Scotland isn’t a place we’d usually associate with rum in today’s context, although in a different era, Port Glasgow served as one of the gateways for rums from the Americas coming to Great Britain. Yet an increasing number of rum distilleries have begun finding its way into Scotland, such as this @ninefolddistillery rum that I had the pleasure of tasting at @limehouseasia.

The craft distillery is situated on the Dormont Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, run by Kit Carruthers that makes small batch rums using a hybrid copper pot still. This rum, known as Edition #1, is actually the 2nd pure single rum release from Ninefold, aged for 12 months in a virgin oak cask in Scotland. It was then bottled in September 2020 at 59.6% abv with an outturn of 246 bottles.

The nose is wonderfully delicious, reminding me of warm toasted tea fingers and jam sandwich creams. Lots of virgin oak influence as well with sweet caramel, vanilla, slight yellow fruits, pineapples, mangoes and a bit of marmalade.

Palate was a tad drier than I expected, despite being aged for only a year. Dried orange peels, and those warm biscuits and vanilla return to the palate, along with some baking spices and nutmeg. The finish is nice with medium length, sweet honey, florals, and chrysanthemum.

I must confess that I was impressed with Edition #1, a young rum that is full, rich, and bold, traits you don’t often find in continentally aged rums. It is undoubtedly a stroke of genius to have used that virgin oak cask that gives so much more character to a young rum like this, yet wonderfully balanced, and an all-round delicious rum. Certainly I am very much looking forward to see what else Kit and Ninefold has in store for us in the future!

Image Courtesy of @weixiang_liu

Your occasional rum addict!

@weixiang_liu