Manx made rum gets Harrods boost

Mon, 15 May 2023

Rum distilled in the Isle of Man is being sold in Harrods as local distillery Outlier continues its London takeover.

The bright, art-led labels of white rum Hoolie, which were designed by local artist Megan Hindley, are now displayed alongside some of the world's most prestigious spirit brands on the illustrious shelves of Harrods. 

Created by former journalist Rick Dacey and Ian Warborn-Jones, a winemaker with experience working in Portugal’s Valle Pradinhos vineyards, the Isle of Man rum is also being served at award-winning cocktail bar Trailer Happiness on London’s Portobello Road.

The friends set up the Outlier Distilling Company after transforming an old milking barn – in the middle of a working farm – into a distillery, with a 160-litre wood-fired still fuelled by off-cuts from a local sawmill, and using water drawn from the well of Ballakelly Farm. This is part of their pledge as a UNESCO biosphere partner to produce quality spirits in a sustainable way.  

The co-founders do everything in the process by hand, from firing up the furnace to labelling the bottles.

Co-founder, Rick Dacey commented: ‘We knew expansion into the UK market would be essential, and Harrods stocking our product is a stamp of quality that we are absolutely thrilled to receive.’

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