Siddiqui Brown Rum, 40 percent ABV, 70 cl

Product Information

Simon’s exceptional work in the global travel retail market and developing international markets, in particular, will support the plans we have in place for Penderyn over the next five years.” The recipe originated in The Blue Flame manual that everyone followed, and the recipes have been perfected ever since.’ The see-through bottle reveals an oil field. It all looks good but I just can’t get past having “Brown Rum” emblazoned across the front. It just sounds so unappetising.

The Worth Park 109 is a smoky rum with notes of burnt caramel, and fruit flavors of banana, raisin, pineapple, dried apple and fig. There are also some cappuccino coffee notes. It’s a big ask, but for tens of thousands of people who worked in the deserts of the Middle East over the last 68 years, the word ‘Siddiqui’ will conjure up images of hot and heavy work under clear Arabian skies, and chilled evenings around the fire with the tranquil Persian Gulf ahead and star-strewn skies above. To be clear, this tastes absolutely nothing like Whisk(e)y. I dislike Whiskey, but love this stuff. I grew up partially in the Middle East and Siddiqui was the only spirit I could get (most of the time). We generally had the white stuff, whereas I've only tried Penderyn's brown.The new Siddiqui rums, both brown and white, are being produced by Penderyn Distillery in Wales, but are said to have been inspired by the original illicit recipes from the ‘Blue Flame’ instruction book that circulated amongst the oil industry workforce. Nigel Brown of Arabia, one of the entrepreneurs behind the Siddiqui brand

Siddiqui Brown Rum is distinctive and some people may enjoy this profile. However, I would expect this to be largely people not to familiar with rum. Rhum Agricole are sugarcane juice-based rums produced primarily in the French West Indies. Less than 5% of the world’s rums are made with sugarcane juice. These rums offer up pronounced fruity and herbaceous flavors that is often accompanied by a hint of wet stone minerality. They are very different from molasses-based rums and are almost Tequila like in their aroma and flavor profile. Siddiqui is inspired by the moonshine produced by Texan and Californian oil workers during their time in Saudi Arabia. Vok is one of Australia’s largest beverage companies. The Inner Circle Cask Strength rum weighs in at an incredible 75.9% ABV. It offers up powerful aromas of caramel and molasses, along with dried fruit notes of raisins, apples and prunes, stone fruit and orange zest. There are spice notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, along with some dark chocolate and walnut.

Winner of 1 spirit awards

So in the absence of any other information I may as well reach for my glass and see if this does live up to the “hype”.