Back to entries from the 2025 Grand Tour we have our last representative from Scotland, that being a bottle of blended aged rum from the most experimental distillery in the region: Holyrood! As a huge fan of both rum and the experimental method they use for their whisky, I was excited to see that Holyrood have their own rum line; of course I had to grab a bottle!
Bottled at 42.5% ABV, this is the first blended aged rum I’m covering on this page, but it’s by no means the only one out there. Holyrood’s range of rum, entitled “Elizabeth Yard“, has a mix of both independent bottlings from other distilleries as well as single cask releases of their own product; all very premium I must say. Despite that, today’s topic could be called the black sheep of the group, as it is not just the only blended rum amongst their range, it is also easily the cheapest. So up against the higher priced and (in theory) higher quality product, how does our little blended rum hold up?
The smell is sweet, yet earthy; notes of freshly cut grass and clotted cream swirl, with small helpings of dandelion and all tied together with a personal favourite: salted candied almonds. The front is reminiscent of dunder pit style rum, with that familiar “nail polish” funk, complimented by unripe banana, guava and a helping of olive. The body sweetens the deal, leading us towards marzipan sprinkled with plum, but still has some darker earth tones, as tobacco and rapeseed ground the palate nicely. The finish is simple, but tasteful; finally tasting the toasted oak along with a puff of cigar smoke, but under the surface a sweet dessert of blackberry, cherry and dark treacle is waiting.
The dram coats the mouth nicely, but doesn’t burn or tingle; it instead leaves behind a texture and mouthfeel that creates quite the nice sensation. Dilution brings more fruitiness out of the nosing, with a hint of milk chocolate on the side. The palate as a whole has a cooler tone to it, with notable flavours of menthol and eucalyptus taking centre stage, though the original notes of chocolate and tobacco can still be found hiding under the surface in the finish.
If I was to name the best way to drink this, I’d have a bit of a hard time. Personally I think I like it best with a light ginger beer, but it also works nicely with cola or just on its own as a casual sipping rum. A great casual drink for all levels of rum drinkers I say.
Overall I find this to be a great blended rum that helps to bring the best out of each of the regional styles it includes. While neat, this rum is a nice, complex drink that’s easy to drink, but is still powerful enough that when paired with a mixer its most prominent notes still shine through. Whilst not a deep dram flavour-wise, making it somewhat unsuitable for critical drinking, it’s a fantastic dram for both intermediate to experienced drinkers to enjoy (though I could see some casuals loving this too)!
This post’s recommended song is: “Fisherman’s Blues (2006 Remastered Version)” – The Waterboys
