Shorts Bay The Tidal Rum

The Tidal Rum comes from Shorts Bay, a UK producer, and sits in the flavoured rum category with an unusual, savoury leaning twist. Built on a molasses base and bottled pale, it makes little attempt to imitate a traditional aged Caribbean rum, instead going its own idiosyncratic way.

Bottled at 40%, it shows an offbeat profile of banana and chilli with a varnish like edge on the nose, a creamy palate carrying currant fruit and chilli heat, and a dry, black pepper finish. The light colour and spicy, vegetal character make it a divisive bottle, and it leans firmly toward the experimental end of the spectrum rather than the polished. This is a rum for the adventurous and the curious rather than the purist, one to approach with an open mind and perhaps better suited to an inventive cocktail than to neat sipping.