A FAMILY-RUN Cornish distillery has been awarded the highly coveted title of ‘best rum’ in the 2020 Great British Food Awards.

Rosemullion Distillery, which is based on The Helford in Cornwall, won the award for its Spiced Rum, also picking up a ‘highly commended’ medal for its Gold Rum, and a ‘highly commended’ award in the best startup category.

First launched in 2014, the Great British Food Awards celebrate the country’s finest artisanal produce, with this year’s judges including MasterChef's Monica Galetti, Saturday Kitchen’s Olly Smith, wine buyer and drinks expert Charlie Stein, and Booths' head of marketing and trading John Gill.

Category judge Charlie Stein said: “The Spiced Rum has a delicious spiced nose with a huge amount going on; clove, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, the list goes on.

“The palate is warm and supple, has just the right amount of sweetness and it’s really comforting. Those spices translate amazingly from the nose to the palate and balance out really nicely with the other components. A lovely rum that I’d happily drink anywhere.”

At 40 per cent ABV, Rosemullion Distillery’s Spiced Rum is 100 per cent single pot distilled and oak-aged, with a blend of warming flavours, including citrus zest, orange, cloves, and ginger.

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It also won a gold award in the 2020 World Spirits Competition and was named a Style Winner at the 2020 World Rum Awards.

Rosemullion Distillery was created in 2019 by husband and wife team Andy and Liz Bradbury, who, with more than 45 years’ combined experience as industrial chemists, wanted to combine their scientific knowledge and processes with a passion for quality spirits.

Inspired by their surroundings, the couple's distillery is one of a very small number that creates its own base spirit from scratch, using Cornish rainwater, seasonal Cornish fruit, and molasses.

Andy Bradbury, co-founder of Rosemullion Distillery, said: “What a fantastic surprise it was for our Spiced Rum to be named ‘best rum’ at this year’s Great British Food Awards.

“Being a small, family-run distillery based in the rural Cornish countryside, it is wonderful for our rum to be recognised by such esteemed industry leaders on a national level.”

Falmouth Packet:

The award-winning spiced rum. Picture: Rosemullion Distillery

Rosemullion Distillery’s Gold Rum also picked up a ‘highly commended’ medal at this year’s awards.

Charlie added: “The Gold Rum is very special, incredibly smooth with lots of lovely vanilla from the oak and almost a whisky edge to the flavour."

Rosemullion Distillery’s product range includes four gins, two rums, and a Christmas-inspired spirit, with extra products launched for the festive season: a Chocolate Rum aged with chocolate, raspberry, and mango; a miniature gift set featuring Rosemullion Distillery’s full product range; and a customisable three-bottle gift pack.

The range can be bought at various independent stores in Cornwall and via Rosemullion Distillery’s online shop.