High-Quality Rums Made in Ireland

The idea of rum being produced anywhere other than the tropics may appear weird, but it is not. Germany has a lengthy history of rum distillation, as does Scotland, with a number of very successful rum brands on the market. Likewise, mixology has grown significantly in the United Kingdom and Ireland, introducing new spirits and drinks.

Irish distilleries are developing rums that are worth trying. The more mature, well-crafted, and tastefully aged rums are starting to prosper as a global category. These are rums designed to be sipped or combined into spirit-forward cocktails. Blacks and other Irish brands are already making inroads in this market.

Maud and Sam Black founded Blacks Brewery and Distillery in Kinsale, Co. Cork, which is one of the famous distilleries leading the drive. In 2018, Blacks became Ireland’s first distillery to import sugar molasses, ferment it, and distill it into commercially available Irish rum. They are also Ireland’s first co-located microbrewery and distillery. Blacks also makes gin, whiskey, and beer, as well as running its own brewery. 

Blacks Spiced Irish Rum begins with small-batch rum distilled in Kinsale using high-grade molasses, fermented and matured in oak casks, then tempered with seven spices. Its Golden Rum is aged in single-malt Irish whiskey casks. In 2020, the spirit received the gold medal at the World Rum Awards. Currently, they have numerous new rums in the pipeline, including some unique cask finishes like coconut and pineapple.

Akal Chai Rum is another distillery—founded by Kiran Shiva Akal—that produces botanical-style and limited-edition West Indian spirits. It is considered the most sophisticated ultra-premium rum worldwide. The distillery blends single estate high-altitude Darjeeling tea, grown above 9,000 feet, with natural and rare botanicals, using a process called Méthode Sillage to age the spirit.

In this sense, it combines the tea master’s trade, the art of perfumery, and the distiller’s competence in a harmonious marriage of disciplines and distinctive ingredients. They also add an incredible degree of complexity by using European oak barrels and, in some cases, 45 years or older casks. The method is a trade secret and is regarded as the first true innovation in rum manufacturing.

Copeland Distillery has been producing rums inspired by the smuggling operations along the Copeland Islands in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its expressions blend the distillery’s own heavy pot-still rum and light rums, as well as Barbados rum. It is aged in first-fill American bourbon oak barrels and French Pinot Noir casks.

Rum lovers have two great choices from Copeland Distillery, both of which are made the same way and are just as good. They only differ in the blend’s ratio and the aging procedure. Copeland Smugglers Reserve and Overproof rums are aged differently and mixed in different proportions. 

The Smugglers Reserve is a blend of their own rum and a strong Caribbean rum made to Copeland Distillery’s specifications. The rums are matured for up to a year. Overproof rum is manufactured from batches of re-aged rum, filled one at a time. These are then blended at a 1:1 ratio to produce a smooth, excellent rum, ultimately bottled at 57.2% ABV.

Killowen Distillery also makes great rums, but they are only available twice a year. The team ferments and distills blackstrap molasses and sugar on-site, and then uses the solera process to combine the three different casks. Their Killowen Distillery Dark Rum is distilled 212 times in their thumper keg before being blended in triple-cask soleras for genuine richness.

While each of these rums is made in a unique manner, each bottle captures the sense of location that Irish consumers crave. Because rum is generally aged in hot areas, the alcohol responds differently when brought to a wetter, colder climate like Ireland. The rum then tempers differently in the barrel, so unexpected flavors emerge.

Irish distillers see the interest in rum as a continuation of the country’s preference for dark and gold spirits. Rum is expected to expand in the following years, making it the third most important growth spirit in Ireland after whiskey and gin.

Featured image source: Facebook. Blacks Brewery & Distillery. (April 13, 2022).