Lock And Load With Revolver Cornish Rum

South America is renowned for the quality of its rum and Cornwall also has strong associations with the spirit harking back to the days when pirates and smugglers would ply their trade along Cornwall's rugged coastline. It's no wonder that when two rum lovers (and real life lovers!) from these vastly different places put their heads together, the end result would would involve, you guessed it, rum! Rathlee Distillery is based in Lostwithiel, Cornwall and is run by husband and wife team Stuart and Paola Leather and is an example of what occurs when English eccentricity moves in time with a funky Latin beat. Their first creation, Revolver Rum, is an invigorating blend of the couples' two cultures, the city of Bogotá in Colombia, and the rugged coasts of Cornwall. The couple, who have two children, had this to say; "We also felt that we could offer something new to the rum category. Revolver is a new kind of rum, which is inspired by our respective homelands. We wanted to create our own company that would represent the blending of our two cultures. We wondered about making fruit juices, or beer, but eventually we decided to create our own rum because we love it and because it has strong connections for Cornwall and Colombia." The company, which was founded in 2012, began by making a successful application to become the first licensed rum distillery in the South West. Paola, who has a food science degree from Colombia, has an extensive background in brewing beer, so the transition to distilling spirits wasn't too much of a departure from her previous roles at St. Austell Brewery and Skinner's Brewery . The duo purchased a small handmade artisan copper pot still which was used to create test batches of different recipes using a variety of raw materials including a type of sugar, called panela from Colombia, various yeast strains and different distillation methods. After many long days and nights experimenting, the couple were finally satisfied with the recipe and they called upon the skills and secrets of some of Latin America's finest artisan rum makers who conspired deep into the night; the end result was Revolver Rum. Rathlee Distilling Company imports the rum to the UK in handmade white oak barrels and blends it with pure Cornish water to create an outstanding new spirit in the rum category. The rum is blended and bottled by Paola and Stuart, which shows just how much they care about the rum; after all, it is a representation of themselves as a couple!

Revolver Rum - 40% 70cl

Nose: Spicy, Buttery Vanilla, Fine Toasted Wood, Tropical Fruit Palate: Smooth, Balanced, Light-Bodied, Vanilla, Dry Nuts, Fruit, Oak Flavour, Warming Chocolate Finish: Peppery Spice, Sugar Cane Honey Revolver Rum is a smooth, light-bodied rum, bursting with youthful exuberance. Exquisite blend of tropical fruit, spice and toasted wood aromas, which highlight the origin of its ageing. The palate emerges soft and dry with plenty of oak flavour, vanilla and warming chocolate, and finishes with a gradual fade of spicy peppercorns and a slight sweetness, reminiscent of fine sugar cane honey. Revolver Rum is excellent for mixing  in cocktails or over ice with plenty of lime. Here are a few selected cocktail recipes that were kindly given to us by Stuart; Brewbalee 50ml Revolver Rum Ginger Beer 50ml Red Wine Ginger root and mint garnish Pour the rum over ice in a tall glass and top up with ginger beer. Float the red wine and garnish with ginger root and mint. Gaze out upon the sea. Mulata 25ml Revolver Rum 25ml Coffee Liqueur 50ml Milk Mix all the ingredients over ice in a tumbler glass. Add a grating of nutmeg on top as a crowd pleaser. Sugar Mama 50ml Revolver Rum 40ml Pineapple Juice 30ml Lime Juice 20ml Orgeat Syrup 10ml Campari Lemon and mint garnish Shake all the ingredients and pour with flair into a chilled cocktail glass. Unleash your inner barista. Garnish with a heavy lemon twist and a mint leaf.