The Islay Spirits Company (owner of The Islay Rum Company) has won Best Start Up at this year’s Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards.
Ben Inglis, Islay Rum Distillery manager said: “We are absolutely thrilled to win this award.
“Starting a new business is a daunting prospect, especially over the past three years, given the challenges of Covid 19 and the current economic climate.
“Our small team showed resilience and dedication against the odds and have created a stunning new distillery on Islay, producing the highest quality small batch rum. This award is the perfect serve for our cocktail and I could not be prouder.”
Based in the restored site of the Hastie’s Old Lemonade Factory in Port Ellen, the iconic art deco style building houses the distillery’s copper pot and twin retort still, beautifully handcrafted in Scotland by Speyside Copper Works.
The distillery is committed to green energy and runs on 100 per cent wholly renewable electricity and features a closed loop cooling system to preserve water – all factors the judges took into consideration when selecting Islay Spirits Company for this award.
The Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards showcase and celebrate excellence and achievements in the food and drink industry across the region from world-renowned businesses to small innovative producers.
This year’s awards were presented by experienced writer and broadcaster Nicky Marr.
Andrew Crook, managing director of The Islay Spirits Company, said: “Islay has always been the spiritual home of our single malt brands, Finlaggan and The Ileach.
“By creating the first rum distillery on Islay and being awarded this fantastic accolade helps to further our hopes to give something back to the island.”
The company currently has three Islay Rum releases – Islay Rum Geal was the inaugural release. A pure single white rum, full bodied flavoursome spirit with an intense Scottish twist. Bottled at 45 per cent abv; Islay Rum Peat Spice was released in 2023 and has an intensely smoky taste experience unlike any other rum in existence. Bottled at 40 per cent abv; and Islay Rum Ùine Mhòr is a limited release with only 165 bottles in total.
This small batch, long fermentation FDP single rum is the first in a series of experimental fermentation batches. Bottled at 55% abv.
For more information visit www.islayrum.com