Scottish rum distiller to launch private cask ownership

By James Bayley

Published: 10 February, 2023

A new age of rum distilling is on the horizon for Scotland, as the award-winning Matugga Distillery launches its private cask ownership programme to the public.

Inspired by the success of Scotch whisky, the distillery is offering people the chance to tap into the emerging market of rum cask ownership and to be, “part of Scotland’s distilling history”, with revered whisky expert Charles MacLean MBE believing the move will “put Scottish rum on the map”.

A limited number of casks are available for an initial investment of £3,300 each. The result will be circa 350 bottles of three-year-old rum per ex-Bourbon cask, produced using a 2,000-litre copper pot still by head distiller and leading craft rum expert, Paul Rutasikwa.

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The exclusive cask ownership is available on a first-come, first-filled basis in what Rutasikwa describes as, “a milestone moment for Scottish rum”.

Rutasikwa continued: “This is an opportunity like no other to join us on a very special journey. Scotland has a little-known and very deep rum heritage linked to the Age of Imperialism. Now, in 2023, we’re part of Scotland’s exciting new wave of rum distillers and there’s a real opportunity for us to create history and take Scottish rum worldwide.”

Matugga was one of the first UK businesses to produce rums distilled from scratch. Alongside his wife Jacine Rutasikwa, Paul Rutasikwa set up the Livingston-based distillery in 2018. Their artisanal cask-aged and spiced rums have won multiple international awards.

In 2021, Scotch whisky accounted for 75% of Scottish food and drink exports. Meanwhile, the global Rum market is projected to grow by 10.45% (2022-2025), resulting in a market volume of US$19.39bn in 2025.

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