Dumfriesshire’s Ninefold Distillery has created a new limited edition rum to mark the 40th anniversary of Nith Inshore Rescue.
Sales of the unique £100-a-bottle rum from November 9 exclusively through the distillery’s website will help boost the lifeboat charity’s funds.
It is hoped more cash will be raised from an auction of the first five bottles filled from the cask – with these provided in a handmade presentation box crafted from local driftwood and donated by Dumfriesshire woodworker Kenny Henry.
In 40 years the Glencaple-based lifeboat crew has been on-call 24/7 and the trained volunteer rescuers have clocked up more than 63,500 hours of active service with nearly 470 call-outs.
Dr Kit Carruthers, owner and distiller at Ninefold Distillery near Dalton, said: “I was delighted to be approached by Nith Inshore Rescue to collaborate on a charity rum sale, given the historic and cultural links between rum and the sea.
“The rescue service volunteers do a fantastic job and I am only too glad to help during this milestone year for them, and I hope people support them and buy the rum and take part in the auction.”
Navy sailors were given a daily tot of rum from 1655 until the ration was abolished in 1970.
Gwilym Gibbons, treasurer and crew member of Nith Inshore Rescue, said: “Thanks to the generous support of Ninefold Distillery, all profits from this one-off charity sale will be donated to our independent lifeboat.
“It has been great working with Ninefold Distillery to create a unique and beautiful product for such a great cause.
“Our partnership started over two years ago to time the release of our special rum for Christmas in our 40th year. Along the way the crew have helped cask the rum, bottle and of course sample the final product for quality assurance purposes only”.
Kit has been distilling artisan rum from scratch at the only distillery in the south of Scotland to be making genuine Scottish rum.
“With 21 months ageing in virgin oak before finishing for three months in ex-oloroso whisky casks used for Islay and Speyside single malts, the charity bottling is a bold and rich cask strength rum with buttery, fruity and smoky notes.”
