We received a small box in the mail yesterday from the UK liquor distributor Master of Malt containing a sample of one of their newest offerings, Rumbullion! Spiced Rum.
Rumbullion! is described on the Master of Malt website as a cockle-warming spiced concoction from Professor Cornelius Ampleforth, based on the kind of rich, full-bodied rums the seafaring fraternity would have enjoyed centuries ago. At the core of this fabulous winter warmer lies a blend of the very finest high proof Caribbean rum, to which was added creamy Madagascan vanilla and a generous helping of zesty orange rind. A secret recipe was followed, and the Professor finished his hearty tipple with a handful of cinnamon and cloves and just a hint of cardamom.
We opened the sample and sniffed, immediately detecting the pleasant aroma of orange, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon. Over ice we took a sip, letting the warm spices wash over our tongues. This certainly would be a good sipping rum for the cold winter months. In the Professor’s own words: “’tis a most heart-warming tipple that will surely see off the Winter blues. Whilst this is rum, it’s certainly not a rum thing by any means and I recommend you enjoy it neat, or with ice and squeeze of fresh lime.”
We found the taste to be very pleasant with a nice long finish. We are certainly not rum experts, but we enjoyed it quite a bit and found ourselves wishing we had a much bigger bottle in front of us! Guess you could say our cockles were warmed!!
The full size bottle is really good looking, and in the words of Master of Malt: Rumbullion! proudly flaunts its maritime inspiration with a label that bears a hand-drawn illustration of a Navy grog tub, emblazoned with the words: “The Queen, God Bless Her”, and just like all of the fine spirits in Professor Cornelius Ampleforth’s arsenal, each bottle is wrapped in crinkled brown paper, wound with twine and sealed with black wax. Ordering information
On a side note – Master of Malt is in the UK, so unfortunately the shipping is costly to those of us in the US, but they offer a Premium Rum Tasting Set that would make an excellent gift for anyone wanting to sample different rums before buying full sized bottles. Be sure to check them out!
