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coffee.” The distillery’s name means ‘pure’ in Irish Gaelic, so quality of ingredients and integrity of process are a source of great pride. “The most important thing was to build a still with the sole purpose of making rum,” he explains. “It’s not a general purpose still for making different types of spirit – it was built by hand, by us, to be a speciality rum still.” Considering the complexity of making rum from scratch, many British distilleries – such as Lyme Bay Winery – opt to buy in Caribbean rum to age and flavour to their own specifications. “Most commercial spiced rums tend to be defined by an overpowering vanilla flavour. With our Lugger Rum we wanted to offer a full profile of spices instead and so we’ve aged Caribbean rum in bourbon-charred oak barrels in Devon before spicing it with nutmeg, orange-peel and cloves, as well as vanilla,” explains Paul Sullivan at LBW. Stand out from the crowd One of the more unusual spirits to enter the market is Orkney Distillery’s intriguing Akvavit. “It’s the first of its kind made in Scotland,” explains co-owner specialityfoodmagazine.com 17 by boiling the sweet juice pressed from sugar cane. For avid rum fan Darren Nugent it was the sight and smell of cane being crushed while on holiday in Cuba that set in motion a dream to build Northern Ireland’s first rum still. Darren’s Íon Distillery in County Tyrone opened in 2018. It sits on a natural spring, which provides the water to dilute black strap molasses – the flavoursome yield of a third boil of the cane juice – shipped over from the Caribbean. “We use the best quality molasses you can get, almost 70% pure sugar,” Darren explains. “It smells divine – of burnt toffee, maple and As a trend, at-home drinking is here to stay. A lot of people discovered it as a necessity during lockdown, but I expect many will continue to enjoy drinks from the comfort of their own homes Gary Watt. “Orkney used to belong to Scandinavia for many years, and Akvavit is a traditional Scandinavian drink which we came to love for its unique and complex caraway/dill flavour. We decided to take our experience in making gin to create an incredibly smooth caraway-led, zesty and herbaceous Akvavit. It’s very special to us.” But how to market such an unusual product? “I’d have to admit that it is a concept we are not so familiar with, as it’s totally different from anything else,” continues OVER 83 MILLION BOTTLES OF GIN WERE SOLD IN THE UK DURING 2019 , ACCORDING TO THE WINE AND SPIRIT TRADE ASSOCIATION Mark. “We like to highlight that it is like a gin, but instead of juniper it is caraway-led. Although traditionally drunk alone or with a beer in the other hand, we also really enjoy it with tonic or ginger ale, so you can see how it would appeal to a drinker looking for something special. Paul Sullivan at LBW says POS explaining how more unusual spirits can be used is crucial. “It gives shoppers the confidence to buy a whole bottle. Finally, sell mixers and garnishes in close proximity to the spirit.”