Rum Cay Rum
Member Spotlight
Filled with a unique blend of botanicals and spices, opening a bottle of Rum Cay Rum instantly transports its drinker to the sun-soaked isles of The Bahamas – and for founder Charlie Aitken, each sip also brings forth warm memories of his grandparents, who enjoyed a special connection with the Caribbean paradise.
Having moved to The Bahamas in the 1970s, Charlie’s grandparents quickly fell in love with the free-spirited lifestyle of the island, and when they eventually returned to Scotland, brought home a piece of sunshine by naming their house Rum Cay after one of the country’s small islands.
A passion for rum trickled down through the generations, and wanting to share the warmth and togetherness it brought his family, Charlie was inspired to start his own rum brand, bringing the first batch of Rum Cay Rum to the market in November 2024.
“My grandparents’ house became a really special place for our family, somewhere we came together, shared experiences and created lasting memories – and we didn’t want that story to end there,” explained Charlie. “The spark behind Rum Cay Rum was the idea of carrying that sense of connection, warmth and togetherness forward, and turning it into something that could be shared with others. We wanted to build a brand for the modern drinker, but one rooted in an authentic story and genuine human connection.
“Rum felt like the natural foundation for that. It’s approachable and versatile, yet capable of real depth and sophistication without being pretentious. More than anything, it’s a spirit that brings people together. With The Bahamas’ rich rum culture and Scotland in the midst of its own rum renaissance, it felt like the perfect meeting point for our story.”
A familial love for the Bahamas was a strong starting point when it came to developing the brand, but Charlie also wanted to be very deliberate about the rum’s flavour profile, and spent a lot of time tasting and analysing a wide range of rums to understand what he loved, and what he felt was missing.
The result is a harmonious blend of tropical fruits and warm spices, combined with the mineral-rich spring water of Aberdeenshire, where the rum is distilled.
Charlie continued: “When we began developing our early recipes, we combined our personal preferences with a distinct Bahamian twist, using spices and botanicals inspired by the islands. We spent over a year refining our distillations and blends, testing constantly to achieve the right balance – a rum that works beautifully neat, mixed, or in cocktails.
“Unusually for a spiced rum, two of our core botanicals are mango and pineapple, which naturally enhance the fruitiness, sweetness, and smoothness of the spirit without overpowering it. We also combine modern distilling techniques with traditional methods, allowing us to extract maximum flavour in a natural and balanced way rather than relying on heavy sweetness or artificial notes.”
He added: “The Bahamas has a flavour profile of its own, and drawing inspiration from that Bahamian character helps give Rum Cay its sense of place and the distinctive, transportive experience we were aiming for.”
Available online and stocked across a growing number of on-trade and independent venues, the future looks bright for Rum Cay, especially having won an IWSC (International Wine & Spirit Competition) award just five months after launching, and selling out at the 2025 Scottish Rum Festival. Now, Charlie’s focus over the next 12 months is to increase the brand’s visibility and accessibility via local neighbourhood markets across Scotland, bringing his story directly to potential new customers.
Despite only becoming Scotland Food & Drink members less than a year ago, joining in March 2025, Charlie has already seen the benefit, and says the support has been valuable for helping to navigate new channels.
He explained: “Not long after joining, I took part in one of Scotland Food & Drink’s courses, which was focused on preparing small businesses for wholesale.
“The course gave me a much clearer understanding of how the wholesale side of the industry operates and what to expect when entering that space. As a result, we’ve now successfully ventured into working with wholesalers, and the knowledge gained through Scotland Food & Drink played a key role in helping us feel confident and well-prepared to take that step.”
