Spirited Union

Launching in 2019, Spirited Union is a distillery and cocktail bar in Amsterdam - solar-powered, the building itself is fully sustainable. Founder Ruben Maduro previously worked in the Dutch Antilles and the contacts he made there enabled him to source rums from a variety of distilleries, that he then redistills and macerates with a variety of ingredients to create a selection of botanical rums that offer a new dimension into the category. These aren't flavoured rums per se - in which the vast majority of brands will add artificial flavourings to the rum spirit before bottling. Similar to gin, Spirited Union use the rum as a base to then enhance through maceration and redistillation with quality botanicals, without the use of sugars and god knows what else.

Rum from Swaziland - of all places! - is redistilled with the skin of blush-pink grapefruits before infusing with blood orange (to counter the sweet nature of the pink grapefuit), garden rose petals and elderflower blossom.

I really want to include this on a gin tasting, and not tell anyone is a rum. Because to be honest, this is the most un-rummy rum I've ever had. But it's brilliant. It's bright, fresh, fragrant and full of joy. Rose petals, like lavender, can be TOO floral, but here the balance is spot on with the citrus zing of grapefruit and orange. A good dash of soda water, mint leaves, plenty of ice - all you need is some blazing sun and you've got the perfect scenario. This is utterly distinct, utterly unique, and that is whay I bloody love it.