Rum & Co Ratu Spiced

Ratu is Fiji Rum and Co's accessible brand, and this spiced expression takes a five year old ex bourbon aged base and dresses it in sweet, citrus forward flavouring at 40%. The profile is dominated by orange and orange peel, with marmalade and baking spices filling out a markedly sweet palate, an unmistakably dessert leaning, newcomer friendly style.

Honest framing matters: this is a sweet spiced rum that bears little resemblance to dry island rum, and it shows best as a mixer with cola or in simple long drinks rather than studied neat. The Fijian funk that defines the distillery's serious bottlings is absent here, traded for approachable sweetness and orange spice. For those who enjoy sweet, citrus led spiced rums it is a pleasant, undemanding choice, but drinkers seeking depth or classic rum character should look elsewhere in the range.