WHILE the rest of us were on our summer holidays pilot-turned-rum-distiller Matt Hunt and his wife Becky from Strathaven, Scotland, were busy looking ahead to their Christmas ‘brew’.
Newly recovered, after covid dimmed their taste and smell, the rum producers set about creating a new flavour of their Old Mother Hunt rum in time for the festive season.
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“It felt a bit odd taking the kids to the beach for a swim and then coming back home and working on a rum for Christmas,” said Becky, 31, who trained as a teacher.
“We could see a gap in the market for a coffee and chocolate flavour rum that was dry in taste and were raring to get going with that.
“But we didn’t know when our taste and smell were going to come back, which could have put a real spanner in the works as having a good ‘nose’ is vital.
“So were delighted walking past our local ethically sourced coffee roaster and seller Fower one morning and found we could smell the roasted beans and were overjoyed.
“It was a case of wake up and smell the coffee”.
Wasting no time, Becky put in an order with Fower owner Stuart Jamieson, for Guatemalan beans – known for their chocolatey-cocoa flavour, and toffee-like sweetness – to infuse in the rum.
Now the first batch of the rum which is also infused with cacao nibs, has been bottled and ready to drink and are available in 20cl and 50cl bottles.
“We’ve had the chance to do some mixing and come up with an espresso rum martini that really packs a punch and a rum hot chocolate which is deliciously indulgent,” added Becky.
“We are excited about what the next few months will bring. Rum is one of the fastest growing alcohol sectors in the UK as well as being interesting to make and full of flavour.
“The advantages of small batch production means, we can develop our own bespoke recipes and flavours and ensure that taste is consistent for our customers.
“Back in March 2020 when Matt was made redundant, things felt all very bleak. So, I’m thrilled something good has come out of such a difficult time.”
Matt, 34, and Becky who have two young children, recently secured their own distillers’ licence, now create their own rum from scratch from molasses.
The couple are now working on their second batch of their coffee and chocolate rum.
Their existing bespoke range of flavoured rums includes Smokey Oak, Number Seven, Stiff Neck, Signature and Winter Spiced which are produced in Strathaven, Scotland.
