A cask in Warehouse No 2 at Fettercairn started tasting of rum and raisin fudge. So the distillery did the logical thing and sent it to a rum distillery.
Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2 is the second Distillery Exclusive from the Highland distillery, made in collaboration with Matugga Rum, the husband-and-wife rum producers from Livingston near Edinburgh. It is a cask strength single malt at 53.4% ABV, limited to 486 bottles, priced at £120 and sold only at Fettercairn Distillery. The whisky spent five years in an ex-red wine cask (cask 170), another five years in a Matugga ex-rum cask, and was then married with first-fill ex-bourbon barrels to pull it back towards Fettercairn’s tropical house style. It is non-chill filtered and natural colour.
Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2 at a glance
- Distillery: Fettercairn, Highland (Aberdeenshire), Scotland
- Collaborator: Matugga Rum, Livingston, Scotland
- Type: Highland single malt Scotch whisky, no age statement
- ABV: 53.4%, cask strength
- Casks: ex-red wine cask (5 years), Matugga ex-Scottish rum cask (5 years), married with two first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, then rested in three ex-bourbon barrels
- Bottles: 486
- Price: £120 RRP
- Availability: Fettercairn Distillery only
- Non-chill filtered: Yes | Natural colour: Yes
What is Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2?
Distillers’ Secret is Fettercairn’s Distillery Exclusive series: small batches built around a single idea and a partner from outside the whisky world. The series is the distillery team’s playground rather than part of the core 12, 16 and 24 year old range, and it is only sold on site.
No 2 started with a chance discovery. Distiller Bruce Aitken, a former chef, noticed that cask 170, an ex-red wine cask that had been maturing for five years, had picked up a profile he described as rum and raisin fudge. Instead of bottling it as a wine cask single cask, he wanted to see how far that character could be pushed.
The answer was to borrow a cask from a rum distillery. The whisky went into one of Matugga’s ex-rum casks and slept for another five years in Warehouse No 2. According to the distillery, that second stage is where the “funky tropical notes” came from, and the liquid quickly became a favourite among the team.
How the casks were put together
This is a more layered build than the label suggests, so it is worth walking through.
Stage one is five years in an ex-red wine cask, which gave the red fruit and raisin base. Stage two is five years in a Matugga ex-Scottish rum cask, which Paul Rutasikwa says was chosen specifically to add depth, warmth and tropical fruit on top of that red fruit. Stage three is balance: the rum cask whisky was married with two first-fill ex-bourbon barrels to bring Fettercairn’s lighter, tropical distillery character back into focus. Finally, the vatting rested in three ex-bourbon barrels so the components could knit together before bottling.
The release carries no age statement, but Aitken’s timeline adds up to more than a decade of maturation for the wine and rum cask component. Bottled at 53.4% with no chill filtration and no added colour, it is presented the way most collectors want a distillery exclusive presented.
Who are Matugga Rum?
Matugga is one of the more interesting names in Scotland’s young rum scene. Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa launched their rums in London in 2015, relocated to Scotland in 2017 so Paul could study brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University, and started production at their own distillery in Livingston, West Lothian, in 2018 with two small copper pot stills. They make their rum from scratch rather than buying in bulk spirit.
The brand draws on the couple’s family roots in Uganda and Jamaica. Matugga describes its approach through a “rum triad”: Jamaican rum-making tradition, East African flavours and Scotland’s distilling heritage. Their inaugural three year old rum scored 98 out of 100 and an Outstanding Gold medal at the International Wine & Spirit Competition.
There is a whisky link built in, too. Paul grew up as a single malt drinker before rum entered the picture, which goes some way to explaining why this collaboration came about as a cask swap between friends rather than a marketing brief. In his words, what began as a simple exchange of casks has grown into a genuine friendship, and both sides say they plan to keep sharing casks.
Fettercairn’s tropical house style and why a rum cask fits
Fettercairn was founded on the Fasque Estate in Aberdeenshire in 1824. Its defining feature is the copper cooling ring fitted to its stills in the 1950s, which runs cold water down the outside of the still necks. That increases reflux and gives the new make a light, fruit-forward character that the distillery describes as tropical.
That house style is exactly why a rum cask makes sense here. Pineapple, mango and soft tropical fruit are already part of Fettercairn’s vocabulary, and a well-made ex-rum cask tends to amplify those notes with molasses and spice. The red wine cask underneath adds a darker fruit layer that most Fettercairn releases do not have.
Fettercairn is owned by Whyte & Mackay.
Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2 tasting notes (distillery)
We have not tasted this release. The notes below are Fettercairn’s own.
Nose: Grilled pineapple, soft toffee, Demerara sugar, ginger spice
Palate: Tropical fruits, molasses, sweet vanilla, citrus zest, wood spice
Finish: Mango and guava, cinnamon, nutmeg
ABV: 53.4% | Cask: ex-red wine, ex-Scottish rum (Matugga), first-fill ex-bourbon | Price: £120
On paper, the notes read like the rum cask and the bourbon barrels are doing most of the talking: grilled pineapple, molasses and Demerara are classic rum cask markers, while the vanilla and citrus point to the first-fill bourbon. The red wine stage that started it all is less visible in the official notes, so we would be curious to see how much of that rum and raisin fudge character survived the marriage.
Distillers’ Secret No 1 vs No 2
| Distillers’ Secret (No 1) | Distillers’ Secret No 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborator | Six°North brewery, Laurencekirk | Matugga Rum, Livingston |
| Key cask | Ex-Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon cask that held a Belgian-style pale ale | Ex-red wine cask, then Matugga ex-rum cask |
| Bottles | 318 | 486 |
| Price | £125 | £120 |
| Released | December 2025 | November 2026 |
| Where | Distillery only | Distillery only |
The first release was a neighbourly collaboration with the brewery a few miles down the road in Laurencekirk. No 2 widens the circle to a partner across Scotland and into a different spirit category, which suggests the series is going to keep looking outside whisky for ideas.
Price and availability
Distillers’ Secret No 2 has an RRP of £120 and is limited to 486 bottles. Fettercairn states it is only available to purchase from Fettercairn Distillery in Aberdeenshire.
For international collectors, that leaves three realistic routes: a visit to the distillery, a friend in the UK who is going, or the secondary market. Previous distillery-only releases of this size tend to surface on UK auction platforms within weeks, usually above RRP.
Is it worth it?
At £120 for a cask strength, non-chill filtered single malt with this level of cask work and fewer than 500 bottles, the price is reasonable for a distillery exclusive. It sits slightly below the £125 of No 1, despite the larger outturn.
It is for Fettercairn collectors completing the Distillers’ Secret series, drinkers who enjoy rum cask whisky and want a version where the rum cask comes from a Scottish producer rather than the Caribbean, and anyone planning a trip to the eastern Highlands this winter. It is not for anyone who wants to buy online from abroad, and it is not a bottle to chase at heavily inflated auction prices when the core Fettercairn 12 and 16 already show the tropical house style.
If you are near Fettercairn, 486 bottles at a distillery visitor centre is not a large number. We would not wait long.
Frequently asked questions
What is Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2? Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2 is a limited Highland single malt and the second release in Fettercairn’s Distillery Exclusive series. It was made with Scottish rum producer Matugga Rum, using five years in an ex-red wine cask followed by five years in a Matugga ex-rum cask, then married with ex-bourbon barrels. It is limited to 486 bottles.
How much does Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2 cost? Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2 has a recommended retail price of £120 for a 70cl bottle. No official euro or dollar price has been published, because the whisky is sold only at the distillery in Scotland. On the secondary market, expect prices above RRP once the 486 bottles have sold through the visitor centre.
Where can I buy Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2? Fettercairn states that Distillers’ Secret No 2 is available only from Fettercairn Distillery in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. No international online release or shipping has been announced. Collectors outside the UK will need to visit the distillery, ask someone travelling there, or look to whisky auction platforms after release.
What casks were used for Distillers’ Secret No 2? The whisky spent five years in an ex-red wine cask, numbered cask 170, then five years in an ex-Scottish rum cask from Matugga Rum in Warehouse No 2. It was then married with two first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and rested in three ex-bourbon barrels before bottling at 53.4% ABV, non-chill filtered and natural colour.
What does Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 2 taste like? According to Fettercairn, the nose shows grilled pineapple, soft toffee, Demerara sugar and ginger spice. The palate brings tropical fruits, molasses, sweet vanilla, citrus zest and wood spice, with a finish of mango and guava, cinnamon and nutmeg. The Daily Whisky has not tasted it yet, so these are the distillery’s own notes.
What was Fettercairn Distillers’ Secret No 1? The first Distillers’ Secret was released in December 2025 in collaboration with Six°North, a craft brewery in nearby Laurencekirk. It used an ex-Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon cask that had held a fruity Belgian-style pale ale, married with Fettercairn single malt. It was limited to 318 bottles at £125, sold only at the distillery.
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