Shelly’s Rumbutt – Peanut butter flavour rum based spirit drink

Shellys Rumbutt is exactly what it says in the bottle. This is incredible refreshing, seeing as there has been issues in the spirits industry with drinks making out they’re something that they’re not, such as gins when actually liqueurs. My stance is that I am up for experimentation, but there should be a sense of transparency. Drinks should be labelled with what they are, rather than playing on the popularity of a spirit, when technically it’s not that.

Shellys are keeping it simple. Their Rumbutt is clearly labelled as ‘Peanut butter flavour rum based spirit drink’. Although this may sound like a mouth full, it is the correct label. As, with the spirit being 29% ABV, it’s under the amount to qualify as a rum, but rather high for a liqueur, which normally sits around the 20-22% range. It’s essentially bridging the boundary between the two types of drink. By doing this, they have created a space free fro the rules and regulations of existing spirits. And, where anything goes when it comes to flavour. So, Rumbutt is a great example of the potential for experimentation in spirits.

Shellys Rumbutt

On the nose, the savoury salted peanut offsets the sweetness of rum in a well-balanced harmony. It alludes wonderfully to coffee and walnut cake. On the palate you’re taken through a journey beginning with a rich sweetness that opens into a strong and sturdy nutty note. The rum comes dancing in before the peanut steps out and leaves it on the finish. Being a lower ABV, it’s very palatable, never being too sweet or two punchy. It’s a great sipping drink for those that like that.

With a mixer, the bottle suggests two serves, one with cola and one with cranberry or raspberry juice, to give an adult ‘peanut butter jelly vibe’. Both of these options work nicely. The cranberry juice ‘peanut butter jelly’ is a wonderfully simple but inventive serve, which goes to show how creative we can be with mixers.

I decided to a play myself and tried it with Schweppes Muscovado Dark Spirit mixer. The muscovado really opens the drink up with darker, more chocolatey notes, which work beautifully with the peanut. I’d suggest if you’re doing this, go half and half and taste that to see if you need to add more. The lower ABV means that the Rumbutt doesn’t have the weight to punch through mixers as well as 40% spirits so in my humble opinion, a little less mixer is needed for the right balance.

Rumbutt is the latest in a series of Shellys creations. It follows on from the Rumbarb, a blend of Caribbean dark rums with natural rhubarb, demerara and vanilla. There are also other spirits, with flavours such as Raspberry Ripple and Manchester Tart. All of these are available through our shop. Shellys is a company full of interesting idea and they’re labelled correctly. This hybrid, stepping stone of spirits seems to be proving quite popular with today’s drinkers, who seem to prefer an easier drink. It is a delicious little tipple. And it’s well thought out, with the savoury nutty notes downplaying an obvious sweetness to really balance it out overall. Excellent work. So my recommendation? Grab yourself so ice and a glass and off you go!