DropWorks Clear Drop Rum. Over the past 10 years the number of distilleries in the UK has grown rapidly. Whilst a lot of these have been riding the Gin craze and creating Vodka and (Spiced) Rum as a side project, a number are increasingly focusing more on rum.

One such distillery is the DropWorks Distillery based in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England. Which also claims to be the largest distillery in Europe. Capable of producing 2 million bottles of rum per year and up to 10 barrels per day.

Today I am reviewing DropWorks Clear Drop Rum which is their unaged and un-adulterated White Premium Rum. You can pick up a 70cl bottle of this rum direst from DropWorks Distillery for £39.50. The rum has been bottled at 45% ABV. The rum is distilled on DropWorks bespoke Double Retort Still.

The owner of DropWorks distillery is Lewis Hayes who has been in the hospitality business for over 20 years. Lewis owns and operates two of the more popular Rum focused bars in London – The Black Parrot and Merchant House. The Head Distiler at DropWorks is Shaun Smith who has worked at and launched several distilleries here in the UK. As well as producing rum the distillery also runs distillery tours for visitors.

DropWorks use 3 different wild yeast strains that they have developed to produced their rum. The rum is produced from imported Caribbean molasses. Some sourced note that they import “Cane Honey”. I’m not getting involved in that kind of nonsense.

Presentation wise DropWorks Clear Drop Rum is very distinictive and very modern. It reminds me a little of sweet or bubblegum wrappers. I can imagine it may appeal the younger segment of the market. Though at £40 a bottle I doubt many underage drinkers will be replacing their Lambrusco and Kopparberg and cheap Supermarket Vodka with this…….

I like the 3/4 style rounded stubby bottle and the synthetic cork with a wooden stopper is nice and sturdy.

Further information can be found on the DropWorks Distillery website and there are also a couple of reviews of other rums from the DropWorks cannon over the The Rum Barrel site.

So without further ado we may as well get on with the fun part.

DropWorks Clear Drop Rum is as expected completely “crystal clear” (as their marketing attests to). Which is to be expected of an unaged rum.

Whilst DropWorks allude to their rum being “different” upon nosing the rum I am experiencing quite a lot of familiarity.

Over the past few years I have tried quite a few unaged white rums from the UK. Particularly from Scotland. Whilst there are noticeable difference between these rums there are familiar traits and similarities in their profiles.

I would say much like Rhum Agricole from Martinique or Kentucky Bourbon – whilst each distillery/expression is different there is a lot of common ground solely from the base materials used in distillation.

So upon nosing DropWorks Clear Drop Rum I am immediately getting familiar notes of caramel and treacle from the molasses which impart sweetness alongside a very slightly vegetal note. Which isn’t a bad thing as I definitely prefer these types of white rums.

For so long white rums such as Bacardi have dominated the scene and created a view for many that white rum is at times almost interchangeable with vodka. In fact many people think Bacardi is well Bacardi. They don’t even know it is rum! You’d definitely notice the difference if you swapped this out in a vodka cocktail!

Further nosing reveals a hint of black pepper and some citrus. A touch of freshly mowed grass. I wouldn’t say it is particularly funky but it is leaning that way with hints of Pineapple and Passion Fruit.

Sipped at 45% and unaged it is quite punchy. It is however more refined than you might expect. It’s relatively smooth without feeling in any bland or “thin”.

As you sip you will notice that the mid palate becomes a little bitter and slightly metallic. Theres a little hint of menthol as well which carries down into the finish.

Finish wise DropWorks Clear Drop Rum is a little short it certainly pulls up a little quicker than I was expecting. That said its not at all bad.

It’s probably not quite “out there” enough to really recommend as a sipping experience. It’s certainly flavourful but it doesn’t grab you the way an unaged Clairin or Jamaican Overproof can.

It is in more Premium cocktails and Mixed Drinks that DropWorks Clear Drop Rum is to be used. For such drinks it gives the drinks just enough punch and oomph to feel “rummy” without potentially alienating those note accustomed to the extremities of the Rum Scene.

It works really nice in my standard rum and cola. Standing up enough to deliver something way more satisfying than most generic white rums can. We are well away from the Spanish Style White rum produced by the likes of Bacardi.

DropWorks do have more funkier offerings in their portfolio. So it will be interesting to try them. The distillery has a clear vision and a good background in rum. They seem to have their finger on the pulse in terms of what is “trending” for those who have really got involved in rum over the past 10 or so years. Which is nice to see.

This is a really solid start for me trying their rums.