Dark Matter Distillers, which officially launched on 7 April 2015, and produced its first bottle of spiced rum near the end of May, has filled the first cask after a high demand for larger bespoke quantities.
Established by brothers Jim and John Ewen, the Banchory distillery has been operating for just under three months, and has already secured a number of contracts with prestigious bars and shops across the nation.
The American Oak cask, which was filled on 28 August and now holds 201 litres of rum, will be left for an indefinite amount of time so the rum can mature, leaving a more robust, mellow tipple.
The rum distillers, who are exhibiting at a brand new event, the Inverurie Beer Festival at the end of September, will be offering festivalgoers the chance to sample Scotland’s first rum, with some unique accompaniments.
Inverurie Beer Festival, which was launched this year, coincides with local food and drink festival, Feast North East, and will host its inaugural event on 25 and 26 September 2015.
The festival, which aims to showcase local business from the Inverurie and Aberdeenshire area, will highlight some of the area’s finest food and drink producers.
Jim Ewen, owner of Dark Matter Distillers, said: “This is the first ever cask of rum produced in the country and we are extremely excited to see how it matures with age.” However, this is just the first step in a long term cask filling programme which will be implemented in the coming months.
“We are looking forward to showcasing our rum to a large, mixed audience in Inverurie and if the response from festivalgoers at the Banchory Beer Festival is anything to go by, we are certain our rum will extremely popular.
Inverurie Beer Festival director, Mungo Finlayson, said: “Inverurie Beer Festival is more than just a beer festival, we want to showcase the region’s finest food and drink producers and I feel the festival line-up truly reflects our goals and objectives. Dark Matter Distillers have been a great addition to the line-up and offer an exclusive, unique product like many of our other exhibitors.
“This is the first year for the Inverurie Beer Festival and we are really looking forward to seeing how the local people enjoy it. Ticket sales have been fantastic and it looks very likely that we will sell out all sessions.”
Inverurie Beer Festival will be the penultimate Feast North East event, closing the three-month food and drink festival, which has boasted over 50 events throughout the Inverurie and Garioch area.
• Information and tickets for the Inverurie Beer Festival can be found athttp://inveruriebeerfestival.com
