New year, old me! What a better way to kick start 2026 than with a very special bottle of rum from Ninefold Distillery. I have seen Dr. Kit Carruthers at the 2025 UK RumFest and, as promised, I purchased a bottle of his newest release – I haven’t opened it yet, so I thought my … More Review: Ninefold Scottish Oak 3 Years Old
Described as the oldest UK produced rum on the market, J. Gow Fading Light XO is a bottle I just had to purchase. I’m a massive fan of Collin van Schayk and his J. Gow rums so I have quite the expectations from this one. J. Gow is made in Orkney, Scotland and its name … More Review: J. Gow Fading Light XO
Extra extra! Read all about it, fresh off the presses! The 2nd edition of The Rum Barrel Awards is here! This is my way of showcasing my personal highlights of the year by adopting a spirit format competition with awards by category. As I was going through my scores I noticed this year has been … More The Rum Barrel Awards 2023
I still remember when I attended the Rum Show earlier this year in July and I visited the J. Gow stand. There Collin van Schayk walked me through his J. Gow range and after we exhausted what was on the table, he pulled a sample from beneath – it was a preview of this bottling … More Review: J. Gow Hall of Clestrain
This marks the 4th collaboration between the Facebook group The UK Rum Club and a rum brand. To make it even better, a portion of the profits from 3 of these collaborations, including this one, were donated to various charities. Pretty cool, eh? Collin van Schayk is the owner of the J. Gow brand and … More Review: J. Gow UKRC Single Cask Selection
This year’s Rum Show was packed with delicious and interesting cane spirits – which has both its ups and downs. The bright side is that I get to taste so many of them, the downside is that I want to purchase so many of them, but unfortunately I cannot – therefore I have to be … More Review: Ninefold 3 Year Old Single Pot Still – The Whisky Exchange vs Ninefold Experimental Cask Edition #3
I’m glad to be able to review a Scottish rum from an island which is mostly known for its whisky – Islay. Last year the Islay Rum Distillery, which was built on the site of the former Hastie’s Lemonade Factory in Port Ellen, released their very first bottling. For this project to come to life, … More Review: The Original Islay Rum Geal
Sugar House is a brand from Glasgow, Scotland established in 2017 that produces their own rum. I have previously reviewed their first batch of Blood Tub Rum and I found it absolutely stunning, so I’m very much looking forward to this one. Their brand name takes inspiration from the Glasgow Sugar Houses which were Scotland’s … More Review: Sugar House Blood Tub Rum (Batch 2)
Ninefold is a brand that I like to keep an eye on. Dr. Kit Carruthers, the founder and master distiller of Ninefold, is actively experimenting with production and ageing methods, going to various events to promote his, periodically releasing limited edition bottlings solely destined for charity all while pretty much single handedly operating the distillery … More Review: Ninefold Cask Aged Pure Single Rum (Batch CA01)
J. Gow is one Scottish rum brand that’s on my radar, especially when it comes to new releases. The rum is named after an infamous Orkney pirate called John Gow. While most rum brands that use pirate lore as their marketing point are usually not worth checking out, J. Gow is the exception and, honestly, … More Review: J. Gow Culverin