North East rum entrepreneur secures deal

Released on 07 December 2009

By Chris Knox, The Journal

THE man behind a famous North East rum has secured his first export deal and will soon be sending the tipple over to the shores of Canada as part of his plans to rebuild his family's brewing business.

Ian Linsley will soon be shipping off his first consignment of Alnwick Rum to Ontario after meeting Drew Knox, president of Canada-based Knox & Company International Inc at an international food and drink trade show in London.

The pair hit it off immediately and now the family blend will be sold in upmarket bars, restaurants and clubs throughout Canada, with Mr Linsley looking to expand into North America over the coming years.

The drink is the flagship product of the Alnwick Rum Company, which was revived by Mr Linsley in 2002 after the company ran into difficulty in the 1980s and was forced to close down.

At its height, the company operated a brewery and produced 700 different lines to stores across the country, all under the watchful eye of Mr Linsley's father John. Due to the secrecy surrounding the rum, it was believed the recipe had vanished following the death of John Linsley in 2001.

However, Ian Linsley decided to relaunch the company after finding the recipe among his dad's old papers and now outsources the creation of the drink in order to keep down costs. He plans to re-open the brewery in time to maintain his dad's legacy and sees the growing worldwide popularity of Alnwick Rum as a way to kickstart his ambitions. The drop is also sold in most supermarkets, as is Alnwick IPA, which was re-launched by Mr Linsley in 2007.

He said: "It has always been a dream of mine to get the brewery running again. Exporting Alnwick Rum over to Canada is a major step forward in turning those dreams into a reality.

"It has been difficult over the last two years as a result of the recession but I have big hopes now that the rum is being sold internationally.

"There is no taste like it and I'm sure it will become as popular in Canada and the United States as it has in its native North East."

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