Salford Rum is a unique stop on this tour for me, and there’s a couple reasons why. Firstly, it’s the only distillery on the list that has nothing to do with whisky, and is instead a rum exclusive stop. Secondly it’s more so a tasting experience than a distillery tour, though it does have some light tour elements to it. But finally, and most importantly, they were the first distillery to recognise who I was before I told them! Massive props to Sophie, our tasting guide, for knowing who I was in advance! But enough about me, let’s talk about the experience.
The tasting was structured in such a way that between each sample we were given a bit of history that related to it, be it about the distillery itself, or about the overall spirit that is “rum”. As someone who’s reading a book all about rum, it’s culture and it’s history, this was great to see!
Starting off we were given a warmup cocktail, featuring Salford’s spiced rum, apple juice, ginger ale, bitters and more. It was really well balanced and refreshing! As we sipped we were given the backstory of how Salford rum was thought up by its owners, which is as funny as it is charming! We are then allowed to try the spiced rum. The smell is full of fruit and citrus, but also cinnamon and nutmeg. The palate is more delicate than the smell indicates, but has the same notes, just a little spicier!
After this we are given another, more intricate history lesson, about how rum came to be in it’s current form. About how the spice trade allowed Columbus to discover the Americas, to discover sugar cane, and to discover rum as a beverage, as well as how the locals at the time added molasses as flavouring to that rum.
This all leads towards the dark spiced rum, which is a navy flavoured rum, and tastes fantastic. The aroma is richer, full of caramel and winter fruits. The taste is also surprisingly gentle, with gooseberry, fermented cherry and playful cooking spice dancing on the tongue.
Once done with that sample, we are given our next cocktail, which imitates a colada style cocktail with its tropical fruits and coconut, but uses the next rum sample as it’s base: the honey rum. As we enjoy the cocktail we are told how they source their honey from a local aviary that uses tree pollen, leading to a lighter, sweeter flavour.
We then get to try the honey rum. Now I will say I’m a stickler for honey rum, as I believe the canary islands are the kings in this category. This rum smells exactly like true canary island rum, but the taste is far tamer. It’s sweet, smooth and delicious, but not as good as my favourite brand from the islands. It is, however, the closest rum I’ve found to that quality of taste outside the canaries, so well done!
Finally, we got to try their coffee rum. There was less of a backstory for this one as it seemed to simply be an experiment for a temporary exclusive rum that turned out so well it became a mainstay! It tastes simply divine. The smell and taste are that of a rich, creamy mocha, my favourite kind of coffee.
While we drank we got shown the still downstairs, which they called Willow. They showed how their quaint, but efficient system worked and how they used the spices in the still to create the flavour in the rum we were drinking. They also explained a little about their shipping process and how long it takes for them to make a batch order from receiving the order to shipping it out, which was nice to hear about! We also learnt here that we were one of the first groups to experience the lovely lounge we were drinking in that afternoon as it had only been finished that Friday! How cool is that?!
At last, we headed back up to the mezzanine to say our goodbyes, but not before we were given one last surprise taster of their newest release: Rum & Black. It smells like squash (or cordial for you fancy folk), but the taste is a lot richer than I expected, especially after the last few rums I just had. It’s juicy and sweet, but doesn’t hold back on the tartness. Not my cup of tea, but I can understand why it’s so popular!
Overall I’d really recommend Salford Rum, it has tasty spirits, a really charming tasting tour and is honestly looking to be a rising star in the industry, at the rate it’s expanding anyway! A quick thank you to Sophie, for both the great tour and for knowing who I was, James for his insight into his craft and helping to make us feel welcomed, whilst he was still working mind you! And also to Jackson, who was the one making our drinks all afternoon. Please give this plucky little distillery a visit!
This post’s recommended song is: “Harmony In My Head” – Buzzcocks
