We wanted to kind of rescue rum and make a genuine, authentic spiced rum. So we get our spirit and we get those botanicals and infuse and macerate the liquid with those botanicals – we are calling it botanical rum because that’s what it is.” So far, this is reminding me very much of Dark Matter Spiced Rum. Which like Five Hundred Cuts uses only fresh spices – no artificial essences etc. More than can be said for a lot of Spiced Rums on the market. Part of the rum is then infused with Tonka Beans,Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and spices. The remainder is then Pot Distilled again with a mixture of fresh orange peel, Schezuan peppercorn, green cardamom and cloves. The line-up includes original Brewdog Seven Day Vodka and three flavoured expressions: Seven Day Vodka Passionfruit and Vanilla, Seven Day Vodka Rhubarb and Lemon, and Seven Day Vodka Raspberry and Lime.

We wanted to take the tropical expectations of rum in a slightly different direction and so we looked at what flavours would work with the rum we have,” Kersley said. “We immediately had a clear tropical direction, and pineapple and mango are lead flavours in that segment. Now the brewer and distiller is growing its spirits portfolio with the launch of Gunpowder Gin, a punchy 57% ABV bottling recommended for sipping straight, or for mixing in a Martini or Negroni. The Five Hundred Cuts Botanical rum is “distilled in the world’s first triple-bubble still, after a five-day fermentation it is then double-pot distilled to create a white rum rich in flavour of tropical fruit and dark berries.” But because all the equipment we use to make spirits are intricately linked, as demand for gin and vodka increases, we can’t make as much whisky as demand for the equipment is taken up by white spirits.”

Winner of 2 spirit awards

Nosed it isn’t overly sweet and doesn’t smell of fake vanilla. The sweetness imparted by the Tonka Beans (similar profile to vanilla) isn’t overpowering. I’m getting a lot of ginger, orange peel and spicy szchezuan. Very much like Dark Matter this is going to be a real marmite kind of experience. The new distillery was built because the original location was “not fit for expansion”, Steven Kersley, head of distillation at Brewdog Distilling, explained.

So lets see what the Five Hundred Cuts Botanical Rum is all about. As with all good (and bad) Spiced/Flavoured/Botanical rums we have a story behind this particular brand. According to Gates, Five Hundred Cuts Botanical Rum forms an “interesting bridge between gin” that could encourage drinkers to sample the new spirit. The move included a redesign of its 500 Cuts botanical rum and Lonewolf Gin ranges, bringing both brands under a more “Brewdog-led identity”, according to Steven Kersley, the company’s head of distillation.BrewDog Distilling Co’s latest release is made using sugar cane molasses that has been fermented using red wine yeast. The spirit is double-distilled using the brand’s copper pot stills and is infused with whole botanicals to produce a rum that tastes like “like Christmas cake in a glass”. It’s not at all bad, though I must say it does taste like it would benefit from just a bit of sugar to maybe brighten some of the spices up a little. Some seem a little washed out. Almost as if there is too much going on at times. Some of the other spices used were: Clove, Lavender, Cardamom, Mace, and All Spice. All are illustrated on the label.