Two lifelong friends are set to launch a range of spirits each linked to a corner of Fife’s darker history this spring.
Rory Hunter and David Taylor, founders of East Neuk Spirit Co. set up their drinks venture after a night out in their childhood hometown of Elie.
Growing disgruntled with the lack of authentic spiced rums available they decided to act.
Co-founder Rory said: “David had an idea that he’d been mulling over for a while. It was for us to open a spirit company and produce authentic alcohol.
“Initially the plan was limited to just rum but we discussed whisky, tequila and even mezcal.
“It was one of those drunken ideas that we have had quite a few of.”
However, unlike those dreams of the past, when Rory awoke the following morning, the idea was still alive.
He opted to pursue the venture full-time, stepping away from his offshore profession to focus on East Neuk Spirit. David balances his time between the company and his job as a distillery engineer.
Fine spirits in Fife
Birthed from their appreciation for fine spirits, the pair named the company after the scenic area of Fife they grew up in – the East Neuk.
“We want to make it about Fife, it’s renowned for food and drink and we want to get involved in that, our hearts are in Fife.
“We are looking to the Fife community to support us and in return we hope to offer them something unique to here.”
Each spirit released will be based upon an area of region’s darkest history.
“A lot of Fife products are upbeat and colourful but we want to capture the Kingdom’s darker essence to stand out against our competitors.
“We feel inspired by the myths, folklore, legend and heritage – and want to bring that to the forefront in a special way in each of our spirit releases.”
With a vast coastline, historically Fife has been a hotspot for smugglers. This made the choice of branding for their debut spiced rum an easy one.
He said: “Inspired by the caves, beaches and bothies that would have hosted these ‘free-traders’ in times past. Dorchadas will tell a story of smuggling.”
The name comes from the Gaelic for dark and mysterious which compliments the smuggling theme aptly.
“Dorchadas has numerous different meaning which made it stand out to me. Whilst being Gaelic, it does sound slightly South American which makes it even more interesting.
“It is flavoured with sea buckthorns, which ties in nicely with the theme of smuggling because you can find it all up the Fife coast.”
A flavour of East Neuk Spirit
The budding entrepreneurs worked alongside master brewer Lewis Southern, owner of Distillutions Limited, for 10 months to create their unique flavour.
The debut rum is now being distilled at Distillutions’ Arbroath premises.
Rory said: “I wanted to be able to enjoy a good rum without having to worry about the sickly feeling or its sweetness.
“Our rum has a lot less sugar than the majority on the market. We are avoiding the syrups and colourings that get put into rum now without losing its taste, it’s stripped back,” said Rory.
Distilled using the traditional pot still method, the base rum for Dorchadas is a Jamaican and Dominican blend and is imported with an alcohol content of 75% ABV.
East Neuk Spirit then combine natural ingredients to create their rum.
“The ingredients we use in our spiced rum are imported from the Caribbean, the blackcurrant and sea buckthorn – that we use to sweeten the rum – are both from Scotland.
“It’s easier to use manufactured flavourings but David and I have stuck to our guns. Even if it makes our lives a little more difficult sometimes,” said Rory.
While importing the base spirit for their debut release the long term plan is to establish premises in Fife for distillation.
“We want to market a premium rum, brewed in Scotland with unique and alternative branding. But because of budget constraints we have been forced to choose this option for now.
“Distilling ourselves is 100% the endgame and we have ambitions to release a tequila or mezcal soon too.”
Where can you buy?
East Neuk Spirit is set to launch at The Dreel Tavern in Anstruther during in May, with dates to be confirmed.
Pricing for a 70cl bottle will be £35.
To pre-order a bottle of the rum visit www.eastneukspirit.co
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