I was first introduced to Outlier Distilling Company at the 2022 RumFest and their rum was easily my highlight of the event. Rick and Ian, who set up their distillery in a small milk shed on the Isle of Man, were very enthusiastic to talk about their products and I could tell they were very passionate about making quality rum. I’ve previously reviewed their Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum and their Manchester Rum Festival limited edition, Punk Croc. I absolutely love their rums and their “outlier” approach and that’s why I’m proud to announce I’ll be working closely with them and will officially represent their brand in London and around starting now.
So don’t be shy and get in touch with me (alex@therumbarrel.co.uk) for any inquiries, samples, events or anything else regarding Outlier Distilling and their rum. Their signature drink, the Manx Daiquiri, is a must try, trust me!
This comes at a great time as, since December, they’ve expanded their portofolio with the launch of a spiced rum. But make no mistake, just as their company name suggests, Twisted Arm isn’t your sweet, vanilla and Christmas spices bomb – it’s something different, and I enjoy different.
It took Rick a year to persuade Ian that he actually might want to make a spiced rum, in order words, he twisted his arm, hence the name. The label was designed by local artist, Meg Hindley, and it comes in various colour schemes which I find quite cool.
Production wise it’s a little bit intricate, but Ian was kind enough to explain it all to me. He takes the first run off the still and macerates that with their core spices for one week before going for the second distillation. After this the resulting distillate is macerated again with the same set of spices for another week at 25 degrees Celsius. Ian also adds spiced Demerara and honey syrup which was flavoured, once again, with the spices used in the rum. The spices we are talking about are black cardamom, allspice, grains of paradise (which impart black pepper and hints of citrus), Alexander seeds (peppery with some bitterness), pink peppercorns and vanilla.
This contains an interesting amalgam of flavours and I’m curious to see how they pair up with Outlier’s full bodied distillate.
Twisted Arm is molasses based, pot still distilled and infused with natural spices. Bottled at 38% ABV with Demerara sugar & honey added with a total sugar content of 18 grams per litre.
On the nose it has a lovely botanical smell. Christmas tree, cardamom, lime peel and nutmeg. Black pepper, dill, some orchard fruits and a little bit of clove. Despite it being flavoured, the rum comes through nicely as well. Ginger, vine leaves, aloe vera and black olives.
On the palate it’s quite peppery. Black pepper, cardamom, floral honey and some smokiness. Nutmeg, fresh ginger and black olives. This is definitely not your usual spiced rum, but I don’t hate it. Dry dill, vine leaves, almonds, cloves and a dash of toffee. Almonds, liquorice and a little passion fruit.
As you can see, don’t expect this to be a standard spiced rum, it tastes more herbaceous and peppery, but still retains some warm spices. The balance is great, the rum still shines through and the infusion just compliments it. It doesn’t feel too sweet either, just enough to not let the spices to dry your palate out. Despite its unique flavour profile it still works great with classic mixers such as tonic or ginger ale.
Twisted Arm is not available with any UK distributors as of yet, but if you fancy one you can order directly through their website. And if you wish just to sample it, just slide into my DMs and we can make it happen.
As I’m obviously biased here, I will not score Twisted Arm Manx Spiced Rum, but if you know me, you’ll know I wouldn’t speak highly of something I don’t enjoy.
Cheers!