Bristol Spirits LTD is a UK-based brand that aims to source a large majority of their rum from single barrels. Sourced in such small quantities, you are truly drinking history when you drink these rums. The company aims to bottle at strengths between 43% and 47%. John Barret, the managing director of Bristol Spirits LTD, believes this strength of alcohol is the goldilocks area; it is the optimum strength to taste the delicate flavors and enjoy the fine spirits without damaging the tasting experience. John Barret is a supporter of rums in their most natural state, and you can spot this with the rums in the Bristol Spirits collection when we come to them.
Official website: bristolclassicrum.com
The company draws inspiration from many countries as it has excellent relationships with suppliers worldwide due to their longevity in the business. The business imports many of their rums and finishes maturing the rum in one of their barrels; the company picks between an oak, Port, Maderia, ex-Bourbon white oak, and new French oak, depending on what they bring finish they want to give the rum. It is then bottled by labeling every rum a different color. You can easily find your favorite bottle of rum from Bristol Spirits.
One of the brands that stand out rums in the collection is from Trinidad and Tobago; aged for 23 years and matured in the UK, the rum is full of flavor and class.
The aroma of the full golden-colored rum leads to a classic Caroni nose with a touch of diesel and a restrained wood influence, coming from the oak barrel it is matured in. The palate is provided with intense fruit flavors and deep and long flavors of charred oak, caramel, bourbon, and tar. It brings everything together for an integrated finish on the palate. It is best enjoyed with a splash of water or by itself with some ice, as you do not want the flavors to be lost by dilution from a mixer.
Rum can be a great talking point when you have friends over; this rum is sure to have your friends and family talking. The Bristol Classic 1988 Finest Demerara is aged 30 years in the UK. The rum is aged in two separate casks, the first being a Bourbon cask (Refill American Oak) for twenty years, and then it is finished off in a Sherry-infused Butt cask (Oloroso Sherrywood) for a further ten years. The second maturation in the sherry cask gives the rum its beautiful purple color, possibly reflected by the purple label the company decided to give it. The aroma of the rum presents you with fruits and burnt sugar, with wood tones coming through at the end. The taste of spice comes through to the palate, as well as some lingering flavors from the sherry cask. Making it a truly unique rum tasting experience.
The Bristol classic 1990 Demerara is another rum that is entirely unique to the rum collection. Coming from the Port Morant Distillery, the bottle comes with a Beautiful red label, showcasing the rum being aged for twenty-five years. This one comes in at 46% strength and goes through two different maturations, the first maturation is done in a refill American Oak cask, and the second is done in a port cask that gives the rum a distinct red tint. When you open the bottle, you are hit with the smell of aniseed fruit, with some hints of oak coming through behind. The taste? Dried fruits come through vigorously with subtle hints of leather and anise that provides the rum with a deep and classic finish to enjoy with friends!
Bristol Classic rums have a promising future if they keep up with tradition. The Nicaragua 18-year-old brings simplicity and class to the table, ideal to be enjoyed over ice in warm weather. The rum is matured in an American Oak barrel that helps provide the rum with the classic taste previously mentioned and with its beautiful golden color. However, the aroma of the rum is anything but classic; you are presented with candy and violets when the bottle is opened, and the palate is presented similarly. However, the rum finishes with some aftertastes of wood that help bring all the flavors together.
We left one of the company's more popular rums to last; the black spiced rum is incredibly complex, bringing together an excellent combination of spices and flavors that lovers of rum are sure to enjoy. The dark rum brings robust flavors of Christmas pudding or Christmas cake; although it does not leave you feeling sickly, licorice comes through after this and is finished off with a pleasant orange peel flavor at the end. It is recommended that you drink this rum neat as the drink's profile is not to be ignored. However, it goes great with some coke as well!
