Dark Matter’s inaugural aged rums sell for £40,000
Scottish producer Dark Matter Distillers has auctioned nine bottles from its inaugural aged rum collection for £41,800 (US$53,360).
The collection, called the Physicist Series, was sold last month on Rum Auctioneer. Each rum in the range is named after an acclaimed scientist.
The bottles were all drawn from Cask 001, a medium-char virgin American oak barrel which was filled on the day Dark Matter Distillers officially launched: 28 August 2015. The producer claims to be Scotland’s ‘first’ rum distillery, and the Physicist Series is a “true piece of rum history”, according to Rum Auctioneer’s head of content, Joe Wilson.
The first rum in the collection, Einstein, went under the hammer for £13,000 (US$17,200) – the third-highest price ever secured for a single bottle through Rum Auctioneer.
“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,” said Jim Ewen, managing director for Dark Matter Distillers.
“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.”
‘A shift in attitude’
Dark Matter’s Physicist Series was sold as part of the platform’s biggest auction to date, comprising more than 1,700 lots which brought in nearly £465,000 (US$615,500) in total.
Other major sales from the auction included three 2007-vintage rums from Demerara Distillers, which went under the hammer for £15,500; an Appleton Estate 1962 Jamaica Independence Reserve 50 Year Old, which sold for £4,000; and a 1939 vintage rhum vieux from Martinique-based producer J. Bally.
For Rum Auctioneer’s Wilson, November’s lots showcased how perceptions of the spirit are changing.
“As interest continues to grow around rum, new collectors and drinkers are increasingly entering the market. The idea of collectible rum is still a newer phenomenon than with whisky; however, this result is a testimony to the shift in attitude toward this fantastic and complex spirit,” Wilson said.
“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.”
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