SeaWolf Scottish Rum

Boilermaker Drinks is a Scottish company, founded by the Edinburgh cocktail impresarios behind Bramble, Lucky Liquor Company & The Last Word along with one of the co-founders of Vino Wines.  Seeing the gin market saturated and with only one other Scottish rum on the market they took the bold choice of producing a Scottish white rum.

This is a tricky proposition, unlike a spiced rum a white rum has to be drinkable on its own terms, work in a range of cocktails and be relatively affordable.

Working with Ogilvy Spirits in Angus, the producers of a very drinkable potato vodka they've come up with SeaWolf. Taking its name from the Native American term for killer whales, pods of which are seen along Britain's coast they've produced a beautiful bottle which avoids the usual cliches of palm trees, white beaches and pirates (the beaches of Angus being a bit more likely to induce hypothermia).

Given the North of Scotland lacks the tropical climate that makes the ageing process so fast for Caribbean rums Boilermaker have produced an unaged 100% pot still rum.

Counteracting the lack of ageing a mixture of rum and champagne yeasts have been used in a 4 week, low temperature fermentation to produce a  flavoursome wash. Coupling that with a pot still makes a spirit that's rich and deep in flavour.

On the nose the rum has a funky, banana-y note with some light toffee.  The lack of ageing gives it a certain agricole/cachaca note that's subtle but interesting.

There's a creamy mouthfeel with a general fruitiness and a peppery spice, on the finish there's some burn coupled with a dry spiciness.  For an unaged rum this slips down very easily, the 41% ABV gives it a more substantial body than other white rums.

The test of a white rum is the daiquiri  , a simple cocktail that highlights the rum base.  For me my favoured recipe is a classic Difford's 10:3:2  on the rocks.  The SeaWolf has enough funk to stand up to the lime, leaving a spiciness that balances out with the sweetness to make a very, very drinkable cocktail.

At £29.99 for a 50cl bottle that's part of a limited run of 300 bottles it represents good value and an interesting first step in a planned portfolio of spirits that I look forward to sampling.