Seaweed & Rum?
The humble seaweed is incredibly versatile and is used widely in cooking, cosmetics, fertilisers, and so on. High in fibre, low in fat, packed with vitamins and nutrients such a zinc, iron, magnesium, thiamine, iodine, vit A, B, C & K… but most importantly ‘umami’.
Why add seaweed to rum?
Often misunderstood as salty or ‘tastes of the sea’, seaweed actually offers a new dimension to rum. The wide variety of seaweeds (taste, colour and locality) can be used to create new taste profiles.
It’s all about ‘flavour and balance’ - seaweed offers a unique sweet-salt harmony.
Seaweed imparts beautiful, delicate, earthy saline-savoury notes and umami which compliments the sweet rum and enhances the rums infused spices. A high iodine content in some seaweeds, in particular laver seaweed, offer a distinctive silky, mellow olive flavour. Pepper dulse seaweed in particular offers subtle smoky liquorice and nutty flavours, with a peppery bite for a spicy finish.
“Think salted caramel, sweet cracked caramel or sweet-salted popcorn.”
Furthermore, many rums are inspired by the rugged coast, local maritime heritage, tales of salty sea dogs and pirates - so its not surprising such brands are inspired to use such raw materials which are all around them.
We get by with a little ‘kelp’ from our friends.
Still don’t believe us – here are some rums featuring seaweed. Alternatively, just search ‘seaweed’
Bottles the wilds of Cornwall
A perfect marriage of punchy Caribbean rum, sweet Cornish honey, aromatic saffron and savoury-sweet Pepper-Dulse seaweed foraged on the rugged coast. A truly Cornish rum, ‘Keynvor’ is the Cornish word for ‘ocean’.
BARTI DDU
a celebration of the wild and precious Welsh coastland
A bold spiced rum infused with foraged laver seaweed from the Pembrokeshire coast. The flavours of the infused spices of vanilla, orange, clove and cinnamon are enhanced by the subtle savoury flavours of the laver seaweed whilst the undertone umami notes soften the rum to make it superbly sippable without dampening the punchy flavours.
time and tide wait for no one
A perfect blend of four aged gold rums infused with oak-smoked Pepper Dulse seaweed, the ‘truffle of the sea’, foraged at low tide on the Jersey coastline. A distinctive sweet-salty balance with subtle smoky liquorice with earthy, peppery savoury notes. Started in the Caribbean, finished in Jersey.
explorers, foragers, innovators
An artisan spiced rum that campions local produce. Explorers Spiced Rum is infused with local heather, honey and Sugar Kelp foraged on the Yorkshire coast. A fine balance of sweet and unique salt-savoury flavours; rich and warming.
DAYMARK ORIGINAL
clean rum with rugged island nature
Not technically a seaweed – but samphire is a salt-tolerant plant found on the British coastline. Inspired by the maritime history of the Isle of Scilly off the rugged Cornish coast. Venezuelan gold rum infused with hand-picked samphire and Cornish sea salt. The addition of samphire offers a distinctly crisp, clean saline lift and sweet-salt balanced – akin to cracked caramel.