Warner’s creates banana rum

UK-based Warner’s Distillery has added a new flavour to its Trash & Treasure range, which makes spirits using leftover ingredients from local food producers.

The new expression, Banana Rum, is described by the company as a ‘moreish banana bread served up in a glass’. The rum was distilled with overripe bananas that were ‘rescued’ from going to the landfill. Its notes include banana bread on the nose, creamy sweet vanilla on the palate and a finish of 'indulgent’ caramel sauce that is similar to the taste of a banana split. Banana Rum joins Citrus Vodka (distilled with rescued lemon peels) and Tropical Rum (distilled with rescued pineapple and mango peels) in the brand's lineup. Tom Warner, CEO of Warner’s Distillery, said: “With great tropical flavours at our disposal from our local fruit processor and rum becoming one of the fastest growing categories in the off-trade, we thought a flavoured tropical rum would work extremely well. “With bake-off season on the horizon, there is no better time to announce Banana Rum.” As with Trash & Treasure’s other spirits, Banana Rum is bottled at 37.5% ABV and is priced at £26 ($34). It is listed in the UK at supermarkets Tesco, Co-op and Marks & Spencer, as well as on the brand’s website. Warner's Distillery secured B Corp status in 2022. Trash & Treasure aims to provide a solution to food waste in the UK and ‘challenge consumers to rethink how they perceive waste and recognise that one person's trash can be transformed into another’s treasure’. Warner added: “As a certified B Corp company with the planet at its heart, we wanted to raise awareness of how much unnecessary waste is produced by the industries we love, and how we can change our relationship with the things we consume by embracing a reduced waste approach. “Knowing that the most thrown away food group in the UK is fresh fruit and vegetables, a subject close to my heart after a decade in the produce industry, we began to think of ways to put this waste to better taste and challenge consumers' perceptions.” Last year, Warner’s gained £1.5 million (US$1.8m) of investment to bring its business overseas.