270° Botanicals

The Nicoll brothers built Spirits of Virtue on the premise that Scottish water makes for a serious foundation. The water used across the range percolates through the Cairngorm Mountains before reaching the coast, and the brothers argue it's central to the texture and clarity of the final product. Whether you buy that or not, it's a more compelling origin story than most.

The 270° Botanicals range currently runs to four expressions. The Spiced Caribbean Blend is the approachable entry point, with ripe tropical fruit and caramel in the lead. The Dark Caribbean Blend goes somewhere more intense: ginger and dark chocolate with dried fruit underneath. The Caribbean Coconut Blend takes a sunnier route with cinnamon, vanilla toffee and a hit of black pepper at the finish. The White Caribbean Blend is the smoothest of the four, built around vanilla, muscovado and an unusual thread of Colombian coffee that sets it apart from the others.

All four are 0.0% ABV, halal-certified, vegan, and gluten-free. They're designed with mixing in mind rather than neat sipping, which means a decent mojito or rum punch substitute is very much within reach.

Spirits of Virtue has expanded well beyond its backyard origins, reaching international markets through online retail. In the UK, 270° Botanicals sits in the premium end of the non-alcoholic spirits market, which puts them at a higher price point than the big-name entry-level options. Whether that premium is warranted depends on what you're making, but the range is more varied than most rum alternatives on the shelf.