The team behind York Gin has announced the launch of their first rum, and it’s named after a familiar feline face. Rutterkin Rum, released yesterday (1st May), is a spiced rum flavoured with chocolate and orange, paying tribute to York’s long association with Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
The new spirit is named after Rutterkin, the black cat featured on every York Gin bottle since the brand launched in 2018. After years of loyal service on the label, the team decided it was time for the iconic cat to get a bottle of his own.
“We’re delighted with the rum,” says York Gin Director Natalie Hall. “And collaborating with the brilliant Craft Gin Club has been a joy from start to finish.” The new rum is a partnership with the Craft Gin Club, the UK’s biggest gin subscription service, which has recently branched into rum. York Gin has previously worked with the club on gin-of-the-month boxes and advent calendars.
The cat’s local roots run deep. York is famous for its feline landmarks, with the York Cat Trail drawing thousands of visitors a year to spot over 20 cat statues across the city’s historic buildings. York Gin also supports North Yorkshire Cats Protection, even offering new cat owners a miniature bottle to toast their latest arrival.
Natalie adds: “Rutterkin is the famous York cat who rose to prominence on our cat-and-castle logo. He’s now jumped off the castle wall onto his own spirit label, complete with rum barrel.”
Rutterkin’s name comes from a 17th-century tale. The original Rutterkin was the supposed familiar of a coven known as the Bottesford Witches, accused of bewitching the Duke of York. The name itself means “swaggering gallant” — fitting, says Natalie, for a rum that’s “spicy, full of character and with a beautiful sweet heart.”
The 37.5% spiced rum is available now for £42 from the York Gin shop and the York Distillery website: yorkdistillery.co.uk.
The launch follows the recent opening of the new York Distillery in the city centre’s Middletons Hotel. The site offers gin tasting, gin making and cocktail classes, and will serve as a creative hub for developing new spirits. Natalie says: “You can expect more exciting announcements and launches as our brilliant distillers really get cracking.”
