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. BrewDog Distilling Co. Five Hundred Cuts Botanical Rum. Those of you outside of the UK might not be familiar with BrewDog. Those from the UK will probably not be all that surprised to seeing me reviewing this “Botanical Rum”.

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 people think it might go to whisky and there are some that think it might go to rum, so strategically creating a bridge between people that understand the language of gin and transferring that to rum could be helpful.” Where we have the most volume and demand is on our vodka, gin and rum, so what time is left over is where we put our efforts into making whisky. The purpose of the 10,000-litre pot still is to reset the balance a little, dedicate time and become even more innovative with our whisky programme; just open the floodgates in terms of whisky production.” To be honest the sheer amount of spiced, flavoured and botanical rum currently being pumped out in the UK alone is frightening. Just look here at a recent screen shot of a new rum search on Master of Malt. Worrying just read some of the bullshit coming out of the some of those companies. In October 2021, Brewdog overhauled its spirits selection to coincide with the opening of its new distillery in Ellon, Scotland.

Winner of 2 spirit awards

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. After distillation, Five Hundred Cuts Botanical Rum is aged in casks and is bottled at 40% ABV without artificial flavourings. The triple bubble still will sit alongside two 3,000-litre pot stills, one of which will become a full-time spirit still for whisky production. There will also be Brewdog’s 19m-tall rectification column.

As a mixer it makes a pretty heavy Rum and Coke and one which can be a little difficult – theres too much going on. With lemonade or tonic it fairs a bit better. In some ways the lemonade adds a touch of sweetness. Ginger Beer/Ale is a no-no it just ends up far too spicy. Again like Dark Matter this perhaps shines best in a Bloody Mary. That is a very tasty mix. Pretty much all the “botanicals” noted in the rum can be tasted and the orange peel really tempers the sweetness of the clove and the tonka beans. Making it much more balanced. It’ll really allow us to turbo-charge the amount of whisky we can lay down on an annual basis,” Kersley added. “Right now, we’re maxed at eight to nine casks a week, but we need to be at 30-35 casks a week. Kersley and his team pulled together various flavours they enjoyed to create a “melting pot of ideas” for the series. Brewdog Distilling also has a number of new products ready to launch, and has rebranded its Lonewolf Gin range and 500 Cuts botanical rum brand. While the products will retain their names, the new identities will unify each line under the Brewdog brand.This authentic, handcrafted rum exists to subvert the Status Quo when it comes to the bloodline of this spirit. 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. 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.” We had the opportunity to attend the launch of the new Botanical/Spiced rum created byBrewDog,which was held at the Chelsea Physic Garden, where we had a chat with Steven Kersley, the young master blender behind this new spirit.

According to Gates, Five Hundred Cuts Botanical Rum forms an “interesting bridge between gin” that could encourage drinkers to sample the new spirit. Gates added: “Elizabeth wrote this book and she illustrated all these botanicals, it’s a beautiful book. She worked on it to pay off her husband’s debts and get him out of debtors’ prison, and she got him out of debtors’ prison but then he went over to Sweden and got involved in some kind of coup attempt and ended up having his head cut off – which is a little bit unfortunate.” 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. 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.The BrewDog Distilling Company is charged with a single mission; to challenge perceptions of what a spirit can be. This is done with a meticulous eye for detail and an approach born of non-compromise – meaning everything is done under one roof, from scratch. Nothing is rushed. For a case in point we unveil their incredible hand-made rum Five Hundred Cuts – which took six months and thirty-five recipes to uncover. But their work has been very much worth it.