Mad about Manchester Rum Festival? Now you can make a groggy week of it!
Persistent readers of this blog have probably twigged that rum is my spirit of choice – even if tequila/mescal have made a recent surge for my affections. Read a rather comprehensive account of my fermented molasses affiliations via this link.
Hence one of the key dates in my calendar has been Manchester Rum Festival. It was there two years go among the Hawaiian shirts, straw hats and high octane excitement that I first ran into Lewis Hayes, founder of the spanking new DropWorks distillery in Nottingham.
Ebullient Lewis was glad to be back in the city where he went to university, helping fund his studies through some committed bartending. That had sowed the seeds for his ambitious project to import the finest molasses, ferment it with his own cultivated trinity yeast strain, distil it in bespoke stills, then blend and mature it in barrels across three unique ageing locations.
This trail, with stop-offs at Stray, New Century Kitchen (for a Pusser’s tasting) and Festival hotel partner Indigo, was organised by Festival head honcho Dave Marsland to promote a major expansion of his pioneering event. Naturally, as brand ambassador, he poured a rare Chairman’s Reserve ‘single vintage’.
Step forward Manchester Rum Week (July 21-27). The centrepiece, of course, will be the Rum Festival proper, now in its eighth year, on Saturday, July 26, at the New Century Hall. The Rum Week alongside exists to whet your appetite and whet your whistle. It will enable aficionados and newbies alike to take a tour of the city centre’s best rum and cocktail joints, where bartenders and venues showcase their curated serves and killer cocktails. Participating venues will be announcing their rum vibes over the coming weeks via Instagram.
What to expect from Manchester Rum Festival 2025?
Rum cocktail bar partner MONIN and new food vendor Elijo’s will headline the show, alongside some of the world’s most iconic rum brands of Mount Gay from Barbados, Chairman’s Reserve of Saint Lucia, Guyana’s Pusser’s and Don Papa from the Philippines. Newcomers making their debut in Manchester include Jamaica’s West Grove Rum Punch, a selection of unique single cask rare rums from the team at Precious Drops, and Henstone Distillery of Shropshire.
For just £27.50 a ticket, entrants will be treated to unlimited rum tastings, live entertainment with Soca and Reggae music by DJ Dom, discounts on bottles and a barrel load of frivolity. This year, super rum-fans can also upgrade to join in with the Rum Ramble – an exclusive series of seminars and talks by the UK’s top rum talent. Buy tickets via this link. You can also take advantage of early bird discounts and exclusive news by joining the mailing list at www.manchesterrumfestival.com
