DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.
Reviewed by Dottie Rood
Before I tell you about my visit to DropWorks Rum Distillery let me fill you in on a bit of their history.
They have only been around since 24th April 2023 when Lewis Hayes, DropWorks founder, realised his dream of developing a high-quality rum that was produced solely in Britain and crafted from scratch…
“The finest raw materials, fermented in a controlled (and sometimes deliberately otherwise) environment, using new and exciting strains of yeast and our own nurtured bacterial cultures, distilled on the highest specification stills, made to our bespoke designs, that are operated by our genius head distiller, before being matured in a vast array of different casks from all over the planet and blended to a consistent perfect deliciousness”, www.dropworks.co.uk.
DropWorks Rum Distillery offer a number of tours:
1.Rum distillery tour, £25.00 offers you a 90-minute tour on Tuesday to Sunday-30% saving on weekdays. On this tour you get a welcome cocktail, a walk through the production of their different rums, lots of information and tastings on the way.
2.DropWorks Rum Cask Tasting Experience, £30.00, this is a 60-minute tour on Thursdays and Fridays. You will experience and learn about ‘nosing’, ‘tasting’ and ‘maturation’, exploring one cask at a time. On this tour you taste up to 4 cask rums and one rare, limited release. This tour would be a good follow on from the distillery tour.
3.There is also a Private DropWorks meet the Distiller tour which offers all of the above but in smaller, private groups and takes an even deeper dive into the science behind the products. It offers lots of rum tasting, a sneak peek into the latest ‘Drop(s)’, which haven’t made their way out of the distillery doors yet and you will also meet their Head Distiller, Founder or CEO for a Q & A session. This tour is £60.00, runs for 90 minutes and is on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 2 p.m., with some limited availability on Saturdays at 11 a.m.
Now for our tour…
We arrived for our tour at 1 a.m. after walking through the beautiful grounds of the Welbeck Estate where DropWorks Rum Distillery is based and were met by Darren, The Tours and Experience Manager for DropWorks Rum and our tour began. Darren told us we would normally start at the production area but we started by seeing the different casks used, this was due to an over run of the tour before us who were having such a brilliant time at the bar area!, I felt this was a really sign as to how good the tour had been (and hopefully was going to be) so we didn’t mind at all.
We were then taken around all the equipment that is used to make the very British rum. The ingredients were explained to us and each process described in detail. The tour was interceded with tastes of rum! Yummy! The information was explained with such enthusiasm and passion that made it interesting and informative all the way through.
Darren explained everything clearly and asked us regularly did we have any questions for him and when we did, he answered them no matter how silly we thought some of them were! He also explained that, at the moment, DropWorks produced 5 core rums, Barrel Drop, which is distilled with copper and finished with oak, Clear Drop, exquisitely made with no embellishments that can be enjoyed neat, Spice Drop, made without adding any spices, Funk Drop, fermented with the world’s first Wild Trinity Yeast and distilled in their bespoke Double Retort Still and finally Dark Drop, the latest addition to the range of British-made rum that is made at the DropWorks Distillery.
He also told us about the specialist/limited rums that DropWorks will regularly be producing, their first, The English Sweet Chestnut Cask, that was limited to just 450 bottles was sold out within 48 hours. They have also released 2 collaboration rums, The Club Drop Rum a collaboration with Craft Gin Club and Coffee Drop Rum Liquer, a collaboration with No Apologies Coffee. These two collaborations are currently sold out but Darren reassured us there will be more.
This was a lovely tour that reminded us that here in Britain we can still get very good quality British made products. Even if you are not a rum drinker it was an interesting tour and a lovely touch was that the designated driver got 4 small sample bottles to take home and enjoy at leisure.
I would highly recommend the tour for the very interesting information, really lovely, tasty rum, (and I’m not a rum drinker but found their mantra of, “There’s a rum out there for everyone”, very true, the Spice rum was my favourite) the enthusiasm and knowledge of Darren and the beautiful surroundings of the Welbeck estate.
The tour would not only be a brilliant Valentine’s Day experience but would also be good for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or even just a really fun day out with friends. The only comment I will make is wrap up warm if you visit in the colder months however don’t let it put you off as the rum makes you feel lovely and warm inside!
Rating: 5/5
DropWorks Distillery can be found at: DropWorks Distillery, Stone Shed, Welbeck Estate, Worksop, S803LX
DropWorks rum can be purchased at: www.dropworks.co.uk and is becoming available at a number of pubs and restaurants.
Prices are: Barrell Drop: £37.50/Clear Drop: £35.00/Spice Drop: £35.00/ Funk Drop: £46.50/ Dark Drop: £35.00
Enquiries and Bookings at: hello@dropworks.co.uk