Salford Rum to open Greater Manchester’s first ever rum garden and distillery

Salford’s very own spirits firm Salford Rum has announced plans to open its own distillery and Greater Manchester’s first ever rum garden.

Established in the summer of 2018 by school friends James Harrison and Tommy Gaughan, Salford Rum has become well known and loved across the whole country for its high quality rum selection – the golden Salford Spiced Rum and the Salford Dark Spice – and unique bottles, each designed and commissioned by local artist Dave Draws.

After noticing their wives’ love for gin and wanting to experiment in the market of rum, the lads spent months researching the art of distilling the spirit and, inspired by the ingredients that used to be imported into the old Salford Docks, they came up with their first recipe, making 200 bottles of the stuff and selling out at a Maker’s Market that very weekend.

@salfordrum / Instagram

And the rest is history.

The brand has gone from strength to strength and, now, its grand plans to open Greater Manchester’s very first rum garden as part of a new expansion into the railway archways on Salford’s Viaduct Street have been unveiled.

James and Tommy got the keys to the distillery, located in Arch 33 and titled The Dirty Old Town Distillery – after the song, ‘Dirty Old Town’ – this week, where renovations will begin immediately.

The new venue will also be home to a craft copper still which will be used to create some of the existing Salford Rums but enable the duo to experiment and innovate more in the small batch space.

@salfordrum / Instagram

Tommy said on the company’s latest venture: “The support we’ve had locally for Salford Rum is nothing short of incredible. When looking for somewhere to take the brand to the next level, it was always going to be in Salford, and always going to be a place whereby our supporters can come and feel like they’re part of the Salford family.”

James added: “It’s been quite a ride and our first step into hospitality feels surreal. It’s time for us to grow in Greater Manchester’s vibrant drinks scene and for the brand to have somewhere to develop and – of course – serve awesome drinks. We’ve got so many ideas and can’t wait to see the distillery space, bar and rum garden come to life over the next couple of months.”

The Dirty Old Town Distillery is scheduled to open to the public in 2022, so make sure to follow their socials and website to keep up with any updates.