Listening to music while enjoying a beverage isn’t exactly new, but Rhythm and Booze Records are taking it to another level – dare I say, a little more personal. Rhythm and Booze Records blends new music and specially curated spirits to create unique tasting and listening experiences. On November 27th, the label released its first rum, paired with original music from latin pop quartet Feli y Los Malos.
The way Rhythm and Booze Records works is that they find an independent artist to work with, then they choose a high quality matured spirit (whisky, cognac or rum) that is a perfect fit for the music they make. For each release, the bottle’s front label showcases the featured band, and on the back label there’s a QR code leading to a private link where the band’s tunes are available to stream, download and to enjoy with the chosen spirit. This is a very interesting idea!
Rhythm and Booze Records is co-founded and run by whisky writer and singer/lap steel guitarist, Felipe Schrieberg and drummer, Paul Archibald, who’ve been playing together for over 14 years across many different bands covering a wide variety of genres. Together they have regularly organised hybrid gigs/whisky tastings and have performed at distilleries. Felipe is also a leading writer about all aspects of spirits for top industry publications including Whisky Magazine and he is a senior contributor for Forbes.com. He has won the 2022 Icons of Whisky Communicator of the Year award, and is also a Keeper of the Quaich.
For this release the music is provided by Feli y Los Malos led by Felipe himself – they blend together funk, boogaloo, blues and Cuban son into something altogether unique. I was at the launch and I have to say it was thoroughly enjoyable. For this release Felipe performed alongside Edinburgh musicians Rob Harrison (keyboards) and Jonny White (saxophone) as well as Bristol-based drummer, Paul Archibald.
If you want to hear their music, you’ll have to get yourself a bottle, but here is a single from their EP attached to their first single cask rum.:
This is the very first rum launched by Rhythm and Booze Records – I’ve had a chat with Felipe and he was very quick to admit that he didn’t have much rum knowledge as he is more whisky oriented. They chose this rum solely based on their taste and it’s compatibility with the Feli y Los Malos music.
The rum is a single cask and was made in Trinidad – based on what I tasted at the launch, it definitely comes from Trinidad Distillers Limited, the same distillery that makes the Angostura rums and bitters.
So it’s molasses based, column still distilled and aged for 4 years in an ex-Bourbon barrel. Bottled at 50% ABV without any additives and only 400 bottles available.
On the nose it feels quite fruity. Apple pie, sour cherries, mango and ripe banana. Dry white wine, white pepper, cloves and almonds. Not sure it makes sense, but it smells somehow playful. Some very subtle Scotch notes with a hint of peat. Ginger beer, pear and popcorn.
On the palate the fruitiness continues. Yellow apples, melon, mango and passion fruit. A touch of peat-like smoke along with some nutty flavours. Its profile is reminiscent of a Highland Scotch whisky. Biscuits, toffee and some coconut. Marmalade, maple syrup and peach tea. The finish is medium with toasted biscuits and some orchard fruits.
This is a decent tipple! Pretty light, but although it was aged in a Bourbon cask, it has a lot of Scotch notes and I like that – just an easy going dram that still packs a bit of a kick. Nothing too complex, but not boring either – and if you pair it with the Feli y Los Malos music, it goes down even easier.
It’s priced at £55 for a 50cl bottle which, strictly speaking about the liquid, is a bit much – but given how much work went into this project with the music included, I’d say it makes up for it. If you want to support a small IB as well as some incredible music artists, then grab yourself a bottle and vibe to the tunes with a glass in your hand, you won’t regret it!
Rhythm and Booze Records #2 – Feli y Los Malos 4YO Single Barrel Trinidad Rum score:
Flavour/taste: 48/70
Value for money: 14/15
Transparency/purity: 13/15
Overall: 75/100
Cheers!