Dark Matters Distillers based in Banchory has made history securing £41,800 at auction for its rare cask-aged collection.
Bottles 01 to 09 from Cask oo1 secured the price after going under the hammer on online platform Rum Auctioneer.
The Deeside distiller was launched by Jim Ewen, originally from Dufftown, in 2015.
Inspired by science, the nine bottles to be auctioned were curated into a single collection – the Physicist Series.
The distillery filled 001 when it was initially launched on August 28, 2015 . The rum was filled into a virgin American oak barrel at 63.5% ABV.
Six years later, the undiluted cask strength is 66.3% having intensified during maturation – an unusual phenomenon created under specific warehouse conditions.
The bottles are filled “pure and unadulterated” with no filtering, dilution, additives, sugar or colourings.
Milestone moment
Dark Matter Distillers managing director Jim Ewen said: “It’s a milestone moment for us to see our inaugural aged rum come to auction and we couldn’t be happier with the results which went beyond our expectations.
“It is fantastic to see the international interest in what we are doing here in Scotland. The diversity in rum is incredible and it’s an honour for our young distillery to have
received such an enthusiastic reception from rum enthusiasts around the world.
“This is just the beginning of our journey and given the increasing interest in rum, we
are very excited to see how Dark Matter grows in the coming years.”
The auction, which took place last month, was also Rum Auctioneer’s biggest to date
both by volume and value, with over 1,700 lots and a total hammer price just short of
£465,000.
Rum Auctioneer head of auction content Joe Wilson said: “As interest continues to grow around rum, new collectors and drinkers are increasingly entering the market.
“It was a pleasure for us to work with Dark Matter Distillers to present their inaugural
aged rum at auction – a first for our platform which I’m sure is going to be a tough act
to follow.
“The phenomenal result demonstrates the variety of rum that is now being
viewed through a collector’s lens and is a promising insight into what the future may
hold for the spirit.”
The North East Now campaign has made it easy for people to support local firms from a wide range of industries during the pandemic.
The initiative is driven by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce and backed by creative agency Hampton and Aberdeen Journals.
For further information on Dark Matters , visit www.darkmatterdistillers.com
To find out more about North-East Now, visit www.northeastnow.scot