The Sacred Ape has opened a rum-making workshop in Sneinton
We speak to the rum brand's founder, as well as distilling ourselves
When it comes to spirit brands in Nottingham, The Sacred Ape is one of the best and most sustainable rum distillers.
I spoke with The Sacred Ape founder Tom Axten (thesacredape.com) about how the rum business began, its new workshop space in Sneinton, and why he’s proud to be part of the Nottingham food and drink scene. I was also invited to try the rum-making workshop myself.
If you’re looking for things to do in Nottingham, going to a Sacred Ape rum workshop is a fabulous idea. For more features and guides, subscribe to The Notts Edit to receive our articles in your inbox for free.
The Sacred Ape has opened a rum-making workshop in Sneinton
Words and photos by Eve Smallman
I’m not usually a rum drinker. Something in my head associates it with one bad night out while I was at Trent, so I normally stick to gin. But sitting inside the gorgeous Sacred Ape workshop space, nestled just beyond Sneinton Market, I’m willing to change my mind – and that’s not just because I have a banana rum in hand.
The Sacred Ape began in the most fitting way possible – over a bottle of rum. ‘I’ve got two brothers, and every Christmas we get together and bring a different bottle of craft spice rum – and one year about 10 years ago, after just drinking a good amount of it, I said, "One day I’m going to make my own”,’ Tom Axten, founder of The Sacred Ape, explains. ‘I’ve always just had a love and passion for rum, and I’ve got a massive collection of different spice rums, and decided to start exploring the options.’ He soon did just that, completely retraining and working with a developer in London.
The name comes from the conservation work that it donates to – 50p for every bottle sold. ‘All species of great apes are either endangered or critically endangered, which is awful and why we chose to support,’ says Tom. ‘We support the Neotropical Primate Conservation (neoprimate.org) – they’re a small conservation charity, and that’s why I chose them, because we’re a small business.’
He began with his first 50 litre copper pot, converted his garage, got all the HMRC licensing, and gradually built the business from there, working from selling to bars and restaurants and attending farmers’ markets. He soon expanded to a unit in Arnold, bringing his copper pot and expanding from there. This brought personalised wedding favours, as well as white label products for brands.
The latest expansion is the space in Sneinton. ‘I completely refurbed it, built everything myself from scratch, from literally building table legs and the tables to building the stills to building the bar, and then moved all the distillery equipment over,’ Tom says.
The result is a place that feels both stylish and welcoming. ‘People were asking to do the distillery tour, and I thought people really wanted to get involved, so why not take that next step, so that people can come down and make their own little bottle of spice rum for them to take home?’ Tom explains. The idea for the make-your-own (£44pp, thesacredape.com) came from the wedding favours. ‘I thought if I have the smaller stills, people can come down and make their own rum how they want to make it.’
While the copper stills are slightly daunting for me at first, the process actually turns out to be very simple. Over 30 different ingredients are neatly laid out in jars, as is a list saying how much to put in each (they recommend 4-5) depending on the richness of the flavour you’re looking for. This is all easy to weigh out with the help of an adorable set of scales. From here, you’re guided on how to distil it and how to mix it in with the rum. All of this is served up with generous rum samples throughout – we try everything from Sacred Ape’s own hot honey to a 15-year-old from Panama.
‘I don’t want anyone to feel it’s a pressurised environment or that they feel like they have to swill the rum around the glass before they drink it and spit into a bucket – I just want people to relax and have a good time,’ Tom says. They provide Coke and ginger beer if people don’t want to try the samples neat – but this journalist has no fear (alright, not much fear), and has everything neat.
It’s hard to play favourites, but Tom has a few combinations that he has particularly enjoyed. ‘One was a Rogan Jack – he put all the botanicals down, and I said, “Hang on a minute – you do know you’re making a rum, not a curry?”’ explains Tom. ‘His mate that was with him called it rogue, so I said, “Well, what about a Rogan Jack?” – and in the end, in a strange way, it really worked.’ He also enjoyed a sweeter one. ‘Someone made a Terry’s Chocolate Orange type, so they put cocoa nibs in fresh orange, and that was really nice.’
I make a tiramisu-inspired rum (Tiramisuzan, after my middle name), with coffee beans, tonka beans, cocoa nibs, and shortbread, while my boyfriend Sam makes a spicy Jaffa Cake-inspired flavour with chilli, orange, cocoa nibs, and another lovely thing that I should have but didn’t note down, as I was taking notes while a few rums down. However, luckily for us, The Sacred Ape team gets everyone to write down what they used, and they file it in case they want to make it again or tweak the recipe.
It has to be noted that The Sacred Ape’s newest distillery is very conveniently placed next to Nottingham’s hottest independent hub – Sneinton Market – and Tom’s on the case with collaborating with the best. ‘Paddy at Working Man’s Kitchen has a bottle of the hot honey rum, and he’s going to incorporate it into one of his sauces to drizzle over the pizza,’ says Tom ‘I’d also love to do some work with Yello Yard, which is an amazing Jamaican deli – a rum pairing to go with their classic dishes could work well.’ Plus, the workshop’s fridge is firmly stocked with Neon Raptor.
The Sacred Ape also has a good relationship with DropWorks – Europe’s largest rum distillery, which is located at the Welbeck Estate. ‘Obviously, they’re the complete opposite end of the scale to us, but I’m a big believer in supporting other businesses and everyone working together,’ Tom tells me. ‘We recommend people to DropWorks if they want to do a big distillery tour, for example.’
It’s not just rum that Sacred Ape dabbles with. ‘We’ve just made a custom house gin for Piccalilli, which is packed full of fresh fruit, and is really vibrant and funky,’ says Tom. ‘Bar Iberico stocks our rum, and they make some amazing cocktails with that.’ He adds that the Hockley area has really come to life - as has the wider city. ‘Nottingham has got, in my opinion, one of the best food and drink scenes.’
In terms of the future, the rum business is open for corporate bookings. ‘We’re now taking team events and staff parties, where they can come through for the experience before going for a meal,’ Tom says. Plus, they’ll be experimenting with barrel ageing in the new space. ‘We’re also going to do some limited releases.’
Most of all, Tom hopes to visit the Neotropical Primate Conservation charity in Peru in future. ‘I would love to go and help – that’s what I want to do more than anything.’
For now, the Sneinton space is open for workshop bookings, which is incredibly fun and exciting to do. Delicious rum, made in Nottingham? I’ll raise a glass or two (of my Tiramisuzan, neat, of course) to that.
thesacredape.com
@thesacredapedistillery
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