Revolver Rum is a relatively new brand produced by Rathlee Distilling Company (established in 2012) who are based in Cornwall, UK. Two rum lovers have come together to produce this rum, one is from Cornwall and the other from Bogota, Colombia. I would recommend a visit to their website here for some information on the brand, company and limited number of stockists which have this rum for sale.
The name Revolver is based on the Spanish verb meaning ‘to stir’ which has two main connotations. The first is that Revolver is all about mixing together and enjoying great cocktails. It also represents the mixing of the two cultures of Colombia and Cornwall, in two different countries but with one passion.
The recipe of Revolver was perfected in a pot still in the UK by the owners of Rathlee using a variety of different raw materials including a type of sugar, called panela, from Colombia. They went through a number of different recipes before deciding on the formula that has been used. This was then handed to some expert rum producers in Central America.Although being tested and created in a copper pot still, Revolver is distilled in a triple column still for its wider production. This method helps to separate the stages of distillation thereby making them more efficient. More information can be found on my earlier article on distillation which can be found here.
Revolver is aged for up to 18 months at source before being moved to the UK and is stored in white oak barrels and left to mature for another six months (possibly more). They also add some pure Cornish water to the rum to help bring down the ABV to 40% and add the touch of Cornwall to the spirit. The aging here in the climate of the UK will bring a different and unique flavour to the young rum as opposed to the warm and humid climate found in Central America.
The kind team at Rathlee Distilling sent me a bottle to review. The design of the bottle is similar to the Don Papa and Pussers 15 year style which is a heavy glass bottom with rounded shoulders and a long neck. There is a wooden cork top to the bottle which suits its design well. The label front displays the brand name and the term ‘Cask Aged Golden Rum’ alongside a few smaller details. The back label has a nice blurb which also has a few words highlighted within. These words together make up the phrase ‘Evolve beyond expectation with Revolver Rum.’
The rum is a very light yellow/golden colour. This indicates there has been no caramel added which is usually used to create the illusion of an older rum and adds a level of sweetness. On my first sniff I don’t get as much ethanol as I would have expected for a rum of this age. It is there without a doubt, but some of the other notes including oak help to tame it. I also smell a few spice notes of mainly clove and hints of cinnamon. The rum finally smells grassy and fresh which is consistent with a rum that is as young as this.
On my first sip I am met with a soft entry and then a rush of spices. These leave a small tingle on the lips. The spicy notes from the nose are evident with the addition of pepper. Following this initial spice, the oak from the barrels comes through. The rum seems very light and glides over the tongue without too much remaining in the mouth to the finish. The ethanol taste is present as expected from the nose and the age of this rum, but it isn’t overpowering.
The finish is strong and peppery with a medium burn but this burn fades fairly quickly. Having sat for a few minutes I can now taste a touch of vanilla in the rum, but the rest of the notes become a tad more prominent alongside.
Having tried Revolver neat, I decided to see how it would fair in the cocktail world seeing as this is the market which Revolver has targeted. This is especially evident with not only the name of Revolver but also how they have teamed up with The Cocktail Trading Company to create three new cocktails which they feel complement the flavours of the rum; a list of which can be found here. From their recommendations I managed to try to create the Brewbalee.
The Brewbalee is made with ginger beer and an equal amount of Revolver rum and red wine. I’ll be honest here, it proved harder than expected to get the red wine to ‘float.’ I gave up after 3 attempts. I think the red wine I chose may have been too full bodied and heavy for the cocktail. As a result my findings may not be as accurate as if the cocktail was made by an expert. I found the transition of smooth red wine to a bubbly ginger beer didn’t work for me. It contrasted too much. The burn from the Revolver that I found when tasting neat however has definitely gone in this cocktail and the finish is very much the ginger beer with a touch of the rum which is quite nice. I do feel the red wine overpowers this cocktail at the start and the rum is hard to place at all except for a touch at the finish. Overall it’s a decent cocktail but not one for my taste.
I also tried Revolver with lemonade. This is one of my staples I enjoy when mixing a rum as a nice alternative to coke. Here I find Revolver shines through. The lemonade brings forth a more fruity side to Revolver but doesn’t dull down its spicy notes. Instead it tempers the oak flavour slightly and adds a citrus side which seems to complement the rum very well. A lovely change to some of the more common mixing spirits which have a lot of sugar and caramel added and can become sweet.
Overall I would recommend trying this rum neat before mixing it. At around £25-£30 a bottle it is priced as a high end mixing rum. If you don’t like the sweeter side of rum and much prefer the more oak, spicy and summery/fresh side of rum then go and grab yourself a bottle. I look forward to experimenting in more cocktails (Mulata will be next) with Revolver in the future and definitely look forward to future releases from the Rathlee Distillers.
