The Manchester Rum Festival is back in the city this April and will bring over a whopping 50 rum brands from around the world!
These including some never-tasted-before brands, the world’s first dry spiced Cuban rum, and will welcome a female craft rum distiller and zero-waste advocate from the USA.
The event is set to firmly place Manchester on the map as a rum destination around the world and welcomes rum fans for a jam-packed day of education, immersion and celebration of all things rum.
This year’s festival takes place in a new venue, Viadux on Albion Street, and is Manchester’s first and only dedicated official rum festival, this year sponsored by Coca Cola Signature Mixers.
Featuring expressions from single and multi-distillery producers, to flavour-enhanced bottlings, as well as cocktails, food trucks and live music, this is a drinks festival like no other bringing together rum producers and brands, bartenders, mixologists, spirits enthusiasts, and rum fans.
Hailing from Jamaica and Venezuela to Manchester and Lancashire, contemporary brands such as Rum Ting, Streamertail and Arumdu will be showcased for the first time at the event, while local rum brands Diablesse and City of Manchester Distillery are also confirmed as exhibitors. New Cuban rum brand Black Tears, from the Island Rum Company, will also be available on taste – the world’s first dry spiced Cuban rum.
Guests will have the opportunity to sample first-to-market drinks and take part in educational workshops and talks from some of the rum industry’s most highly respected figures – from distillers large and small. The festival will feature some of the world’s top talent and producers, as well as exclusive sessions and talks with some of the leading figures in rum production.
Sustainability leader, Karen Hoskins, owner of Montanya Distillers, will lead a session on women in rum, and another on eco-friendly distilling, while Peter Thornton from Black Tears will present on the history of Cuban rum.
Revolucion de Cuba will be providing sustenance with its Cuban sandwich truck, as well as their own pop-up Cuban bar. The Liars Club will also be taking over the festival with a slice of tiki cocktail heaven.
The Manchester Rum Festival was established four years ago by Dave Marsland, a Manchester-based event curator, spirits expert and bar owner, to put Manchester on the map as a rum destination and to showcase the contribution the North West is making within the rum renaissance.
“The event has grown in size, attendance and importance every year and I’m so excited we have such fantastic brands exhibiting this year. We’re in talks with more producers so we’ll be adding to the exhibitor list and speaker programme over the coming weeks.
The rum industry is definitely in revival mode and rum makers are raising the bar when it comes to quality, sophistication and creativity of finished products. It’s amazing that we have so many top end rum brands and products being launched right here in the North West, and we promise a warm Mancunian welcome to our rum producers flying in from as far as Jamaica!” (Dave Marsland)
The event has been a sell-out for the previous three years so book your ticket soon to join in the celebration of sugar cane!
Tickets are priced at £30 plus booking fee, including all samples, you can book them here. Cocktail bar and food not included. A selection of rums will be able to purchase by the bottle to take away.
