Nusa Cana

Indonesian rum brand Nusa Caña has made its UK debut.

The 37.5% tipple is distilled in old Chinese pot stills and aged in hardwood in Indonesia, then shipped to Holland where it is blended and bottled. It rolls into online retailer 31Dover.com this week (rsp: £25.45/70cl).

This method of production “replicates the history”, said the brand. “When the Dutch discovered Java and the East Indies they found the Chinese had been there before them and had introduced distillation, so the rum (then called arrack) was, and still is, distilled in Chinese stills.”

Once it reaches Holland, it is blended and bottled by the same company that would have bottled it back then - E&A Scheer.

The drink itself had “rich, ripe and vibrant top notes of fresh cane juice, spice and banana, softened with hints of vanilla, dry wood and toasted fruit”, said the brand.

Rum has repeatedly been tipped by the likes of Waitrose and the WSTA as the next major alcohol trend, potentially to follow in the footsteps of craft gin.

Value sales of the spirit were up 7.9% over the last year, on volumes up 5% [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 20 May 2018].

Read our digital report on rum: ‘Can pirates’ plonk become the next craft spirit?’