PR Spiced Rum Essence 20 ml

PR Spiced Rum Essence 20 ml

Spiced rum is the story of an old sailors’ trick: letting vanilla, cinnamon and other spices from the cargo round off the rum and make it kinder to the palate. Today the style is one of the best loved in the world, and the reason is simple – it is sweet, warm and instantly understandable. You do not have to be a rum connoisseur to enjoy it.

Spiced Rum gives you that whole spice cupboard in a glass. Vanilla plays the lead, generously and without a trace of shyness, with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg as a warm chorus behind it. Mix it with cola and you will see at once why the pairing has become a modern classic: the cola’s own spices and the rum’s vanilla might have been made for each other.

Colour & Appearance

In the glass the rum turns golden to pale amber, like runny honey or melted toffee. The colour signals warmth and sweetness before the first sip, and it looks handsome both in a tumbler over ice and against the dark bubbles of cola in a long drink.

Nose

The nose is dominated by vanilla pod and vanilla custard, closely followed by butter toffee and soft brown sugar. Cinnamon and clove add a note of fresh baking, grated nutmeg brings a peppery warmth, and a streak of dried orange peel brightens the whole.

Palate

The palate is sweet, round and velvety. Vanilla and toffee fill the mouth from the very first second, and the spices enter in an unhurried procession: first the soft warmth of cinnamon, then the depth of clove and the gentle heat of nutmeg. Orange peel contributes a fruity bitterness that stops the sweetness from growing heavy, and at the bottom there is a note of golden syrup and a little allspice. This is a rum without sharp edges – as easy to sip as it is to mix. Poured over a single large ice cube it grows softer still, while a squeeze of lime sharpens the spices nicely.

Finish

The finish is long and warm. Vanilla lingers the longest, in the company of cinnamon and a sweetness like toffee sauce.

How to Use

The essence is mixed with vodka or neutral spirit and can be enjoyed straight away. 20 ml makes 750 ml of finished spiced rum. Instructions are on the label.

Serving Suggestions

• With cola, ice and a wedge of lime – the obvious favourite.
• With ginger ale or ginger beer and lime.
• With apple juice – cold in summer, warm with a cinnamon stick in autumn.
• Neat over one large ice cube to round off the evening.
• A splash in hot chocolate, coffee or the custard for the apple pie.

About the Essence

Spiced Rum is part of the PR (Prestige) range and an obvious choice if you prefer sweet, mellow flavours to austere ones. It is rewarding in the kitchen too, where the vanilla and spices do splendidly in cakes and desserts.

The essence comes in 20 ml, 280 ml, 1000 ml and 25 litres. If you are after a darker, more full-bodied rum, Hanson Rum is a good next step.