One thing that all craft distillers have in common – no matter what the spirit – is that they march to the beat of their own drum. But those who distil craft rum the hardcore way with molasses, now they truly seem to march to a beat that only they can hear.

Our guest is no exception to this rule.

Dr Kit Carruthers is the founder, distiller, and chief bottle washer at Scotland’s Ninefold Distillery. Like many people who have entered the gin – and now rum – industry as a second career, he woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and said to himself: “You should be distilling.” 

But if it was only that straight-forward for Kit. After spending eighteen years as an environmental geoscientist in Edinburg, he completed a doctorate in 2016 in carbon storage and capture. Three years later, he’s making rum – the hardcore way – in the southern Scottish countryside. 

If you have ever thought about rum – even just in a daquiri – this episode is for you.