Matugga Distillery, one of the first UK businesses to produce rums distilled from scratch, is launching its private cask ownership programme to the public.
Alongside his wife Jacine, Paul Rutasikwa set-up the Livingston-based distillery in 2018. Their artisanal cask-aged and spiced rums have won multiple international awards, including two Gold medals at the Rum and Cachaça Masters.
Inspired by the success of Scotch whisky, the distillery is offering people the chance to tap into the emerging market of rum cask ownership and to be ‘part of Scotland’s distilling history’ with their private cask programme titled ‘Pamoja’, translating to ‘Together’ in Paul’s native Swahili.
A limited number of casks are available for an initial investment of £3,300 each. The result will be circa 350 bottles of 3-year-old rum per ex-Bourbon cask, produced using a 2,000-litre copper pot still by head distiller and leading craft rum expert, Paul Rutasikwa.
Paul said, “This is an opportunity like no other to join us on a very special journey. Scotland has a little known and very deep rum heritage linked to the Age of Imperialism. Now, in 2023, we’re part of Scotland’s exciting new wave of rum distillers and there’s a real opportunity for us to create history and take Scottish rum worldwide.”
Matugga has been helped on its journey by a successful crowdfunding campaign, which in early 2022 secured the distillery in excess of £300,000. The six-figure sum has been put towards an eightfold increase in production capacity, while also enabling the distillery to grow its team.
The global Rum market is projected to grow by 10.45% (2022-2025), resulting in a market volume of US$19.39bn in 2025. Because of this growing appetite for rum both at home and abroad, and the global demand for Scottish spirits, Paul believes the time is right for Matugga to become one of the world’s most-loved rum brands.
Accelerating this process, Paul and Jacine have formed strong bonds and cask exchange agreements within the Scottish whisky industry, particularly with Whyte and Mackay and their Master Whisky Maker and Blender Gregg Glass.
Paul said, “We’ve been really pleased by how collaborative the industry has been, and we’re excited about the potential for developing new ideas and unique combinations of flavours for both rum and whisky. We’re working on some exciting projects with Gregg and others – we share the same passion and we all want to ensure that Scotland’s drinks industry continues to lead the way.
“Similar to the art of Scotch whisky craftsmanship, the ageing of rum is a central part of our technical focus and we pride ourselves on expert barrel selection and first-class spirits management at every stage of the process. Scotland has an incredible distilling heritage and its global reputation for spirits production is phenomenal.
“We see real opportunity as more people begin to understand that rum can be premium and super-premium, and appreciate the complexity and versatility of rum. We believe Scotland can be as highly regarded globally when it comes to rum and we’re proud to help drive its rum revolution. When people think ‘rum’ we want them to think of Scottish rum alongside the world’s best. And that’s why we are excited to offer people the chance to be a part of Scotland’s distilling history by laying down their own stock of Scottish Rum – distilled entirely from scratch.”