From Smuggler’s Coves to Festival Drams: The Story of Dorchadas by East Neuk Spirits Co.

Nestled in the heart of Fife, lifelong friends Rory Hunter and David Taylor founded East Neuk Spirit Co. with a mission: to celebrate East Neuk heritage by applying the meticulous care often reserved for Scotland’s finest whiskies, to the world of rum

Their flagship expression, Dorchadas Amber Spiced Rum, is a deliberate departure from the sugar-heavy spiced rums dominating the market. Named after the Gaelic for “dark, mysterious, arcane”, it draws inspiration from smuggler’s caves dotting the East Neuk coastline. A high-ester blend of Jamaican pot-still molasses rum and Dominican Republic rum serves as the backbone, gently infusing local sea buckthorn berries, cocoa husks (a sustainable by-product sourced from a Fife chocolatier), grains of paradise, and cubeb.

What truly sets Dorchadas apart is its reduction: distilled down to 41 % ABV not with plain water but with distilled seawater sourced from East Neuk Salt Co., reflecting the founders’ dedication to sustainability. The result is a smooth, easy-drinking dram that eschews syrupy sweetness in favour of layered botanical depth and maritime character.

Industry recognition has followed. Dorchadas earned a Silver medal in the International Blended Rum category at the inaugural Scottish Rum Awards and again at the 2024 London Spirits Competition for quality, value, and packaging

At the Scottish Rum Festival 2025, East Neuk Spirit Co invites you to taste Dorchadas their way—neat, stirred into your favourite serve, or paired with their experimental miniature cask series. Don’t miss their first single‑cask release from Mauritius (distilled 2013, ashore 2016)—a bold cane-juice dram with its own captivating tale.