Wester

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Founded by Zander MacGregor and Allan Nairn in 2018, Wester is named after the Wester Sugar House, a sugar refinery based in Glasgow which was present during a sugar boom for around a century from the mid 1600s, during which rum was a popular spirit to produce. (Yes, there was also an Easter Sugar House)

Originally working with the Strathearn Distillery to produce their spirit, the business moved to their own distillery space to produce a number of rums and other spirits.

Wester Chocolate Rum first came to my attention after popping up on Facebook - there aren't many chocolate rums out there, which is odd considering it's such a good combination of flavours, but theose that are out there tend to have a nasty artificial chocolate note to them. Cheap flavouring tends to be utilised in these cases, resulting in notes that remind me of 50p advent calendars, or what I imagine 'Mockolate' from Friends would taste like. Or alternatively they just go really sweet and sickly, almost to the point of being a rum liqueur.

However, Wester have infused cocoa husks sourced from the Dominican Repubic with a base Molasses rum sourced from Jamaica to create a chocolate rum that is... well, unlike anything else out there. The nose is incredibly intense, deeply earthy and almost farmyard-y. That follows through to the palate, where the earthiness continues at just the right side of bitter. This is chocolate at it's purest - if you've ever had a 90-100% cocoa chocolate bar, you'll know exactly what to expect, but as a result this will absolutely throw people who expect something like a Dairy Milk for a loop.

I love the fact this has gone for a chocolate flavour at it's most intense, but it's apparent to me that people need to be aware of what this flavour profile offers, as I've given friends who love chocolate samples of this without warning them to see what their reaction would be, and it's certainly been a surprise to them. It takes a minute or so for the palate to catch up with exactly what is going on, and then things start to warm up.

This is fantastic in an Espresso Martini, particularly with the likes of Solo Coffee Concentrate where the earthy notes of the coffee pair beautifully with the earthy notes of the rum - although it may be too full on for those who prefer a sweeter cocktail.

And here's the problem - I first came across Wester on Facebook with an advert for the Chocolate Rum in a Mudslide, paired with cream to sweeten it down. The ad gives the impression the Chocolate Rum is probably quite sweet, whereas it's the absolute opposite. I've no doubt it works in a Mudslide, giving a much more intense chocolate note when softened with the other ingredients - but I fear drinkers will be taking a swig of this on opening the bottle and being absolutely thrown.

This is a great product - if it wasn't I wouldn't stock it - but you really need to be aware upfront of what you're getting yourself into!