Becky Hunt’s life was thrown into chaos when her husband, Matt, lost his job as a pilot, due to COVID, in March last year.

As parents of two under 5s and no family nearby the Strathaven couple had to think fast about what to do to keep them occupied and solvent during the global pandemic.

“We started researching business ideas and I came across a quote that said the industries that will never go out of business are sex, death and alcohol,” says Becky with a chuckle. “The first two didn’t really seem like an option for us - so we decided on making our own booze brand.”

Becky and Matt Hunt from Old Mother Hunt Rum

Seeing the Scottish craft gin market was hugely oversaturated, Becky and Matt plumped for a different spirit, and one with a burgeoning scene that has been on the rise since brothers John and Jim Ewen from Dark Matter launched Scotland’s first Rum Distillery in Banchory back in 2015.

“Scotland has long had an association with rum production, dating as far back as the 17th century and the sugar boom,” says Becky, “the craft rum industry is smaller, very friendly and collaborative - we knew this was the place for us and Old Mother Hunt Rum was born.”

The couple set up during the first lockdown and launched in November 2020 applying for their distillers license earlier this month.

Becky continues, “Having been a stay-at-home-mum for the last five years it has been daunting but hugely exciting to run my own company. It’s a pretty steep learning curve and money has been so short at the start, we’ve had to do everything ourselves. I’m handling the business, marketing, social media and accountancy side, as well as still being a full-time mum and loving it.”

The challenge is certainly paying off for the couple as they now have three different flavours listed, the Signature Golden Rum, Winter Spice and Smoky Oak and two new varieties on the way, a classic Spiced Rum and a delicious Silver Rum.

“We’ve kept our batches deliberately small so that we can perfect and hone the flavour of each rum,” says Becky “and we anticipate that as our experience and skills evolve, the flavours will change subtly and develop, as they also will with the changes in season, rainfall and climate but we are committed to enhancing each aspect of the palate.”

From cocktails to cooking, rum is a versatile ingredient. Here is tasty Marmalade Mojito cocktail recipe to try this weekend.

Ingredients

One rounded teaspoon of marmalade

One measure of Old Mother Hunt Golden Rum

One mandarin orange

A slice of lemon to garnish

One star anise

Ice

Chilled tonic water to serve

Method

STEP 1
Put the marmalade, rum, mandarin juice, and the star anise in a jar, screw on the lid and leave until ready to serve.

STEP 2
To finish, add some ice to the jar, screw the lid back on and shake well to mix and chill everything. Top up with tonic, then serve.

A stay-at-home-mum swapping childcare for rum