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Britain blended rum for three centuries before it distilled any
Britain has imported, bonded and blended Caribbean rum for centuries, and Royal Museums Greenwich dates the Royal Navy’s daily ration from around 1655 to the last tot in 1970, Black Tot Day. Distilling rum here is recent. Britain grows no sugarcane, so a British distillery imports molasses or another cane product and ferments and distils it itself.
Most rum sold under a British name still follows the older route: rum distilled abroad, most often in the Caribbean, and blended, spiced or bottled here. Where spiced rum is made sets out both routes and what British law calls the result.
A few British distilleries now ferment and distil their own rum
A small number of British distilleries now make rum from scratch. Each ferments a wash from imported cane products and distils it on its own stills, so the rum in the bottle was made in Britain, not only finished here.
British distilleries that ferment and distil their own rum, from Food and Drink Technology, Produced in Kent and the distilleries’ own sites
DropWorks
- Where
- Nottinghamshire
- What it distils from
- Molasses and organic cane honey
- Known for
- Clear Drop Rum, on three stills
Greensand Ridge
- Where
- Shipbourne, Kent
- What it distils from
- Surplus molasses from UK sugar production
- Known for
- Wealden Rum
Ninefold
- Where
- Scotland
- What it distils from
- Imported molasses
- Known for
- Rum distilled in Scotland
Two Drifters
- Where
- Devon
- What it distils from
- Imported molasses
- Known for
- Rum distilled in Devon
| Distillery | Where | What it distils from | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DropWorks | Nottinghamshire | Molasses and organic cane honey | Clear Drop Rum, on three stills |
| Greensand Ridge | Shipbourne, Kent | Surplus molasses from UK sugar production | Wealden Rum |
| Ninefold | Scotland | Imported molasses | Rum distilled in Scotland |
| Two Drifters | Devon | Imported molasses | Rum distilled in Devon |
Food and Drink Technology reported that DropWorks, in Nottinghamshire, was founded by Lewis Hayes, ferments molasses and organic cane juice honey, distils them on three custom-made stills and blends on site, and calls the result Brit-rum.
Produced in Kent reported in 2018 that Greensand Ridge, at Shipbourne in Kent, makes its Wealden Rum from surplus molasses from UK sugar production, and carries out fermentation, distillation, cask ageing, blending and bottling itself.
Ninefold in Scotland and Two Drifters in Devon, by their own accounts, distil rum from molasses too.
Cool British cellars age rum slowly
A British cellar is cool, so rum ages more slowly here than in the Caribbean, where heat drives the spirit in and out of the oak. A British aged rum of a given age has usually taken less from the cask than a Caribbean one, and most British-distilled rum on sale is still young.
Spiced rum is where most British rum sits
Spiced rum is where most British rum sits. It can be made by a distillery that makes its own rum or by a producer that buys rum in and spices it, so it suits both routes.
Expedition Spiced Rum, from Jerry Can Spirits, is one example of the second route: a British spiced rum on a Caribbean rum base, macerated by our British partner distillery. Like every spiced rum, its legal name is spirit drink.
The UK rum figures that can be sourced date from 2019
The most recent free figures from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association date from April 2019. They put UK rum sales at just over £1 billion in 2018, and the number of rum brands on the UK market at approaching 200, against about 50 in 2006.
UK rum in the WSTA figures of April 2019
Rum sales, all channels
- Figure
- Just over £1 billion
- Period
- 2018
Bottles sold
- Figure
- Almost 35 million
- Period
- 2018
Golden rum in pubs, bars and restaurants
- Figure
- £374 million, up 7%
- Period
- 2018
Rum brands on the UK market
- Figure
- About 50
- Period
- 2006
Rum brands on the UK market
- Figure
- Approaching 200
- Period
- April 2019
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Rum sales, all channels | Just over £1 billion | 2018 |
| Bottles sold | Almost 35 million | 2018 |
| Golden rum in pubs, bars and restaurants | £374 million, up 7% | 2018 |
| Rum brands on the UK market | About 50 | 2006 |
| Rum brands on the UK market | Approaching 200 | April 2019 |
Dan Buckland of Drum & Black Rum Co., quoted in the WSTA release, said most new brands relied on bulk imports. Growth percentages quoted for later years mostly come from paid market research.
A British rum label should say where the rum was distilled
A label that names the country where the rum was distilled tells you more than one that names where it was bottled. A distillery that makes its own rum will usually say so. A brand that buys rum in should say where it came from. How to read a rum label covers the rest.
The figures come from the WSTA and the producers
The market figures are from the WSTA press release Sales of rum continue to rise, 30 April 2019.
The DropWorks details are from Food and Drink Technology and the Greensand Ridge details from Produced in Kent. Ninefold and Two Drifters describe their own production on their websites, and the Royal Navy dates are from Royal Museums Greenwich.
Jerry Can Spirits is an independent company: we are not affiliated with any of the other distilleries named on this page, and we do not act for or on behalf of them. This page is our own account, drawn from the sources it lists.