Hannah Boon, a former sales manager for Diageo GB, launched Distinct Distillers in order to make a product that would challenge the norms (hence the name) while keeping it as sustainable as possible. I’ve first experienced the Distinct rums just ahead of my British Rum Expo event last year when Annie, their Head of On Trade, visited Trailer with samples in order to ask for feedback while their product was in its early experimental phase. Both Hannah and Annie joined the British Rum Expo last year, which was an opportunity for them to observe what other British rum distillers were doing. You could say I’ve been following the evolution of their rum quite closely.
Distinct Distillers is based on a former 36 acre WW2 fuel depot in Telford, Shropshire. This depot sits on top of many empty underground aviation fuel tanks that, according to them, could be temperature controlled storage for all of their casks – with a potential of up to 30.000 in total.
As I said, Distinct Distillers are committed to sustainability and their equipment allows them to make rum using up to 75% less energy than more traditional methods. They also work with various other businesses in order to repurpose their waste. For example they send their used ferment to family owned farms to be used as fertiliser and their excess water and alcohol is being used in screen-wash.
Their No.41 and No.57 expressions (named after their respective ABVs) are both unaged, but with a few differences. The fermentation for both is the same, but distillation-wise they differentiate by the cuts made as they come off their hybrid still. Also the No.41 is triple filtered using a mechanical filtering process which removes any larger impurities but without stripping the spirit of flavour and it has under 20 grams of sugar per litre added, while the No.57 is pretty much left alone – no filtering or sugar. Both rums are rested for up to 3 months in steel vats before bottling.
Distinct British Rum No.41
This is molasses based, fermented between 36 and 72 hours, batch distilled and rested for up to 3 months in steel vats. Bottled at 41% ABV after being mechanically filtered and with less than 20 grams of sugar per litre added.
On the nose it has quite an aromatic smell. Feijoa fruit, guava, pistachios and almonds. Glass cleaner, bananas and blueberries. It’s like an amalgam of tropical fruits and industrial chemicals and it’s not bad at all. Biscuits, sage and cardamom. Some fresh printer ink, white cardboard and coconut as well.
On the palate the added sugar is quite obvious. Feijoa, guava, almonds and pistachios again. Jackfruit, candied bananas and some lime leaf. It’s still aromatic and tropical, but on the sweet side. Iron, coconut syrup, prickly pear and a touch of oregano. The finish is short with tropical fruits and sugary taste.
I like the flavour profile, it’s not something I taste every day in rum, although the sugar is unfortunately off-putting. From what I can understand, this is meant to be a more approachable, mass market type of rum, which is absolutely fine – I just think it’s a shame, as it takes away from some of the notes that are really enjoyable.
Distinct British Rum No.57
This is molasses based, fermented between 36 and 72 hours, batch distilled and rested for up to 3 months in steel vats. Bottled at 57% ABV without any filtration or additives.
On the nose it’s quite similar to No.41, but more dry. Feijoa, white pepper, guava and banana. Pistachios, pears and some oregano. The flavour profile seems a bit more “mature” to say so. White cardboard, biscuits, coconut cream and iron. Blueberries, cardamom and black tea.
On the palate it’s dry and complex. Guava juice, rich honey, cardamom and nutmeg. Pistachios, almonds, feijoa and ripe bananas. It’s quite layered and interesting. Blueberries, biscuits and Earl Grey tea. Some liquorice, black pepper, pear and a touch of cinnamon. The finish is medium to long with black tea and tropical fruits.
This is what I mean, this is what I wanted. All the flavours and complexity, no additives or anything to drown it. Makes a great Daiquiri and it’s pretty enjoyable by itself, with tropical, aromatic and tea notes. And I’m proud to say, when we first tasted the samples at Trailer, we emphasised on the fact that it really doesn’t need sugar – glad to see our advice was taken into consideration!
One standard ABV white rum with sugar added and one Navy Strength unadulterated rum. The profiles are quite similar, but one is more approachable for your average drinker and the other would be more for people like… me. I guess the beauty is in the choice. They also have a spiced rum and they are currently working on ageing stock (for which they also experimented with dunder). I’m looking forward to see what Distinct Distillers are doing next as there is quite the potential here.
Distinct No.41 and No.57 can be purchased from their website for £40, respectively, £45. Happy to pay the price for the No.57 given its flavour and ABV, but for the No.41 I would be a little reluctant.
Distinct British Rum No.41 score:
Flavour/taste: 43/70
Value for money: 12/15
Transparency/purity: 13/15
Overall: 68/100
Distinct British Rum No.57 score:
Flavour/taste: 53/70
Value for money: 15/15
Transparency/purity: 15/15
Overall: 83/100
Cheers!