Scratch

Founded by Doug Miller and Ellie Taverner in 2016 in a small village in Hertfordshire named Benington - only 20 minutes from Wheathampstead where I grew up a kid - Scratch is a British rum brand that does exactly what it says on the tin... erm, bottle. There are lots of 'British' rums out there that source rums from the Caribbean and elsewhere, tweak them slightly, and then proudly proclaim they're 'British'. But they're not. Scratch is one of very few companies in the UK making rum from... well, scratch - using molasses in the main with loooong fermentation periods to draw out as much flavour as possible. In some instances Doug, Ellie and the small team source ingredients to make botanical rums for something different but still jolly tasty, and the emphasis is on everything being as high quality as possible.

In the case of the Faithful Rum, we have an unaged rum made from British refined molasses that had a healthy fermentation with champagne yeasts in an attempt to maximise the flavour profile. The end result is a stunning white rum - to be honest, white rum gets a very bad reputation thanks to it mainly being used with mixers and as a base for cocktails, rather than being suitable for enjoying on its own. The long fermentation produces a sweet ester notes which evokes Jamaican rum, but without being too overpowering, and there's hints of tropical fruit and mint throughout. The finish is clean but the fruit element still lingers - it's brilliantly made and will elevate any rum cocktail, and is simply PERFECT for a classic Daiquiri!