Manchester based liqueur and craft spirits company, O’Donnell Moonshine have featured on the latest episode (Episode 8, Series 19) of prime time show, Dragons’ Den.
The episode, which aired on Thursday 24 February, saw Chief Executive Officer at O’Donnell Moonshine, Max Ruether, enter the Den and face business moguls Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies, Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Steven Bartlett. While a deal couldn’t be done on the day the Dragons saw huge potential in the brand and predicted strong sales for their products.
After the show, Max Ruether said: “Whilst it was disappointing not to have received investment, it’s important to pick out the positives from my experience on The Den.
“The feedback was really encouraging and tells me that the brand and products are absolutely on the right track.
“It’s certainly not the last you’ll hear of O’Donnell Moonshine. For us it’s only the beginning.”
Founded in 2016, O’Donnell Moonshine is a spirits brand which is carving its own, unique path in the UK alcohol industry producing a variety of handmade, flavoured Moonshine.
Inspired by the rebellion and inventiveness of the American prohibition era, where illegal alcohol was produced overnight by moonlight to avoid detection, O’Donnell Moonshine is rebelling against industry norms with a range of natural, wheat-based spirits.
O’Donnell Moonshine isn’t bottled, instead, it’s sold on the shelf in Mason jars, giving it a unique identity. Mason jars were used during prohibition to conceal the contents and avoid suspicion from the authorities – a brand feature which makes O’Donnell Moonshine stand out on any backbar, liquor cabinet, or home bar.
With flavours including Tough Nut, Wild Berry, Sticky Toffee, and 72% ABV High Proof (one for the moonshine purists!), their versatile range of seven flavoured and two clear spirits can be enjoyed over ice, with a mixer, or used in a variety of cocktails.
The brand is named after legendary anti-hero Chicago bootlegger Edward ‘Spike’ O’Donnell – one of the few bootleggers during the roaring twenties who cared deeply about the quality of his product.
While moonshine’s emergence is tied to the murky world of 1920’s bootlegging, O’Donnell Moonshine brings the liquor firmly into the 21st century by creating a socially conscious modern product with a unique taste experience.
O’Donnell Moonshine encourage customers to get creative and upcycle their glassware after use, there’s plenty of inventive tips over on the brand’s Instagram, while an upcycling set plus soap dispenser lid are available to help give your moonshine jar a new lease of life.
Max Ruether, Chief Executive Officer at O’Donnell Moonshine said: “We hope that O’Donnell Moonshine can channel some of the rebellion of the prohibition era and shake up the UK drinks market to give consumers something they’ve never seen before.”
“As consumers continue to grow more adventurous with their choice of spirit, we predict a Moonshine boom in the next three years, much like the gin boom. Moonshine really is the new gin!
For more information, or to browse the full range of O’Donnell Moonshine products, please visit https://odonnellmoonshine.co.uk/