Down a backstreet in Salford, just under the railway lines, is not the first place you’d expect to discover a rum distillery. But the founders of the Dirty Old Town Distillery have just set up shop here in a railway arch near Blackfriars which will double as both their HQ, rum laboratory and, in time, a bar too.
Tommy Gaughan and James Harrison met at school in Leigh, and after seeing a gap in the market, launched their first product in 2018, a spiced rum under the brand The Salford Rum Company. And despite a pandemic in the middle, the pair had their best year yet last year, selling a staggering 30,000 bottles in the UK, while their rum is now stocked in both Co-op and Morrisons stores too.
“It was a kind of drunken idea one Christmas,” Tommy told the Manchester Evening News. “We saw the gin market and what was going on there, lots of innovation, and we just noticed, as spiced rum drinkers, that there was kind of no innovation in rum, and we wondered why, so we decided to launch our own brand.”
The making of the rum is also informed by where they make it, and the history of the area, harking back to the days when the docks of Salford were a vital point on the route spices took from the Caribbean to the rest of the world. “Salford Rum was born because we’re based in Salford, but also because of the history and heritage of Salford,” Gaughan, who has a background and food and drink product development, went on.
“Back in the early 1900s, you would have rum coming in through the docks from around the world and from the Caribbean, spices as well, and we use them to inspire our spiced rums. Our first that we launched in August in 2018, and you’ve got vanilla, dried fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, a little bit of maple, and citrus. All things that would have been coming through the docks in the 1900s.”
Even the striking bottle design, by Manchester artists Dave Draws, echo the area’s past, with a doodle made up from an old map of the area’s docks as they were in the 1900s, encompassing other Salford landmarks like Ordsall Hall and the gasworks. The company name was, of course, a reference to the song of the same name by The Pogues.
The arch now boasts the pair’s huge craft rum-making still, which is capable of making up to 700 bottles of rum per batch. It was recently named Willow, after an appeal to fans of the brand and locals to find a suitable name.
Willow was chosen from the original meaning of Salford - originally spelled Sealhford and meaning ‘ford by the willow tree’, which was offered up by local Salford resident Paul Sly.
Co-founder Harrison went on: “We plan to make the venue a real centre for the spirit of Salford, serving as a community hub and one that can help to showcase talent from around this wonderful city and provide a meeting place for ideas and a melting pot for creativity.
“We have so many big plans, and they all start with Willow, which takes centre stage in the venue and provides a real focal point for our tours and experiences. We can’t wait to welcome Manchester and Salford’s rum lovers to see what they make of the distillery as we venture forward on our journey into unchartered waters.”
The venue, which was opened by MP Rebecca Long Bailey, will be hosting rum tastings that can be booked via the company’s website, and plans to open as a bar for selected events later in the year.
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