William Grant expands Discarded range with banana peel rum

William Grant & Sons will add to its sustainability portfolio with a new rum infused with banana peels.

Discarded Banana Peel Rum pairs Caribbean rum, used to prepare empty whisky casks for final maturation, with banana peels that would otherwise go to waste.  

The peel is recovered to dry out and ferment, before being steeped in alcohol for two weeks. Finally, the rum and banana peel extract are joined together for another two days to complete the blending process.

According to William Grant, banana peel provides a fresh toffee note with a fruity balance, whilst maintaining the spice and sweetness foundation of Caribbean rum.

The launch comes after William Grant released Discarded Sweet Cascara Vermouth last year.

“It’s exciting to see how consumers and bartenders have engaged with Discarded so far,” said Tom Stannard, global marketing manager, innovation at William Grant & Sons.

“When developing rum, we wanted to maintain the magic of reuse whilst credibly expanding into a new category. The best way to describe the flavour is liquid banana bread, distinctive yet comforting. It’s perfect in a rum old fashioned or a daiquiri.”

Bottled at 37.5% ABV, Discarded Banana Peel Rum will launch in the UK on-trade in January 2020 with a recommended retail price of £25 per 500ml.