The story behind Norfolk Rum begins with a question:
Why were so few rums actually being made in England?
Founder David had discovered that many British rum brands started with a base spirit produced elsewhere – frequently in the Caribbean – before flavouring or finishing it here.
He wondered whether there was another way.
Norfolk Rum takes a different approach. Its rum is produced entirely in the UK using traditional methods, starting with 100% molasses and undergoing triple distillation in small-batch copper alembic stills.
From there, ingredients are chosen not simply for flavour but for their stories and their connection with Norfolk.
The ambition is quite simple:
Make the rum here. Then make it taste of somewhere.
A rum company started by someone who didn't like rum
Perhaps the most unusual thing about the Norfolk Rum story is that its founder wasn't originally a rum enthusiast.
For years, David claimed he simply didn't like it.
That changed on a summer evening in 2017, when he was given a rum unlike anything he had tried before.
It was sufficiently memorable to start something of an obsession.
David began tasting and collecting different rums, looking for another bottle capable of recreating that original experience. There were plenty he enjoyed, but none quite delivered what he was searching for.
Eventually, instead of continuing to look for it, he decided to try making it.
From aviation to rum – with a little help from 2020
The idea might have remained an idea had circumstances not intervened.
In May 2020, the pandemic brought the aviation industry – where David worked – almost to a halt.
With no certainty about when, or even whether, he would return to flying, David decided the time had come to pursue the rum idea.
With encouragement from his partner Helen, mother-in-law Theresa and the rest of the family, he began developing a rum rooted in Norfolk and using ingredients chosen for both their flavour and their story.
An unexpected interruption to one career had provided the opportunity to start another.
Made from 100% molasses and triple distilled
Norfolk Rum starts with 100% molasses.
The spirit is then triple distilled in small batches using traditional copper alembic stills.
That process is designed to create the fuller, rounded character David was searching for when he started the business – smooth warmth rather than the alcoholic burn that had put him off so many rums previously.
The resulting spirit provides the foundation for a range that then explores different ingredients, flavours and Norfolk connections.
What makes it Norfolk Rum?
The Norfolk connection isn't intended to come simply from where the business is based.
Ingredients used across the range are selected for their story and flavour, with Norfolk produce helping give the different rums their individual identities.
That means each expression can tell a slightly different Norfolk story while sharing the same underlying approach to the spirit itself.
For us, that's an important distinction.
There's a considerable difference between putting a Norfolk name on an imported finished rum and making the spirit here before developing its Norfolk character through carefully selected ingredients.
Where can I buy Norfolk Rum?
You can buy the full Norfolk Rum range from The Norfolk Deli in Hunstanton, where we stock Norfolk Rum alongside spirits from independent producers across the county.
You can also order Norfolk Rum here through our online shop for UK delivery.
Whether you're already a rum enthusiast, looking for an English-made alternative to Caribbean rum, searching for a Norfolk-made gift or – like Norfolk Rum's founder once was – convinced that you don't actually like rum, you'll find our current selection above.
