Monday 12 July 2021

THE SCENT OF RUM by Rosemullion Distillery

The idea that our sense of taste is closely linked to our sense of smell is something that is often talked about these days, but it’s still generally confined to food. However, recent years saw the dramatic boom in the fashion for flavoured gins, and these definitely took the limelight away from other equally exciting spirits. One that has been unfairly ignored often evokes stormy nights and is forever associated with Cornwall. I’m talking about rum. One of the newest producers in the UK at the moment is Rosemullion Distillery and so, as a rum lover, I didn’t need to think twice when I was asked to discover their exceptional trio.

Rosemullion Distillery was founded in 2018 by Andrew and Elizabeth Bradbury. Now, they’d had successful careers as industrial chemists, not the usual background for artisan distillers, but they realised that they could combine their scientific knowledge with a real love of exceptional spirits. Based near the Helford River in Cornwall, it wasn’t long before the international awards started pouring in for both their gins and rums, and a secure reputation was cemented. Rum sales now rank with whisky and gin as one of the UK’s favourite tipples, but did you know that it’s predicted to outsell gin by 2022?

Andrew and Elizabeth use natural rainwater and molasses to create their base alcohol and then distil it in a traditional copper pot still. However, it’s then allowed to age in imported American white oak barrels, and it’s this that provides the flavour and the colour. Many companies will use artificial caramel colouring but, because they use a natural process, Rosemullion’s batches always have a slight variation in colour. As well as being a perfume fan, and obviously a rum lover, I’m also mad about books. So, I’ve chosen some literary classics for you to read while you’re enjoying their fantastic collection.

We need to start with their Gold Rum because this is where the whole range begins. There are no added ingredients, it’s purely the ageing in the barrels, and so I’ve chosen Doctor Syn by Russell Thorndike as the book. With an outward display of respectability, but also harbouring a smuggling secret, it’s the perfect pairing. This sipping rum is so uplifting and you get an exciting note of bergamot right from the start, but almost immediately alongside a cedarwood dryness. A touch of candied violet seems to appear as it develops, which means you won’t stop at one sip.

We move on to Rosemullion’s fantastic Spiced Rum and there can only be one literary companion for this one, the classic Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier. The most famous smuggling story of all time, the spices in this rum add an element of excitement and you can almost hear the murderous Joss Merlyn in the next room. The rum opens with a fantastic hit of candied peel but it’s accompanied by the exciting blend of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. However, in the background is a hint of ginger alongside a touch of charred oak and, as it develops on the tongue, a delicious note of caramel.

This brings us to the delicious Chocolate Rum, and it is an intriguing blend. The youngest of the trio, it only seemed right to pair it with Smuggler’s Luck by Frank Charleston. The story of a Cornish boy’s ageing from childhood to fully fledged smuggler, you definitely get an innocence with this one. This delicately flavoured rum starts with a touch of bitter chocolate, almost reminiscent of patchouli, before a background aroma of raspberry just peeps from behind a devilish touch of chilli. As it settles you also get a whisper of jasmine, and it really is as smooth as melted chocolate.

All of the Rosemullion rums are available from the website at rosemulliondistillery.com with prices starting at £16 for 250ml and going up to £36 for 700ml. They’re also available in a discovery box priced at £45 for 400ml, and you can also enjoy 15% off during July with the discount code WORLDRUMDAY. [Bottles were purchased]

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