Stand back gin liqueurs, there’s a new kid in town. The rum liqueur.

Over the last 12 months or so, we’ve seen a massive growth in rums, and in spiced rums in particular. For some they offer a sweeter, softer and a little bit more accessible option to a full strength barrel aged rum. And now Manchester has Witch Kings Rum Liqueurs to add a little twist to the end of the year. After all, what better to come out of an enforced lockdown than creativity and, well, something a little boozy?

The liqueurs are made using a rum from Ninefold Distillery in Scotland. The rum is then steeped with fruit, creating three distinct flavours. Bohemian Dreams (blueberry, pineapple, and mint), Fires Of The Wild (strawberry, chilli, and lemon), and the one I received to review, Sunset Solstice (peach, ginger, and lime). Each bottle is 500ml, and costs £25 from their online shop.

They all come in at 20% abv – these are a liqueur, not a straight rum, but what’s evidence from the first glance is that these are loaded with fruit. We’re definitely not talking additives and flavourings, we’re talking pure fruit. As you pour, the texture gives that way.

You get more of that on the nose and on the palate. The spike of hot ginger, the tartness of lime, the sweetness of the peach. Neat this is quite intense and sharp and sweet. It’s perfect for mixing. Add it to fizz, or as the chaps from Witch Kings would suggest, tonic.

Yes, rum and tonic. It’s been suggested to me in the past, and I’ve not particularly been a fan, but in this case, I’d totally agree. The tonic adds a little bitterness for balance, and softens the intensity of the flavours. The ginger gets toned down, the dilution lets the peach step forward a little. For all that, you still get the rum punching through. There’s nothing shy about the flavour profile, and nor should there be.

Overall, yep, I’m convinced. I genuinely love the stuff. So much so, the first bottle is looking a little empty. And yes I said first. Because this won’t be the last. After all, I’ve two more flavours to try!

Written by Charlie H-S of Gin Fuelled Bluestocking. Click HERE for original article!