Did you know we were the very first distillery in the UK to distil and market rum, back in 2012?
We’re proud to have pioneered the first truly British rum, our Old Salt Rum, almost fourteen years ago. As opposed to others who often use an imported base rum, we took a daring approach to producing a truly British tipple, by scratch-distilling pure sugar cane molasses as the base ingredient. Dr. John also developed our unique triple-distilled technique, which concentrates down the molasses to make it taste richer, stripping out the alcohol we don't want and makes it super smooth; which means less ageing required, producing a glorious rum in a matter of weeks.
English Spirit Distillery os born at the 'Old Salt Depot' in Dullingham, Cambridgeshire - 2011
Rum has always been a popular drink in the UK, notably gaining more popularity in recent years. However, Dr. John just couldn’t believe no one else had produced rum here before, so set about putting England on the map of producers of fine rum. Not only did Dr John wanted to give it a go, but he dedicated his time and expertise to distil it from scratch, which is far more time-consuming and not as profitable than using a base spirit, but creating a spirit of the very highest quality.
Having been scratch-distilling rum for about 5 years longer than any other British distilleries, the distillation process is one we have dedicated our expertise to refining, producing a range of rums full of richness and depth. Today we produce three pure rums, including the original Old Salt Rum, as well as a range of rum liqueurs, and rum blends for contract clients.
The original 'Old Salt Rum' produced in 2011
This was the first commercially produced rum, distilled from scratch in the UK. The original process was very tricky to pull off, but the outcome was entirely worth it. This includes fermenting the molasses ourselves, which is a two-week process, before batch-distilling each tipple in our copper pot stills, then finishing the rum in an English oak barrel for a few months. The name ‘Old Salt’ comes from John’s first distillery in Cambridge, as a homage to its birthplace, don’t worry, we don’t actually put salt in it!
Old Salt is rammed full of sweet raisin flavours, think Christmas pudding luxury, paired with cracked caramel and rich treacle notes. It can be served neat, or complemented with ginger beer, ice, and a squeeze of lime, for a truly refreshing sip.
'Old Salt Rum' and 'English Spiced Rum' 2025
We also produced the first truly English Spiced Rum here in the UK, using our cherished Old Salt Rum as the base spirit. The ‘spices’ are also unique, opting for fruity and floral notes, over the common route of cloves, allspice and pepper. We blend cherries (English, of course), hibiscus flowers (a nod to the Caribbean heritage) and citrus zests, along with some ‘pixie dust’ sprinkled into the blend by Dr. John.
The natural ingredients also give the rum a lovely red hue, which elevates this bottle to stand in a class of its own. As the English Spiced Rum has a light fruity flavour, it can be paired with tonic and a twist of lime, complimenting the fruity blend perfectly. Along with being incredibly enjoyable chilled and sipped neat, or over ice.
St Piran’s Cornish Rum
In the grounds of Treguddick Manor, the home of our new distillery sits a natural spring and borehole. So it seemed only right to use this in the newest rum blend and created St Piran’s Cornish Rum. Named after the patron saint of Cornwall, this tasty white rum is also scratch- distilled from molasses, using our innovative triple-distilled technique. As a white rum, it isn’t barrel-aged, keeping it clear and blending it with our Cornish spring water, from a refreshing drop.
Our white rum has creamy hints of coconut, and like all our spirits it can be chilled and sipped neat, to fully appreciate its smooth, Cornish soul. Or we suggest mixing it up into a mouthwatering mojito, the big flavour notes being the perfect complement for the refreshing lime, mint and sugar.
St Piran's Cornish Rum - Photographed in Treguddick's natural spring and borehole.
Click here to view our full range of rums - Make the most of our 2 for £65 on our Spirit Collection. Use Code: 2for65 at Checkout
