Today I’m having a look at two flavoured offerings from The Bush Rum range because I do embrace sugar cane spirits diversity on my website – also I received these bottles in order to review them so why not have a look at them. I have heard about The Bush Rum before when I was doing some research on Symposium Spirits for some previous reviews and I noticed it was part of their portofolio. Symposium Spirits is an independent distribution agency established by Hayman’s in 2019 and their rum range include Merser & Co and Merchant’s Choice Guyanese White Rum.
The Bush Rum is a flavoured/spiced rum launched in August 2020 by Burlington Drinks and its range consists of The Bush Rum Original Spiced, The Bush Rum Mango, The Bush Rum Passionfruit & Guava and The Bush Rum Tropical Citrus – quite a few flavoured offerings, I just hope they didn’t go Dead Man’s Fingers route with overly sugared and overly artificial tasting bland distillates in pretty bottles.
The whole packaging, while quite colourful and fun looking, is also made from 100% recycled materials, with the bottle itself being made of 100% recycled glass, which according to their website “is a rum industry first”. The label is made from 95% recycled sugar cane & 5% hemp and linen, and the cork was made using, well, recycled cork. The base distillate for The Bush Rum is made at Diamond Distillery in Guyana which also uses 35% green energy in their rum production.
There is not a lot of information regarding the production process, so The Bush Rum Original Spiced and Passiofruit & Guava are molasses based, probably column still distilled at Diamon Distillery and most likely aged in ex-Bourbon casks for an unspecified amount of time. Bottled at 37.5% ABV and flavoured with a range of spices such as ginger, cinnamon and vanilla with added passion fruit and guava for the second one.
The Bush Rum Original Spiced
On the nose there are the obvious warm spices. Gingerbread, vanilla, cloves, marmalade and cola jellies. Salted caramel, strawberry jam, cinnamon sticks and mango puree. A pretty straightforward profile for a spiced rum. Some guava juice and lemon zest as well.
On the palate the sweetness starts to hit. Cola, mango & strawberry juice and ginger biscuits. Vanilla, cloves, caramelised pineapple, triple sec and a touch of cayenne pepper. The finish is short to medium with cinnamon and sticky caramel.
While not overly sweet, I would definitely prefer this drier, letting the spices come out a bit more. Otherwise a pretty safe choice for a spiced rum, will easily mix with cola or ginger ale.
The Bush Rum Passionfruit & Guava
On the nose it feels considerably more tropical. Passion fruit syrup, guava juice, strawberry jam and Harribo jellies. Fanta Orange, cinnamon and ginger. Seems juicy and fruity. Vanilla and some lime zest.
On the palate is quite the fruit explosion. Passion fruit puree, guava juice, grapefruit zest, hibiscus tea and vanilla. Sweet strawberries, orange juice and a touch of salt. Finish is short with sweetened guava juice and warm spices.
Same story, quite sweet and, while I like the flavours, they tend towards a “soapy” profile. The juicy notes are reminiscent to sweetened carton juices like Rubicon, which isn’t that bad, but doesn’t taste too natural either.
I prefer the Original because it tastes more natural, although I wouldn’t say no to a Passionfruit & Guava if mixed well. Overall the rums aren’t bad at all, especially when you realise they are just £21 & £22 (Master of Malt) for a bottle – they definitely fare better than most flavoured offerings in that price range, but I was hoping for something more interesting.
I wish I would’ve known more about their production process, how they flavour the rums and the amount of sugar going into them, but I do appreciate the fact that they have “Spirit Drink” on the label.
The Bush Rum Original Spiced
Flavour/taste: 43/70
Value for money: 15/15
Transparency/purity: 13/15
Overall: 71/100
The Bush Rum Passionfruit & Guava
Flavour/taste: 41/70
Value for money: 15/15
Transparency/purity: 13/15
Overall: 69/100
Cheers!