KNOWLEDGE, ENDURANCE AND DEDICATION
As a part of our commitment to promoting amazing brands, here are British Thoughts on a quest to discover an amazing British and London-born business: Taxi Spirit.
To honour the heritage and realise a long-held dream, Taxi Spirit Co has opened London’s first-ever Rum Distillery! Lovingly named after its founder, Moses Odong’s current profession, Taxi Spirit Co. will passionately craft a range of premium quality Rums for the UK, and spread the joy in the international market as well!
Our editor had a lovely chat with the owners, Moses Odong and Bianca Whiskey.
Tell us about your business and how you came up with the idea of London’s first-ever Rum Distillery?
We are a small batch distillery producing London’s first White Rum – Cabby’s Rum. My name is Moses Odong and I am the founder of Taxi Spirit Co Ltd. I have been a London taxi driver for 11 years. Completed the Knowledge in 2 years and decided 8 years in to try something new. The business started with the help of my partner Bianca Whiskey and a conversation with a family member that led to founding our company.
What makes your rum so special?
Like all traditional rums, we produce our Cabby’s rum from cane molasses only. We do not add any sugar, syrup or other sources of carbohydrates to increase the level of alcohol, thus creating more flavours and it’s a craft to balance them for fullest enjoyment.
The flavour profile is a rich, full-bodied taste notes of sweet cane, delicious black treacle, a hint of oak and refreshing coconuts and citrus sweetness.
We make our product with passion, and we believe knowledge and transparency is the key to great customer relationship. So we are open to the public to bring them close to experience being in a local rum distillery.
How well has the rum been received?
The response has been great, we have already received multiple awards at IWSC, The Spirit Business and Great taste Award and SAN Francisco World Spirit Competition 2020 since our launch in June 2018. We have also had a great media follow-up since then from International Wine Spirit Competition, Evening standard, Imbibe, BBC and several others. We had a great opportunity to showcase Cabby’s Rum in Japan Osaka at the Best of British fair 2019 in Hankyu Department Store.
Do you have any plans to expand your range?
We did already and it all started while creating a recipe for our spiced rum by controlled accident.
Cabby’s gin was created this way and was the best surprise ever! We were experimenting with juniper and pimento berries as the soul of our spiced rum but turns out we got a great gin recipe from it.
We also have a new member of the cabby family Cabby’s Spiced Rum. It brings a refreshing sweet floral twist to a classic golden spiced rum, produced from our award-winning barrel-aged white rum. Violet-vanilla complex with, clove and ginger, like having a bite of honey lavender macarons while sipping a dark and stormy cocktail. Plenty of vanilla and caramel notes, definitely one for those with a bit of a sweet tooth!
During the Pandemic, we thought it would be helpful to create a hand sanitizer, Cabby’s Hand Rub. We have repurposed our warehouse facility to produce large amounts from which we donated to care homes and hospices around London to help with Covid-19 pandemic. Our efforts were recognised by The Sun, mentioning our small business in the Great Britain campaign.
As entrepreneurs, what is it that motivates and drives you?
We are truly honoured that our products have been well received and gained great recognition with the awards we have won. We see the rum category being the new go-to spirit on the market. The challenge is to get people to appreciate the great taste of white rum and that is our driving force. What excites us and is on the horizon: our new Black Rum! It is coming soon, stay tuned!
Where can we buy your rum and gin?
Cabby’s Spirits can be purchased at The Whisky Exchange, Askew Wines, TT Liquor and through our website. Follow us on our Instagram pages dedicates for rum and gin!
Article by Viorela Coman