Metcalfe makes £12,000 from selling off inherited rum collection

Wine writer Charles Metcalfe made close to £12,000 by selling off a rare collection of rum he inherited from his father.

Charles Metcalfe wins big with a rum deal (Photo: Whisky.Auction)

Metcalfe won big with a rum deal last week when he decided to have a rare collection of 11 bottles valued on Whisky.Auction.

11 bottles of Lemon Hart rums, filled in the 1940s and saved by Metcalfe’s father, who had worked for Lemon Hart & Sons in 1946-48. The collection spent several years gathering dust after the wine aficionado’s father passed away, but now 10 of the bottles have already earned Metcalfe £12,000, and one more is due to be auctioned online on 1 March.

The Lemon Hart Rum Company was established in London near the London Docks in 1804, and is now one of the world’s most sought-after producers when it comes to rare spirits., in-part due to the fact that the company became the official supplier of rum to the British Navy in the 19t h century.

These particular rums were made in the Demorara region of Guyana, and are said to have a rich and smooth character typified by their region of origin.

Metcalfe said: “As a wine collector, I’m well aware of the value that old wine can fetch at auction, but I hadn’t imagined that my father’s rum would be worth quite so much.

“Each bottle has sold for around £1,000 – some as high as £1,450 – in Whisky.Auction’s online auctions since September, which shows how valuable a quick look into the back of your spirits cupboard can be.

“We’ve almost sold the full collection now – the last bottle goes live in the auction next month.”

In the UK, sales of rum, particularly golden and spiced variants, are on the rise, according to figures published by the WSTA.

Over 80 million bottles of gin were sold in the UK in the 12 months to June 2019, and it is performing particularly well in the on-trade, with sales topping £1.5 billion.