A Manchester-based spirit brand was left disappointed last night after being brutally rejected on the BBC show Dragon’s Den.
German-born Manchester resident Max Ruether, who runs his moonshine business O’Donnell Moonshine out of the Northern Quarter, faced up to the five business moguls on Thursday – asking them for a £200,000 investment in exchange for a 5% equity share.
At first, things seemed to be going well. Max appeared in his bootlegger garb – flat cap, white shirt and braces – alongside multiple mason jars filled with different flavours of moonshine and everyone, bar Touker Suleyman, happily got stuck into the sampling.
Peter Jones was so enthusiastic, in fact, he was chugging the stuff straight from the bottle.
Image: O’Donnell Moonshine
But as the dragons started to dig into the figures, it soon became clear that all did not add up. The business was in debt to the tune of £870,000 and investment was only available in the UK arm of the company, not its more successful German parent.
Commenting that the UK business had lost money over the past three years, Touker was the first to issue a brutal rejection – telling the Mancunian entrepreneur his valuation was “ridiculous” before asking “how much of that stuff have you drank?”
He continued, “I find amazing is that you come in here with a business that has a million euros in debt” before surmising it was overvalued, over-indebted, there were too many questions marks and too many doubts.
Image: O’Donnell Moonshine
Up next, Peter Jones called the business ‘deflating and unexciting’ before announcing he, too, was out. Admitting he could have been a potential investor, he ultimately slammed Max saying “even if I drank everything that’s on this table here I’d still come to the same conclusion.”
Steven Bartlett and Deborah Meaden were quick to follow suit, with Meaden explaining “You’re a tiny shareholder… you’ve made it impossible for me to invest”.
As for Sara Davies, it seemed there could be a glimmer of hope as she enthused about how ‘cool’ the concept was but, ultimately, she opted out too.
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.”
Image: O’Donnell Moonshine
Founded in 2016, O’Donnell Moonshine takes its name from anti-hero Chicago bootlegger Edward ‘Spike’ O’Donnell – a bootlegger during the roaring twenties.
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 sold in flavours including Tough Nut, Wild Berry, Sticky Toffee, and 72% ABV High Proof.
Although none of the dragons invested in the business, they did seem impressed with the product.
In an additional comment following the show, Max Ruether said moonshine could overtake gin in popularity: “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!”
Feature image – O’Donnell Moonshine
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‘Dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture goes on public display in Greater Manchester after fears it was lost
Emily Sergeant
A long-lost masterpiece of Victorian silverwork has been saved and is now on display to the public in Greater Manchester.
Anyone taking a trip over to the National Trust’s historic Dunham Massey property, on the border of Greater Manchester into Cheshire, this summer will get to see the ‘dazzling’ sculpture called Stags in Bradgate Park – which was commissioned by a former owner in a defiant gesture to the society that shunned him.
The dramatic sculpture of two rutting Red Deer stags, commissioned in 1855 by George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, was said to be an ‘act of love and rebellion’.
It also serves as a symbol of ‘locking horns’ with the society that ostracised him over his marriage to a woman considered ‘beneath him’.
“This isn’t just silver – it’s a story,” says James Rothwell, who is the National Trust‘s curator for decorative arts.
“A story of a man who fell in love with a woman that society deemed unworthy. When the Earl married Catherine Cox, whose colourful past was said to have included performing in a circus, Victorian high society was scandalised. Even Queen Victoria shunned the couple at the opera and local gentry at the horse races in Cheshire turned their backs on them.”
Modelled by Alfred Brown and crafted by royal goldsmiths Hunt & Roskell, Stags in Bradgate Park is a meticulously-detailed depiction of nature, and was considered a ‘sensation’ in its day.
Showing the rutting deer positioned on a rocky outcrop with gnarled hollow oaks, it graced the pages of the Illustrated London News, was exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862, and at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 – both of which were events that drew millions of visitors.
A ‘dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture has gone on public display in Greater Manchester / Credit: Joe Wainwright | James Dobson (via Supplied)
The silver centrepiece was the celebrity art of its time, paraded through streets and admired by the public like no other.
Gradually over the years, some of the Earl of Stamford’s silver collection has been re-acquired for Dunham Massey, and this particular world-renowned sculpture, thought to be lost for decades and feared to have been melted down, has miraculously survived with its ‘dramatic’ central component being all that is left.
“The sculpture is not only a technical marvel, with its lifelike depiction of Bradgate Park’s rugged landscape and wildlife, but also a dramatic human story key to the history of Dunham Massey,” added Emma Campagnaro, who is the Property Curator at Dunham Massey.
“It speaks of nature, of craftsmanship, and of a couple who chose each other over status and what others thought of them.”
The sculpture has now gone on display at Dunham Massey from Thursday 26 June.
Featured Image – James Dobson (via Supplied)
News
Lewis Capaldi announces MASSIVE comeback gig in Manchester this year
Thomas Melia
Everyone’s favourite Scottish ballad-maker, Lewis Capaldi, is heading out on tour across the UK, including a massive Manchester date.
Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is ready to tug at our heartstrings again right in front of our eyes as he announces a new UK arena tour.
This huge announcement comes right after his surprise set at the UK’s biggest music event of the year, Glastonbury, where he made a heroic return to the Pyramid Stage just two years after being forced to pull out.
Capaldi is known for writing some of the most notable and emotive hits of the late 2010s and early 2020s, including a long list of anthems such as ‘Someone You Loved’, ‘Bruises’ and ‘Before You Go’.
His monster of a hit ‘Someone You Loved’ has surpassed 3.9 billion views and is the UK’s most-streamed song of all time, so it is safe to say that his presence has been well and truly missed.
To many fans’ delight, the singer has stepped back into the spotlight and is ready to sing his heart out live at a variety of arenas across the UK, including Co-op Live right here in Manchester.
Now, in a post on his official Instagram account announcing this upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour, it’s good to see the Scottish powerhouse hasn’t lost his wit and charm as he jokes, “About time I got back to work.”
These shows are set to be in high demand as the singer has also revealed these upcoming dates, “Will be my only shows in the UK, Ireland or Europe this year! Would love to see ya there.”
On the back of his glorious Glasto return, Capaldi has dropped a huge heart-wrencher titled ‘Survive’ which offers more insight into the struggles and challenges the singer has been facing.
There is no confirmation of whether this new single marks the launch of a bigger project or not, but we can’t wait to scream his hits at the top of our lungs, regardless of when he pays Manchester a visit later this year.
Georgina Pellant -
25th February 2022 
