But enough about that, now it is time to talk about rum. Especially the international bar scene is increasingly demanding new toys, and everywhere infusion is being done more and more creatively with new and sophisticated techniques ranging from sous vide and pressure infusion of the finished spirit to advanced processes directly during distillation or cask aging. All this brings us back to Holland, more precisely Amsterdam, and a relatively young distillery that calls itself Spirited Union.
Spirited Union has a core belief that the rum market has for far too long been dominated by large global brands with an overly one-sided focus on production costs. This means that craftsmanship and thoroughness are reduced, and many natural ingredients are replaced with artificial flavorings. The mission must therefore be to bring quality back into rum by selecting unique rum types and adding natural botanical ingredients of high quality from sustainable, responsible sources. Overall, their passion for sustainability seems to be carried out down to the smallest detail without affecting the price level of their products. And hats off to that.
Spirited Union purchases rum from the best sources around the world for further processing, but they also have 17 pot stills of varying sizes in their own distillery. Here, they also run workshops for ordinary mortals like us, where in about two hours you get a thorough introduction to micro-distilling and a deep dive into the fascinating world of rum and natural infusions. As the icing on the cake, you are allowed, under expert guidance, to make your very own bottle of rum with your favorite ingredients to keep forever. Amsterdam has gained yet another charming tourist attraction.
Here I have had the chance to taste four different bottles: three types from their so-called Reserve XO Rum Collection, which gained their unique flavor during the final stage of a double cask aging, and a rum liqueur flavored with flowers from a honeybush and enriched with genuine, carefully selected honey:
XO Jamaica – 42.7%
This rum began its 15-year-old life at Lluidas Vale in Jamaica, also known as Worthy Park, which has over 300 years of history producing sustainable and excellent rum. It is made from a mix of juice and molasses through a traditional pot still and then tropically aged in ex-bourbon casks. After arriving in Amsterdam, it was finished for 6 months in yet another bourbon cask, infused with a tincture made from banana peel. I have always thought rum and banana make a great mix, but let us see what it can do. Visually it is beautifully and deeply golden like light amber, and the aroma is delightfully vibrant with plenty of tropical fruit, dominated by banana with a hint of fertile earth and tropical spices. The taste is at first bold, yet soft and mild, rich in natural molasses sweetness and with layers of tropical fruit and fine spices such as pepper and cinnamon. The aftertaste is strong and robust with long notes of banana and earth, giving you a warm and spicy finish.
XO Colombia – 40.5%
Here we have a rum from Valle del Cauca, a region in western Colombia known for high-quality sugarcane and many local distilleries producing excellent rum. Our base rum here is column-distilled from a good mix of juice and molasses with up to 3 years of local tropical aging in ex-bourbon casks. In Amsterdam, it then received an additional finish in another ex-bourbon cask that had been delicately infused with coffee. It also appears beautifully golden, similar to the previous one, and it smells sophisticated with coffee and caramel, underpinned by toasted oak and ripe berries. The taste is well-rounded, lightly spiced, with notes of dark chocolate and some dried fruits. The finish is warm and long-lasting with notes of both coffee and oak.
XO Panama – 41.3%
This base comes from Bodegas de America Distillery in Pesé Herrera, Panama. They produce column-distilled blended rum from juice and molasses for several partners worldwide, and this particular rum was carefully selected by Spirited Union for this project. It was tropically aged in ex-bourbon casks for 2–8 years and later finished in Amsterdam for 6 months in another ex-bourbon cask, delicately treated with real vanilla. The color is just as appealing as the two previous ones, leaving nothing to complain about. The aroma is rich in vanilla and toasted oak, again with good tropical fruit. The taste is lightly spiced with notes of toffee and dried fruit. A long and pleasant finish, filled with good vanilla and oak, concludes the party beautifully.
Honey Rum Liqueur – 30%
The story of this little rum liqueur begins in the Dominican Republic, where Spirited Union found a fine blend of column-distilled fermented sugarcane juice that was then cask-aged locally. Afterwards, in Amsterdam, it was enhanced with flowers from honeybushes and carefully selected real honey from a local supplier. Visually, it is golden with a rich viscosity, and the aroma is intense with sugarcane and honey. The taste is, as expected, on the sweeter side with notes of honey flower, rooibos, and sweet orange, with a pleasant spicy touch of rosemary. The finish is long and soft with juicy flavors of honey and sweet orange. I must admit I did not finish my entire sample when tasting it, but instead used a generous splash for my rum ball recipe, which you can probably find elsewhere here on Whisky.dk.
If I am to conclude this experience, I must say that Spirited Union is onto something good. They stay true to their mission of making rum honest, genuine, and sustainable, and I am sure they will find their place on rum shelves everywhere, especially in the bar scene. Their products are good and authentic, the price level is certainly reasonable, and even though I, as an old rum barrel, am somewhat conservative with a taste leaning more towards classic cask strength rum, I will definitely keep an eye on Spirited Union in the future.
