Unveiling the Secrets of The Main Rum Company in Liverpool

In the past, very few people had heard of The Main Rum Company, a Liverpool-based company that supplied the majority of independently bottled rums worldwide. Even fewer had access to the Plutus warehouse on the city’s docks, where thousands of barrels aged a wide variety of aged rums from around the world. The Main Rum preferred to remain discreet, not drawing attention away from their customers who sold the rum under their own brands.

I was fortunate to be one of those privileged individuals, and my travel report was the first to take people behind the centuries-old brick walls that had also served as the backdrop for several famous Bob Dylan photos. At the start of my visit, I was told I couldn’t take photos. Imagine the agony! How could I truly tell the story without images to illustrate my words?

Fortunately, Cotswold Distillery also stored barrels in the warehouse. By great luck, Cotswold’s owner, Daniel Szor, had shared some photos of the warehouse interior on Facebook while I was finishing the article, and I managed to obtain permission to use them in my piece.

How times have changed! Since my visit in 2017, The Main Rum has gradually revealed more information about its operations. In 2021, while completing the chapter on bulk rum and origin rum in Modern Caribbean Rum, E&A Scheer provided me with new high-resolution photos of the warehouse interior, which became an integral part of the chapter. (E&A Scheer is the owner of The Main Rum Company).

Two years later, The Main Rum Company has just shared a short video (see below) showcasing the interior of the warehouse, as well as the company’s new offices and tasting room. When I visited the company, Main Rum’s offices were located in the former Demerara Distillers’ office space. They could have easily passed for an insurance agency if not for the dozens of barrel samples on the desks. The video transported me back to my visit, including the shaky elevator ride down to the basement. The video is truly worth watching. And if you have Modern Caribbean Rum, you can refer to Chapter 13 for more details about the company’s operations.