Ninefold Scottish Oak Aged 3 Years

We are back in Bonny Scotland today with a rum from Ninefold Distillery. Whilst a few Scottish rum “producers” have fallen by the wayside in recent years, the likes of Ninefold along with J Gow and Matugga have continued to grow.

These distilleries are now capable of producing genuine aged rums and are experimenting, by ageing them in all manner of casks. Many rums and whiskies are aged in ex-Bourbon barrels. Yes, even Scotch Whisky is predominantly aged in ex-Bourbon barrels. Around 90% in fact. The main reason for this, is the fact Bourbon barrels can only be used once, to produce Bourbon. So the producers are compelled to sell them on.

So to see “Scottish Oak” on a rum label is pretty rare – it’s the first I can recall seeing.

To be clear, these aren’t just “any” Scottish Oak Barrels either, oh no they are “Dormont Estate Scottish Oak Barrels”………..

For those who do not know, Ninefold Distillery sits on the Carruthers’ family’s Dormont Estate, in Annandale, South West Scotland. Which in turn is home (in part) to the River Annan, which runs through the estate. Along the river bank are a number of “Quercus Robur” oak trees.

In March 2018, six of these trees were felled and then sawn into boards before being left to air dry for four years on the Estate. These boards were then “coopered” at Jensen’s Cooperage in North Yorkshire. Producing nine 200 litre barrels back in 2022. In August and September 2022 these 9 barrels were filled with rum and left to age.

So what rum was put in this Scottish Oak and what do we have in todays bottling?

I’ll let Dr Kit Carruthers explain, in a excerpt taken direct from the Ninefold Website. Further information and a longer explanation on the origin of the Scottish Oak can be found at https://www.ninefolddistillery.com/scottish-oak.

“For this inaugural release, we sele

cted barrel DO32, as it has a great balance between the familiar sweetness of our American oak aged rums, and drier and more spice-y Scottish oak. Barrel DO32 has a medium toast and was filled on the 29th of September 2022 with two experimental batches of rum that used ‘backset’, a process of re-using leftover liquid in the still to start a new fermentation process. These experimental fermentations, combined with our double copper pot distillation, has resulted in a deeper and more complex rum than the standard rum marque we were making at the time.

Aged continuously on site in our warehouse for three years, our inaugural Scottish oak aged Scottish rum has a dry palate with sweet but earthy dark chocolate, hints of coffee, mushroom, toasted wood, and spicy salinity. A truly unique offering, with only 240 bottles available at a slightly-below-cask-strength of 59.1%”

I can only assume that the comment regarding “slightly-below-cask strength was done to ensure the even outturn of bottles. At 59.1% ABV I don’t think it is something worth quibbling about, if we have lost a small percentage of the final ABV. Fair play to Kit for being so honest he could easily have labelled this as Cask Strength and no-one would have been any the wiser or queried it.

I’ve not been writing so much about the appearance of the rums in my reviews but this bottling is beautifully presented and the etched bottles Ninefold use really are lovely to look at.

Ninefold Scottish Oak Aged 3 Years retails at £150. I will say at this po

int that yes that is expensive for a rum if you go by the age statement alone. Obviously the production of the casks will need to be accounted for and remember this is small batch 100% Pot Distilled Rum by a fledgling distillery.

Ninefold Scottish Oak Aged 3 Years is presented in a cardboard sleeve, hand numbered (bottles 011-240 are/were available) you also get a 5cl miniature and an oak coaster (made from the Dormont Oak) to commemorate the bottling.

It is noted on the website that there are 3 bottle label variants depending on the number of the bottle. Again more information is held here. I am conscious this review is in danger of getting very long and becoming more of an advert than a review.

Don’t worry I’m going to dive into this right now…………

In the glass Ninefold Scottish Oak Aged 3 Years is a fairly dark/golden brown colour with a yellow/orange hue.

I’ve had Virgin Oak before and despite my fondness for Bourbon Whiskey – I wasn’t a fan. I found it a little too grassy and vegetal and a bit too woody. Especially on the nose.

No such worries here though, the oak has integrated very nicely with the spirit. This gives Ninefold Scottish Oak Aged 3 Years a very lively and very “active” nose. Plenty of bourbon like influence – vanilla and spicy oak meld nicely with the more medicinal and heavy notes of the Pot Still rum.

It’s both mellow and fiery at the same time somewhow. Wafts of vanilla and creamy ice cream one minute and heavier notes of Calpol (a sweet medicine aimed mainly at children) and some vegetal slightly grassy notes the next. Nothing dominates though or throws the rum of kilter.

Sipped Ninefold Scottish Oak Aged 3 Years has a fiery, peppery entry which is quickly overtaken by caramel and dark treacle like notes. Hints of freshly roasted coffee. This is followed by some more woody and almost grassy/vegetal notes.

As a sipper its pleasant and certainly drinks “older” than its age would suggest. The Virgin Oak rather than overpower the profile has just added an extra layer of flavour and a bit more complexity.

The mid palate has ginger and a little bit of shortbread alongside some more savoury or scotch whisky esque notes. The more medicinal notes on the nose also show themselves more as we move towards the finish.

The finish on this rum is also pretty long and very satisfying. The molasses notes that you get with most UK rums come back to the forefront along with some traces of leather, tobacco and fiery ginger. All with a covering of that Calpol sweetness……

This is a really good rum and one which I would perhaps not worry too much about the age of. It drinks really well.

Ninefold have been producing really solid rums for some time now, this is another which showcases the distillery.