I’m one of those people with a very short attention span who easily becomes bored or disinterested.  Fortunately I’m also one of those people blessed with no fear when it comes to trying new things.  If I go the bar for a drink and it’s well stocked with rum you would never guess what I might come back with.  If the bar isn’t well stocked with rum the guessing game becomes even more difficult.  I love rum but I have plenty of it at home.  I don’t always have to drink rum.

I don’t always have to drink the same type of rum either.  Rhum Agricole and Cachaca aside I have found enjoyment in most styles of rum over the past few years.  I have learnt that one Cuban rum is not the same as all Cuban offerings.  I have also learned not to dismiss rum on the basis of having a bad rum by the same distiller/producer.

So here I am just a few days before Christmas with a delivery from Sippin UK of their very seasonal Mulled Rum.  The Sippin tagline is Caribbean Rum with London Flavour.  I sincerely hope that flavour isn’t jellied eels……..

Sippin are newcomers to the scene and their “Head Sipper” Damian’s father hails originally from Trinidad and Tobago.  The rum used in the blend is aged 3,5 and 8-year-old Trini rum.  With Angostura being the only distillery on the island I am immediately thinking of the very smooth Angostura 1919 which is aged 8 years.

Sippin is housed in a very sleek and contemporary rectangular bottle.  It is modern and the branding is clear and uncluttered.  It also has a very good cork stopper which makes a fantastic pop!  Sippin must take particular credit in being honest about what the rum contains.  Very few producers would confess to adding caramel to make the rum more easy-going.  The rum is bottled at 37.5% (decent strength for a flavoured/spiced rum) and the bottle is 70cl.  The rum has not yet officially been released so I am unsure what the final retail price will be.  As far as presentation goes Sippin have definitely got something which will appeal to the consumer either behind a bar on in a shop.

Unlike most spiced rum’s Sippin does exactly what it says on the tin.  It’s designed for Sippin.  Along with this Mulled expression Sippin also have a Ginger, Honey and Lime rum in the pipeline for release early next year.  Sippin are hoping to appeal to both sippers and more casual spiced mixing folk.  All in all Spiced rum get’s a pretty bad reputation due its links (especially in the US) with college boy drunkenness and all that entails!  In the UK Morgan’s Spiced and Sailor Jerry dominate the Spiced market.  Sippin seem to be going for both sides of the rum market.  A bold move.

I am advised to sip this rum and/or add some ice cubes or (especially in this weather up north!) a little hot water.  The .  aroma of Sippin Mulled is very sweet cinnamon and ginger dominate the nose.  It is strong but it isn’t like liquors such as After Shock and Fireball.  It doesn’t tingle the nostrils at all.

When sipped the rum shows more evidence of being like a liquor.  Whilst I have criticised rum’s in the past (Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva) for going down this route I won’t do the same with Sippin Mulled.  The producers of Sippin are very open and honest about what their rum is.  The rum is smooth and viscous.  It coats the tongue and throat leaving a long finish which is full of cinnamon but also exhibits the slightly bitterness of the orange peel and spiciness of the Nutmeg.  It’s like cinnamon marmalade!

The rum is very easy to sip neat.  It has a very sweet profile.  Ginger and Cinnamon take centre stage but you do also get a little spicy kick from the nutmeg which is very warming along with the cinnamon.  Whilst Sippin recommend water I would suggest some hot lemonade would make a very nice hot toddy.   I would suggest being a Northerner I know more about keeping warm than these Southern Softies!

Whilst I think the mulled flavours in the rum and the seasonal tie in with Christmas means this rum should be marketed as a sipper.  It’s like a lovely warm cuddle!  I feel that the Ginger, Honey and Lime might well work very well as a summer mixer with lemonade.  I say this because my wife has tried a lot of flavoured vodka.  We have tried Absolut varieties which have similar flavours.  I think perhaps a cheaper rum base could perhaps be used to market a more standard spiced mixer.

I have enjoyed the time spent with Sippin and I will certainly be offering a few glasses around at Christmas.  (I will try my hot toddy idea!)  This isn’t a fantastically complex, hugely aged authentic sipping rum.  However, what it is, is a very good base rum which has been nicely (and authentically) flavoured.  As daft as it sounds it tastes like how I expected a Mulled Rum to taste.  Rich, warming and spicy.

I’m not sure how to categorise this rum Flavoured or Spiced? Does it matter?  I suppose not.  I would say that this rum would be an excellent purchase for an adventurous rum lover next Christmas (or this Christmas if you can get a bottle).  There is a lot to be credited using rum’s as old as 8 years in a Spiced Rum!

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Final scoring