel notes of the Ninefold single white to create an explosion of flavour.

The night is dark and full of terrors yet Fires Of The Wild can banish the darkness and soothe the soul. It’s made with strawberries, lemons and a dash of chilli for a spicy kick.

Watching the sun dip beneath the clouds is a beautiful sight and Witch Kings aim to recreate that feeling with Sunset Solstice. Peach, ginger and lime mix to create a potent, graceful drink to signal the coming of dusk. 

A sustainable ethos and a bright future 

Along with crafting delicious drinks, the brand is committed to using sustainable materials in all aspects of the rum. One example is the use of flexi-hex packaging to deliver bottles. This honeycomb mesh is made from recyclable paper and is a great alternative to plastic.

The story of Witch Kings is certainly memorable, though it’s the people behind the story that make it worth telling. Bissell and Bradbury have a great amount of passion for what they do and their desire to blend the arts with rum is sure to further elevate the rum category in the coming years.

For more information on Witch Kings, check out https://www.witchkingsrum.com and support a brand that’s shifting the conversation about rum. 

Written by The Rum Ration. Click HERE for original article!