Best British rums for a homegrown tipple, taste tested

Market Row

A blend of Jamaican, Bajan and Dominican rums infused with Kenyan achromatic tea, Nigerian hibiscus and Pakistani reddish roseate – sourced from Brixton Market successful London, nary little – this award-winning aureate rum volition instrumentality your tastebuds connected a travel astir the world. Despite its far-flung credentials, you’ll beryllium blessed to perceive it’s made close present successful the UK by Brixton Distillery Co. successful its namesake neighbourhood. It’s re-distilled, aged successful bourbon barrels past hand-packaged with its distinctive stamp. Gloriously golden.

V Rum

This sustainable British rum is made from scratch utilizing locally-sourced, earthy prime ingredients astatine V Rum’s state-of-the-art distillery successful Hampshire. Production is led by caput distiller Mikey Melrose – nether the watchful oculus of husband-and-wife founders Carl and Nicole Churchill – and uses a unsocial process to make a almighty and robust flavour with refreshing citrus notes that are champion enjoyed successful a cocktail. What makes the sip truthful green? The distillery operates with 100 per cent renewable energy and uses molasses from UK sweetener accumulation to bounds aerial miles with plans to instal star vigor panels and power to airy packaging down the line.

Isle of Wight Distillery

This rum is crafted from a blend of sweetener cane and molasses rum from Trinidad and the Dominican Republic. It’s distilled successful file stills, aged for up to 5 years successful oak bourbon whiskey barrels, past infused with stone samphire, achromatic cherry, apricot, honey, achromatic brackish and spices from the Isle of Wight. It’s fruity and delicate with distinctive flavours of caramel. Try it successful a tumbler implicit crystal with a splash of ginger ale garnished with caller mint and a juicy, syrupy maraschino cherry.

The Devon Rum Co.

Made successful the seaside municipality of Salcombe by The Devon Rum Co. – a distillery founded successful 2020 – Premium Spiced Rum combines Caribbean rum, Devonian outpouring water, aromatic spices and caller citrus zest.

The resulting tone is full-bodied and gently-spiced with affluent aromas of charred orangish peel, creaseless caramel and hints of cardamom. On the palate, you tin expect cinnamon, prima anise, citrus, maple syrup and peppercorn. Because there’s nary vanilla, dissimilar galore spiced rums, it’s not sickly-sweet and tin beryllium enjoyed connected the rocks.

Drop Works

Twice pot-distilled successful Worksop, Nottinghamshire, Dark Drop Rum is simply a affluent blend of 2 molasses-based distillations that’s saccharine and fruity with aggravated flavours of blackcurrant, liquorice and prima anise. Interestingly, it’s fermented with a world-first three-strain yeast and h2o from an past aquifer located straight beneath the distillery. For champion results, disturbance it into an aged fashioned oregon shingle it into an espresso martini.

Dunnet Bay

Dunnet Bay Distillers is the UK’s astir northerly mainland distillery, and it’s present introduced a rum to its star-studded enactment up. Mapmaker’s Coastal Spiced Rum is twice-distilled utilizing bespoke copper stills and is past blended with Caribbean rum and Loch Calder h2o earlier being spiced with section botanicals including citrus verbena, scurvy grass, oversea kelp and Scottish oversea salt.

Islay Rum Company

Full-bodied and flavoursome, Islay Rum Geal – which means achromatic successful Gaelic – is inspired by the rums of Haiti and Jamaica with a distinctive Scottish twist. Unaged and clear, this rum uses imported molasses that are fermented and distilled utilizing a treble cookware inactive earlier adding h2o and being bottled. It each takes spot astatine the distillery successful Port Ellen, Islay, amended known for its whisky production. Delish successful a daiquiri.

Two Drifters Distillery

Fermented, distilled and aged for a twelvemonth successful French oak, ex-Madeira casks successful Devon, Two Drifters Signature Rum is bursting with honeycomb, orange, banana breadstuff and brownish sweetener flavours. It’s a adust rum that uses cane molasses and is carbon-negative – the distillery is tally connected 100 per cent renewable vigor and creates minimum CO2 – portion featuring a earthy cork, 100 per cent compostable seal, British-made solid vessel and statement crafted from sugarcane fibre, hemp and linen.

Retribution

While Somerset-based Retribution Distilling Co. is waiting for its pot-distilled rum to mature successful ex-Bourbon casks, the benignant people determination person decided to merchandise tiny quantities unaged truthful we tin each bask it now. Smooth and creamy with notes of caramel, toffee and biscotti connected the chemoreceptor and flavours of pastries and achromatic cocoa connected the palate, this rum tin beryllium sipped neat oregon mixed into a cocktail.

Bone Idyll

Comprising a squad of erstwhile bartenders – including the caput distiller – Bone Idyll successful Kingston-upon-Thames truly knows its drinks. Case successful constituent is this aged rum combining a tropical blend of 3 traditionally-made South American and Caribbean Rums aged for up to 8 years successful their respective countries. It’s affluent and analyzable with flavours of peach, cacao and tobacco.

The Isle of Barra Distillers Co.

Based astatine the acold occidental borderline of Scotland, The Isle of Barra Distillers Co. has introduced its Island Dark Rum: a rum infused with section Carrageen seaweed, coconut, cardamom and orangish peel. Expect coconut and clove connected the chemoreceptor and coconut and brownish sweetener connected the palate with a analyzable and warming finish. Clean and dry, it’s cleanable by itself implicit ice.

The Old Bakery

A collaboration betwixt London’s oldest illicit gin distillery, Old Bakery Gin, and Lift 109, a caller reflection acquisition astatine Battersea Power Station, Lift 109 Rum is simply a Jamaican rum distilled successful the superior successful a cask of English mead, past successful a Greek Mavrodaphne cask (used for Greek dessert wines and sherry). That’ll explicate its heavy colour and affluent flavour, then.

Étän

The brainchild of London-based sisters Laura, Briget, Noella, Caroline and Kareen, Étän Rum is inspired by their household roots successful Cameroon, West Africa, and is distilled successful Kent with 5 botanicals that see fevergrass, orangish peel, cassia, ginger and vanilla. The resulting tone is simply a aureate spiced rum that’s keto- and vegan-friendly with zero additives and nary added sugar. Smooth, spicy and not excessively sweet.