Manchester Rum Festival 2026
This weekend I was back at New Century Hall in Manchester for the 10th anniversary of Manchester Rum Festival, created and run by Dave Marsland (@drinksenthusiast).
The show itself brought back some familiar brands alongside a number of new names making their debut appearance. With 500 attendees, it would have been easy for the space to feel packed, but the layout was well thought out and never felt too crowded, even with every stand always having at least one person ready to take your place.
10th anniversary bottle
Marking the anniversary, Manchester Rum Festival released two special editions in collaboration with Planteray, a really nice touch for a milestone year.
I picked up my bottle of the Long Pond Jamaica at the show and will be doing a separate post with my tasting notes and review once I’ve had a chance to sit with it with a fresh palate. I’m definitely regretting not picking up a bottle of the spiced too – it was ginger, marshmallows and ice cream all in one!
For anyone who hasn’t been to Manchester Rum Festival, or a rum show in general, the best comparison I can make is a farmers’ market for rum. Brands set up to showcase their liquid to enthusiasts, and it’s a genuine chance to meet the distillers and ambassadors behind the bottles and ask as many questions as you like.
In my opinion that’s the real value of a show like this. There’s always good conversation to be had about production methods, cask finishes, and what’s coming next, but what I really enjoy about these events is catching up with people I don’t often get to see in person: ambassadors I’ve known for years, brands I’ve only spoken to online and fellow enthusiasts I only see at shows like this.
My rums of the show
Back by popular demand I’ve pulled out some of the rums I tasted at Manchester Rum Festival that deserved a special mention. This is always the hardest section because as much as I could probably list enough to fill my shelves I know I can only pick a few.
Dràm Mòr
A lot of time was spent tasting and chatting at the Dràm Mòr stand. Dràm Mòr are an independent bottler who maintain a single cask, no added anything approach to some very interesting rums they source.
Of the bottles they brought with them a particular mention has to be given to the 4 year old from the Philippines (proper review to follow) and the Trinidad I should have purchased before it sold out!!
Planteray Fiji 2004 (Japanese Ume cask)
I was so quick to snap up one of the last bottles of this that I actually forgot to get a photo of it at the show!
Planteray (formerly Plantation) likely needs no introduction and this bottling is a great example of why that’s the case. The attention to detail in the cask finishing resulted in a wonderful mouthfeel. I can’t wait to sit down and taste this with a fresh palate.
House of Rum
Another independent bottler, House of Rum have the approach of cask strength, unadulterated, single cask bottlings.
The Guatemala really stood out for me as something a bit different, offering an insight into the production style in a way I haven’t seen from some other brands from the country.
A bonus mention has to go to the Venezuela – it’s not the cheapest but it was a delicious dram!
DropWorks, Distiller’s Drop #2
DropWorks is Europe’s largest rum distillery and this latest release from them shows the evolution of the liquid coming from this British Rum producer.
The distiller’s drop gets a shoutout in particular from me as it’s the first rum (in my opinion) aimed at more serious rum drinkers. This goes to show the importance of coming back and revisiting because whilst I appreciate the craftsmanship of the core range they’re not my preferred style – and I would have missed this release otherwise.
Honourable mention for Kakira who were fantastic as always! In fact they were so busy I nearly didn’t get to say hi or grab a Tangawizi. No new releases from them this year but they brought along the full range that stood out as one of my highlights from the show last year.
If there’s one thing I’d love to see change, it’s a move away from disposable tasting glasses to proper glassware. Beyond the obvious sustainability upside of cutting down on single-use plastic, a real glass actually lets a rum open up in a way the plastic cup can’t, and that feels worth getting right at a show built around understanding what’s actually in the bottle.
Sitting and reflecting on the event and doing this write up, the one thing that really stood out to me was how much the event has grown without losing the thing that made it worth attending in the first place… the people. Manchester in particular has a wonderful balance of serious rum nerds, enthusiasts, and complete newbies just starting to explore. I don’t know another large-scale event that caters to such a broad range of people this well. Ten years in, that’s still what makes Manchester Rum Festival worth attending.
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