Ninefold Rum: Scotland’s Scratch-Built Spirit

Ninefold is a Scottish rum distillery. Yes, those are a thing.

There are lots of impressive rums from Scotland. Dark Matter Spiced Rum, The Gin Bothy, Matugga (and its range of Liv Rums), J. Gow, North Point Spiced Rum, Solway, Redcastle, Four Marys Spiced Rum, Twisted Highlander Spiced Rum, Man O’Hoy Orkney Spiced Rum, SeaWolf White Rum…

Only a few are truly Scottish, however. Most buy-in spirit and then flavour or age it from there. Ninefold is different*.

Ninefold Rum: from dairy to Daiquiri

At Dormont Home Farm in Dumfries & Galloway, two old cattle byres became a distillery in 2018. The older byre, now the still house, holds hand-built Scottish copper hybrid pot stills.

The other, a 1950s building, now serves as a bonded warehouse where the rum rests and matures. Both sit at the heart of Dormont Estate, surrounded by rolling farmland.

The distillery is fully insulated, heated, and serviced, with solar panels providing renewable power. It’s small, sustainable, and entirely self-sufficient.

Rum from Scratch 

Ninefold is one of the few distilleries in the UK that makes rum completely from scratch.

Since the first distillation in spring 2019, the team has crafted rum from raw ingredients: sugar cane molasses, yeast, and water. The molasses, a global blend mostly from Algeria, mixes with yeast in a 1,500-litre fermentation tank, bubbling away for four to seven days as the yeast converts sugar to alcohol.

A portion of the water is replaced with ‘dunder’, or backset, essentially the waste liquid leftover from a distillation. It is hot and contains nutrients, so it saves energy and adds a little depth to the flavour of the rum. A combo of RM and SR yeasts delivers a clean rum profile.

Distilling the Details

The stills can’t take all 1,500 litres at once, so Ninefold distils in 500-litre batches over two days. After two or three stripping runs, the low wines go through a spirit run using the rectifying column. The result is a high-strength rum, around 90% ABV, bursting with clean, bright character.

Only the hearts (the best cut) make it into the final spirit. Water is then added slowly over six days, a careful process that locks in flavour and smooth texture. The Pure Single Rum is bottled at 46% ABV, while the spiced rums sit at 40%. Natural extracts of spices, cane sugar, and some caramel colouring are mixed and left overnight before bottling, which, like labelling, is done by hand.

As for matutration, mostly it takes place in 200-litre American oak casks filled at 63.5% ABV. Some are new, others held bourbon. About a third of the stock leans experimental, however. There’s red wine, sherry, and even Scottish oak casks coopered from the estate’s own timber. Virgin oak releases mature for two to three years, while bourbon and wine casks age far longer. With fillings only beginning in 2019, you’ll have to wait for those.

Shop Ninefold Rum at Master of Malt

Ninefold shows how serious Scottish rum has become. It’s focused on making quality spirit from start to finish, with the kind of setup that proves good rum has travelled far beyond palm trees.

You can buy Ninefold Rum here. Just click on the product links for more info and to add them to your basket.

Ninefold Cask Aged Pure Single Rum
A Scottish aged rum distilled in copper pots and matured for at least one year in American oak. Expect layers of soft caramel, vanilla, and gentle spice. Sip neat or build it into a Rum Old Fashioned.

Ninefold Pure Single Rum 46%
Unaged and bottled at a robust 46% ABV, this rum shows Ninefold’s fresh, fruity, and versatile house style beautifully. Perfect for Daiquiris or simply over ice with lime.

Ninefold Dormont Spiced
Built on the Pure Single Rum base, Dormont Spiced combines nutmeg, allspice, aniseed, and golden syrup. Slightly sweet, warmly spiced, and recommended with apple juice and lime for a refreshing twist.

*Some of the rums are made from scratch, including J.Gow and Matugga.