Copeland Smugglers Reserve Double Donaghadee Wood

Copeland's Smugglers Reserve Double Donaghadee Wood is a blended rum assembled from molasses-based pot and column still spirit drawn from multiple countries, then given extra wood time by the County Down distillery and bottled at 40%. The double wood treatment is the story here, aimed at adding depth to an accessible everyday rum.

The nose is restrained, with fruit, oak, spice and a touch of sweetness, and the palate opens with a mild burn before a wave of fruit, oak and spice that drifts toward a more bitter, earthy finish. Drinkers find it perfectly drinkable while noting an earthy quality that will not suit every palate. It sits in the honest middle ground of blended rum, neither sweet mixer nor polished sipper, and works best over ice or in a simple cocktail where its fruit and oak can lead and the earthier edge softens.