Rum, once considered an unrefined tipple for sailors and pirates, has certainly made a comeback. Whether you want to take it in a cocktail, on rocks or neat, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the vast selection of light, dark and spiced rums.
For cocktails, a light rum like the Bacardi-style is a favourite. It is crisp and tart, giving your cocktail that striking taste. Dark rums, on the other hand, are characterised by intense spicy notes with big bold flavours
But enough of our preamble… here’s our selection of famous British rums you should try in 2019.
Ranked among the best sipping rums in the world, Gosling’s Black Seal hails from the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. Its name is a result of the black wax used to close the original bottles.
From a rear view, you can easily mistake this rum for red wine given its dark reddish-brown hue. The rum is adored for its sweet vanilla and spicy notes.
It feels very pungent on the nose and has a dense, treacly taste on the tongue that finishes off in sweet and spicy notes. Gosling’s Black Seal 151 is a great sipping rum, but it also makes a fantastic long drink when mixed with cola, ice and lime.
Old Salt is one of the few rums made in England. The rum is distilled thrice in small proportions using traditional copper still. It is this process that gives Old Salt Rum the original taste of rum that dates back some 200 years.
It has a Pirate theme on the rear label and is sealed with red wax inscribed with the initials ES (English Spirit) at the top of the bottle. English Spirit is a distillery based in Cambridgeshire and is credited with producing this rum. Old Salt rum is extremely pungent, evocative of an Overproof rum that inches closer to a Jamaican-style rum. It feels smooth on the tongue, albeit with a slight after-burn.
As its name suggests, this rum originates from Northumberland and comes in three varieties- dark, light and spiced. The spicy dark rum is based on a recipe that was first created ninety years ago.
In the bottle, it has a black hue with and deep brown colour to the edges, and in the glass, it takes on a dark, reddish-brown colour. It feels moreish on the nose given the rich, deep treacle toffee aroma.
On the tongue, this rum gives off a short and bitter taste, leaving a slight tinge of sweetness. Alnwick rum is a lousy sipping rum but great when mixed with other drinks. You get to enjoy the Jamaican notes with a slight coffee twist, though the bitter aftertaste lingers for a short time.
The rum hails from Aberdeen, Scotland, which is known as a hotbed for producing rum. Dark Matter Distillers was established in 2011 by two brothers John and Jim Ewen. However, the two brothers only ventured into the production of spiced rums in 2015, and this spiced rum is their first
In the bottle, it takes on a dark brown appearance, and when poured in a glass, it has a slight light brown shade with an orange tinge. It feels rather strong on the nose without being overbearing like other spiced rums.
Ginger and Allspice notes are dominant, featuring a peppery heat created by the young rum base. The finish is slightly bitter, leaving the throat with a black pepper burn instead of the usual alcohol burn. This feature makes the Dark Matter Spiced Rum an excellent accompaniment for spicy food.
This spiced rum features a combination of Madagascan vanilla, Caribbean rum, clove, cardamom, orange peel and cassia. In the glass, the rum has an intense red-brown colour. It releases strong wafts of orange zest that are reminiscent of marmalade.
Fans of spicy rums will find this rum incredibly tasty as it produced using authentic flavourings. Cardamom gives off a slight curried note evocative of an Indian Cuisine. However, the vanilla notes are laidback. It has a lot of alcohol burn and intense spicing, which may not be enjoyable when taking this rum neat; as such, you may want to pour it over a few ice packs when sipping
The rum is made using triple distilled molasses, vanilla, cherries and red hibiscus flowers. It has a distinct taste produced by the Harrogate spring water and homegrown wildflower honey added during the production process. The creators recommend serving this rum with ginger beer for an intense flavour combination.
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