A guide to Spiced Rum vs Botanical Rum
Every bottle tells a story. From the tropical island origins of traditional spiced rum to the innovative flavours of new botanical blends, there’s a rum for everyone.
Let’s talk about what sets spiced rum apart from botanical rum and what makes each style unique.
The Basics: What Is Rum?
Rum is a distilled spirit made from sugarcane byproducts such as molasses. It undergoes different styles of fermentation, distillation, and aging, which define the unique flavour profile. The craft of rum-making has evolved, now expanding into a variety of expressions. Gone are the days where the only household names were Captain Morgan and Bacardi…
Spiced Rum: A Warm, Flavourful Classic
Spiced rum blends traditional dark rum with spices and natural flavors, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and clove. These defining notes of rum are perfect for crafting cozy cocktails or sipping on its own. Spiced rum in the UK has seen a surge in popularity, appealing to those who enjoy a robust and aromatic drinking experience.
Key Characteristics of Spiced Rum:
Amber or dark golden in color.
Infused with warming spices.
Paired in certain rum cocktails such as rum punch or with cola.
Botanical Rum: A fusion of tradition and Innovation
Timber Botanical Rum with select Scottish botanicals: raspberries, oak bark, honey and kaffir lime leaves.
Botanical rum is a more modern take on the classic spirit. Infused with natural botanicals like herbs, fruits, and flowers, offering a more versatile and complex flavor. Scottish rum distillers have been at the forefront of this trend, crafting small-batch rum that combines traditional techniques with a fresh twist of quality, locally sourced botanical ingredients.
Some botanical rum expressions are often described as a fusion of rum and gin, due to a similar distilling process and the infusion of botanicals in both. Unlike traditional spiced rum, which involves adding spices to a base rum and letting it mature, botanical rum is often redistilled in a still once the botanical ingredients are added - similar to Gin. This process creates a cleaner, smoother, and fresher product.
Key Characteristics of Botanical Rum:
Light and aromatic, with some herbal, fruity or spicy notes.
Versatile as a rum mixer or enjoyed neat.
Perfect for fans of unusual rum or premium rum brands.
Often produced in limited edition small batches, maximizing quality.
Choose the Right Rum for You
Choosing between spiced and botanical rum depends on your taste preferences and intended use. Many botanical rums also feature similar spiced notes but are usually lighter in color and feature other ingredients that add in sweet, fruity or earthy notes, whereas spiced rum focuses purely on the spiced notes.
Unlike traditional spiced rum, which involves adding spices to a base rum and letting it mature, Timber Botanical Rum is redistilled in a still - similar to Gin. This process creates a cleaner, smoother, and fresher product. We add botanicals to the base rum, redistill it, and let it rest in storage. The spirit is cut from 77% to 40% using fresh Deeside water and filtered before bottling. This is how Timber Botanical Rum is crafted.
Botanical rum offers a unique flavor profile that pairs beautifully with tonic, soda, mixers and in a variety of cocktails. Just check our serves page for inspiration!
Redefining Rum: Timber Botanical Rum
For those seeking quality rum with a local twist, Timber Botanical Rum is redefining what rum can be. Each bottle embodies the craftsmanship and innovation of our small-batch production in Deeside Scotland, in partnership with Lost Loch Spirits, delivering a unique taste in every sip.
Our spirit is truly carved by Scottish nature as we infuse our rum with locally sourced Scottish botanicals such as Honey, Raspberries and Oak Bark, as well as other ingredients that we keep a secret! We add locally sourced Scottish botanicals to the base Caribbean rum, redistill it, and let it rest in storage. The spirit is cut from 77% to 40% using fresh Deeside water and filtered before bottling. This is how Timber Botanical Rum is crafted.
Discover Timber Botanical Rum, a premium Scottish rum that combines tradition with innovation. Visit Timber Rum to explore more, buy our rum online, and experience the defining notes of rum like never before.