We’re really excited to be launching the first two flavours in our rum liqueur range! With people becoming more adventurous with rum-based drinking there’s a desire to experiment by trying new flavours and serves, which is where rum liqueurs come in, offering those wanting to venture into rum drinking a delicious introduction. When we look at fruit liqueurs, I believe what needs to be achieved is the most natural transfer of fruit flavours as possible,” Gorn said. “The Master winners in this flight had a nice balance between sweetness, the primary flavour and secondary flavours, like spiciness or citrus or greenness. The virtual tasting took place over Skype from the judges’ UK homes, with a helping hand from Wine Sorted, which decanted and shipped all of this year’s entrants in anonymous bottles to ensure that the competition could continue under the stringent conditions. Nuage de Menthe continued the Master run as the tasting moved onto the Mint flight, impressing with its “calming, cooling and refreshing” combination of “spearmint and spicy peppermint”.

Achieving balance is a taxing, but imperative, part of producing spirits. The tipping point between being well balanced and overly sweet becomes all the harder to perfect when your product is required by law to contain at least 100g of sugar per litre of alcohol. The Rum Renaissance is in full swing and the desire for more rum innovations, including rum liqueurs, is on the rise. Meeting this demand is Palm Beach, our latest brand launch. With a lower ABV of 20%, they offer consumers the chance to try something new and exciting which has a sweeter profile and is more easy drinking than a full strength rum.” With chocolate, there has always been a few genius products and a few less outstanding examples,” noted Gorn. “It was interesting to see the different approaches to different types of chocolate, and how producers are matching the creaminess level and the alcohol levels. There were some fantastic products here.” English Spirit’s Christmas Spirit walked away with a respectable Silver in the Dessert flight, with “warm baking spices” throughout.The judges found aromas of “tinned pineapples” on the nose, with a “nice caramel sweetness” to balance on the palate. “The pineapple was quite exciting,” enthused Gorn. “It had kind of toffee, caramel toasted pineapple notes and I found that exciting and innovative. I also liked that [Bellucci Crème Caramel Spirit Drink] had a range of flavours, not just caramel, as it gave it something extra.” This showed that own‐label brands can be just as good as branded equivalents,” Gorn noted. “Sometimes they really go beyond being just a slightly more economical choice of a classic, and show some real creativity and character of their own.”

Add all ingredients into a blender and blitz. Add more ice if too thin. Serve in a hurricane glass. Garnish with a wedge of pineapple or serve with a slice of banana on the rim and a drizzle of caramel. Add all ingredient to a glass or tin and stir down with ice until chilled. Top with more ice and garnish with an orange wedge or yellow watermelon wedge.A smaller selection of Irish Cream entrants were tasted as the closing flight of the day. O’Donnells Chocolate Cherry Flavoured Irish Country Cream Liqueur took home a Gold medal, liked for its “bakewell tart” aroma and “mild creaminess and sweetness”. O’Donnells Irish Country Cream Liqueur and O’Donnells Tiramisu Flavoured Irish Country Cream Liqueur both received Silver medals.

Each of these exciting new products have a unique flavour, with Palm Beach Banana & Butterscotch evoking warmth including notes of tropical banana and creamy butterscotch; and Palm Beach Mango & Passionfruit featuring a smooth combination of sweetness from the mango and a tanginess from the passion fruit. The bottle advises that it is good paired with cola, so I’m mentioning that as an option even though I haven’t tried it with that as I don’t like cola.Recent years have seen the liqueur sector evolve from a fusty afterthought to a truly innovative category, with quality across the board that hasn’t existed in the past. This was only confirmed by The Liqueur Masters 2020 blind‐tasting competition, which revealed a record number of Masters medallists for the category. Thé Noir Fumé was also made to an incredibly high standard, and took home a Master medal in the Tea flight. Gorn described the liqueur as “subtle, but gorgeous”, thanks to its “Earl Grey” aroma and “very natural tea flavour” with a “touch of smokiness”.

In the Toffee/Caramel heat, Bellucci Crème Caramel Spirit Drink scored a Gold. Tasting notes included “roasted hazelnuts” on the nose and “nutty caramel” on the palate. Palm Bean Pineapple and Salted Caramel Rum Liqueur also secured a Gold medal. There were a couple of extremely good representations of different citrus liqueurs, a nice serious sipping pear liqueur and an extremely fresh quince liqueur, where the fruit flavours worked perfectly.” As a flight of Own Label liqueurs were presented next, two more Masters joined the growing tally. Tesco Summer Cup was one of the top winners, with notes of “cherries and tart berries” and a “slight herbal touch” for added complexity. Tesco Amaretto Liqueur also won a Master medal, with “unmistakable marzipan” on the nose and “classic amaretto” qualities. The flight also produced four Golds and three Silvers.There was another Master in Traditional liqueurs: Maison Ferrand’s Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao. With its “chocolatey, orange nose” and “big round, oily orange palate” the judges agreed it was a great product. Three Silvers were also discovered.