If you’re looking for the best Spiced Rums in the UK, you’re not going to be spoilt for choice. Over the last five years, rum as a category has increased in sales by over 80%. It will come as no surprise that many new distilleries have sprung up across the UK. Because things are growing so fast, it is almost impossible to keep up with how many new rum distilleries are appearing. At a guess and with recent figures from licensing, we estimate there are now 40 new rum distilleries is across the UK.
So where is the best place to start when looking for the best Spiced Rums in the UK?
Of course, we are going to say that The 45 Scottish Spiced Rum is the best in the UK but we also know that we are in an exciting category and there are lots of great producers out there. We would recommend that the best place to start is to look for what is local to you. You will undoubtedly find that there is a new Spiced Rum distillery not far from where you live! Check out what they are doing first but follow some good advice to make sure you’re getting a great product.
The traditional way of making run from scratch starts with molasses- and this is what we do at Jacobite Spirits. Molasses is a by-product from sugar refining and it helps to jump-start the alcohol production. It is fermented to form a light alcoholic “wash” at around 14 to 18% alcohol. This is then distilled - depending on the product, from one to multiple times - to get to the spirit called Rum. It needs to be distilled from sugar and over 37% as a final, base spirit. There is then another opportunity to distil again with the spices in the still. An alternative methodology is to place the spices into the rum to let it infuse over time.
Watch out for spiced spirit drinks - some well-known, mainstream brands are not allowed to call themselves rum because they are not 37% alcohol or over. Similarly, there are some distilleries that operate as rectifiers as opposed to full distillation from the fermented molasses. There is nothing wrong with this process and as a Spiced Rum, it can be absolutely fine, just be aware that sometimes the rum will not be made in the distillery itself. When we started on our journey, we explored working with other rum distilleries to make base spirit for us but it made better sense and gave us more control to just to do it ourselves.
So, who do we recommend to try? This is an interesting list!
Top of our list is Old J Tiki Fire. This stuff is epic. It’s very strong, so be careful but it tastes amazing and the physicality to the experience is incredible. If you want to jump right into the deep end on Spiced Rum, start here.
We can’t leave our Scottish Rum friends out and while it’s not a Spiced Rum yet (one is to come) we have always had a soft spot for the absolute obsessiveness of Ninefold Distillery. We first met Dr Kit at a rum event in Glasgow and were blown away by his attention to detail, obsessiveness in the process and commitment to being authentic. Ninefold’s base spirit is incredible - well worth trying and we’re sure that the Spiced Rum will be interesting and impressive.
Finally, we need to mention our friends in Wales making what can only be described as THE most Spiced Rum next to The 45. We love this stuff and it is one of the few Spiced Rums in the UK that we think is going to grow as big as us…yes, praise indeed. The guys over at Barti share the spirit of adventure and Spirit of Rebellion that we have at our heart. So if you’re looking for your next bottle, give these guys a look.
Regardless of what you do, trying a Spiced Rum from our home-grown distilleries is not going to disappoint. The industry is growing, it is authentic and it is exciting. Try something new and you’ll start to find that a Spiced Rum from a UK distillery is something worth investing in.