Barrel Aged rum recently won Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2026
As autumn arrives, The Islay Rum Distillery – the first rum distillery on the Hebridean island – has created a cocktail serve for the season, The Original Islay Rum Hebridean Grey, built around its flagship Barrel Aged rum.
The Original Islay Rum Barrel Aged is lightly aged in oak casks previously used to mature peated Islay single malt whisky. The company describes it as a balanced spirit combining gentle smoke with notes of vanilla and coastal salinity, offering a bridge between rum and whisky and a base for cocktails.
The rum was recently awarded a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2026 and three stars at Great Taste 2026.
Ben Inglis, Head Distiller at The Islay Rum Distillery, said: “Warming flavours and smoke are perfectly suited to autumn cocktails and The Original Islay Rum Hebridean Grey is a serve for people who want to taste the whisky cask influence. The tea and bitters don’t cover the rum, they frame it, so you still get that coastal salinity and peaty note underneath.”
In a statement, the company said Islay Rum marks a new chapter in the story of Scotland’s whisky island, inspired by Caribbean distillation techniques and shaped by the island’s Atlantic environment, combining coastal air, traditional craftsmanship and centuries-old distilling expertise to create a rum it describes as elegant, bold and unmistakably Islay.
The Original Islay Rum Hebridean Grey
The Original Islay Rum Hebridean Grey (Credit: The Islay Rum Distillery)
Ingredients:
You Might Also Like:
- 50ml The Original Islay Rum Barrel Aged (46%)
- 10–15ml Earl Grey syrup
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1 dash aromatic bitters
Method:
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with cubed ice.
- Stir for 20 seconds until well chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
Garnish: Orange twist.
The Original Islay Rum Barrel Aged has an RRP of £49. Further information is available at www.islayrum.com.
