Taste the adventure this Father’s Day

This Father’s Day we’re raising a glass of Ranulph Fiennes’ Great British Rum to the dads who do things a bit differently.

The ones who never shy away from a challenge, and instead chart their own course and do things their own way.

Ran had one of those fathers – a World War Two hero who led his regiment into battle multiple times and played a fundamental role in defeating the Germans. His bravery in the face of danger even saw him run into No Man’s Land to save two wounded Italian soldiers despite them being on the opposing side.

Tragically, his father was killed just before the battle of Monte Cassino four months before Ran was born. The void his father left was filled with stories of heroism and adventure that fed a young boy’s imagination, and he set his heart on following in his father’s footsteps to become a Colonel in the Royal Scots Greys.

The vital step that would guarantee his rise to Colonel was to get the grades to attend The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst – something that proved to be just out of his reach. It was an early lesson that the first casualty of any plan, is often the plan itself – something that would put him in good stead for later adventures.

Ran still joined the Royal Scots Greys as a Second Lieutenant, hopeful that the rules might change. But after five years he finally accepted that wasn’t to be and successfully applied to join the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment, specialising in demolitions.

The young Ran was desperate to see action like his father and quickly became bored. That’s when he found himself in hot water. Upset by the construction of a dam that formed part of a film set in a picturesque Wiltshire village, he used his demolition experience in an attempt to destroy it. Immediately discharged from the SAS, Ran quickly dusted himself off and returned to the Royal Scots Greys for a year before being posted to the army of the Sultan of Oman. It was here that he finally saw action in the Dhofar Rebellion and received a medal for his bravery.

At this point, most people would put their feet up, content in the knowledge that they had lived a life less ordinary inspired by their ultimate hero. But not a man with an unquenchable thirst for adventure. The next chapter of his life saw the Guinness World Records name Ran the world’s greatest living explorer and while he isn’t one to hypothesise, Ran hopes his father would have been proud.

While we can’t all claim a decorated war hero for a father, for many of us our dads were no less inspiring. Maybe your steely determination came from a childhood spent trudging through forests and clambering up hills, as your dad’s words of encouragement carried back to you on a bracing wind.

Or your competitive spirit was sparked by a dad who drove you to football practice every week and cheered you on from the side-lines despite having just finished a gruelling 12-hour shift.

It could be that your ability to solve problems and overcome challenges was instilled by a father who sat with you for hours, scratching his head and furrowing his brow, as he helped you find the solution to your maths homework.

Or your fearlessness in the face of adversity was shaped by a father who dealt with the pain of chronic illness yet never lost hope that there would be better times ahead.

It’s for those fathers we raise a glass this Father’s Day. Because our Great British Rum embodies the spirit of a man who has inspired generations and achieved the unthinkable, from traversing the remote and unforgiving Headless Valley in Canada to summiting Mount Everest on his third attempt.

The rum is infused with exotic woods from some of Ran’s most iconic expeditions – Sequoia from Canada, Norwegian pine, and date palm from Oman – to deliver multiple adventures in one bottle. 

It also wouldn’t be a rum by Ran if it didn’t break new ground – it’s the first rum to be distilled on British soil using pioneering techniques. And if that wasn’t enough, our distilleries are based in Essex and Cornwall, the historic home of rum-soaked pirates.

So why not give your dad the taste of Ranulph Fiennes’ Great British Rum this Father’s Day and celebrate a lifetime of memories together?