Rum stocked at Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswolds pub named best in UK

The Asthall boozer, originally called The Windmill, was bought by the former Top Gear host for around £1,000,000.

It was reopened as The Farmer’s Dog last August and has proved a popular tourist spot with fans coming to try a pint of Hawkstone.

From the get-go, Mr Clarkson vowed to only use and serve British produce at the pub, meaning that no ketchup or cola is served onsite.

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The Alkemy founders celebrate. (Image: Alkemy)

This meant rum was not on the drinks list, as traditionally, the spirit is made from molasses, which is a by-product of the sugar cane industry.

This missing spirit issue at The Farmer’s Dog was recently resolved with the introduction of Alkemy, which creates a locally grown rum.

After several years of rum production overseas, brothers Will and Rob Tapster founded the distillery in Suffolk in 2021, with the aim of producing a unique new take on the classic spirit.

Alkemy uses molasses from locally grown sugar beet, rather than imported sugar cane, to make their rum.

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Jeremy Clarkson at his Cotswolds pub. (Image: Hawkstone / Instagram)

Now, the rum has been praised after becoming the highest-scoring spiced rum at this year’s London Spirits Competition.

Now in its ninth year, the competition judges each entry across three weighted criteria: quality, value, and packaging.

Entries are first blind-tasted by a panel of active trade professionals, including spirits buyers, bar managers, and mixologists, before price and packaging are factored in.

To be an award winner, you need to have top-quality spirits that offer both the trade and the consumer great value for money, and you need to look good and truly stand out on the shelf and on the back bar.

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Alkemy. (Image: Alkemy)

The judges brought a wealth of experience from various sectors, including hospitality, retail, and education, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of each entry.

Judges were impressed with the Suffolk spirit’s packaging and value, scoring 93 and 92, respectively, but it was the quality of the spiced gold spirit that they were most impressed by.

Since the competition began nine years ago, no spiced rum has received a higher score than Alkemy Spiced Gold has achieved this year.

Co-founder Will Tapster says, “I think it’s a good indication that people are taking spiced rum more seriously.

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Alkemy founders, Rob and Will Tapster. (Image: Alkemy)

“Historically, spiced rums have performed a lot worse than other rums in these awards, but that’s changed now.

“People are starting to see that amongst the traditionally overly sweet spiced rums, there are others that are as complex and enjoyable as any spirit.”

The achievement of being the highest ever scoring spiced rum is not lost on the distillery.

Co-founder Rob Tapster explains: “We have to admit that we were quite surprised, not because we don’t have faith in the spirit, but because we have had mixed responses to our spirit in these competitions.

“So far, we either score very well or get disqualified for not being a ‘true rum’. We see both as valid.”