October 19, 2014

It’s Sunday,
time for another bunch of rums

We’ll do it ‘at random’ again this time, so you may expect ups and downs. I’d like to insist, once again, on the fact that these notes (and scores) are written from a whisky enthusiast’s point of view. That means that phenolic/dry ones are usually favoured over sweet, rounder ones. But let’s go…

Cuban Rum 13 yo (46%, Cadenhead's Green Label, +/-2012)

A stroke of luck, Cuban rums are usually light and pretty easy. Colour: straw. Nose: probably a little more oomph than in, say Havana Club. Whiffs of cane juice, then rather pineapples and bananas plus other ripe or even overripe tropical fruits. Papayas? Really fresh, with a most pleasant fruitiness. Also touches of sweet wine, maybe Muscat? Roses? In some way, it reminds me of a light and very aromatic sparkling wine called Clairette de Die. Mouth: same style, all kinds of ripe fruits with a touch of liquorice. Pineapples, bananas, liquorice allsorts, a touch of toffee… Classic easy fruity rum, with good body and a perfect strength. Finish: medium length. More liquorice forward. Candy sugar. Comments: perfect in its own, very classic, very easy style. SGP:641 - around 82 points.

Clarke’s Court 8 yo '#37' (40%, OB, blend, +/-2013)

A blend by a company in Grenada. Apparently, it was first launched to celebrate Grenada's 37 years of independence, hence its name. Colour: gold. Nose: soft and fruity, and not far from the Cuban, with a rich fruitiness, bananas, pineapples, very ripe kiwis, apricot… I would call this nose ‘pleasant’. Big fruits! Mouth: extremely sweet, it’s like eating a whole bag of liquorice allsorts. On the other hand, it does not quite taste of sugar. Light body, the middle’s a little weak. Finish: sort. More bonbons, marshmallows… Bananas again in the (very light) aftertaste. Comments: good fruit juice. Sadly, it lacks body in my opinion. We’re far from a malternative. SGP:620 – around 68 points.

Reimonenq 'J.R – On The Rocks’ (40%, OB, Guadeloupe, rhum agricole)

A funny bottle. It’s said that this light rum was designed by M. Remoneinq for his personal consumption, while he was getting old and couldn’t quite stand the heavier style anymore. Colour: gold. Nose: light indeed, but the agricole style remains. Light cane juice and a touch of vanilla, plus bananas and pineapples. Rather clean, easy, soft. Mouth: the vanilla’s in the front, and comes with notes of shortbread, apricot pie and candy sugar. Quite a lot of caramel, pastries… Light body but no weakness. Finish: short, on vanilla and caramel. The sugarcane remains apparent in the aftertaste. Comments: I can see why they called this baby ‘on the rocks’. Ice should work well indeed. SGP:610 – around 74 points.

Mulata 5 yo 'Añejo' (38%, OB, Cuba)

Another Cuban, and a pretty cheap one at that (around 15 €). Colour: gold. Nose: strange! Rotting fruits, molasses, cheese… Then a funny meatiness (ham?) as well as whiffs of baker’s yeast, sour dough… So there’s a kind of dirtiness, but that makes it ‘fun’ and even rather interesting. Mouth: the sugar feels, sadly. Fruit syrups, molasses, more sugar… And then a touch of salt. Some presence for sure, but you have to like this combination of sugar with sour fruits and even vegetables. Some kind of Chinese sauce? Finish: short. Woosh! Comments: fun stuff – and it’s cheap anyway. Very molassy. SGP:730 – around 71 points.

English Harbour 25 yo 1981/2006 (40%, OB, Antigua)

This baby’s still widely available, which I find strange. Maybe that’s because of the rather heavy price tag? (around 200 €) Colour: amber. Nose: a rather rich, chocolaty style, with many dried fruits, papayas, bananas, a touch of coal smoke, a little tar, espresso… I have to say I'm not blaming this baby for anything so far. The smokiness is very pleasant. Mouth: too bad, I find it too sweet this time. Cane syrup, coffee liqueur, caramel, chocolate liqueur… You really have to love chocolate! Also toasted oak and maybe a slice of pecan pie, roasted nuts… Finish: rather short, and very sugary/molassy. The smoky touch in the aftertaste improves it again – just a bit. Comments: simply not my style at all. Oh the sugar… SGP:721 - around 74 points.

Bielle 2003 'Brut de fût' (52.9%, OB, Marie-Galante, +/-2014)

Bielle’s reputation keeps growing these days, thanks to a pristine distillate. And it’s agricole! Colour: dark amber. Nose: an unusual style, rich, both candied and phenolic. Many crystallised fruits, oranges, angelica, cherries… Cassata, guignolet, then liquorice, violet sweets (Toulouse!), some caraway, star anise, touches of Turkish delights, sweet liquorice, pipe tobacco, pinesap, honeysuckle, lilac… Both the richness and the complexity are amazing, it’s a true aromatic whirlwind. Mouth: really impressive, concentrated, rich, extremely liquoricy, with very heavy notes of sugarcane, then tobacco, sweets (violet again, pinesap, grapefruits), aniseed, pastis, wormwood, dried ginger… This baby’s just relentless. Finish: very long. Keyword, liquorice. A bit of tar in the aftertaste, maybe a little pencil shaving. Comments: only one flaw, this very high quality was to be expected. No surprise! SGP:642 - around 88 points.

Domaine de Courcelles 1972/2014 (54%, Rhumhouse Switzerland, Guadeloupe)

The Domaine de Courcelles in Grande-Terre stopped distilling in 1964, the stills were then moved and kept working until 1972, so this is the last vintage. Several batches have already been bottled in the past by various bottlers, not all ‘utterly perfect’. It’s not agricole, it was distilled from molasses. Oh and it’s 38 years old! Colour: amber. Nose: definitely complex, starting with whiffs of old dust (attic) and various woods (rosewood, cedar), before many prunes come out, zwetschke tart, sloe, dried apricots, cinnamon cake and bananas flambéed. I find this nose simply stunning. Love the prunes! And the touches of menthol after fifteen minutes. Mouth: exceptional. Sweet but not cloying or fattish, starting where the nose ended (prunes and mint), and going on with strawberry jam, notes of mangos, liquorice as usual, ripe bananas and a very complex spicy combination. Aniseed, cinnamon, nutmeg… Goes on with some apple pie, toasted brioche, a drop of banana liqueur… It’s perfect sweet style rum, proof that rum can be both sweet and brilliant. Finish: long, still not oaky as such, spicy and superbly jammy. Prunes and bananas, I’d say. Comments: some exceptional sweet and ‘un-phenolic’ rum. Very well selected, Rhumhouse! SGP:741 - around 91 points.

Check the index of all rums I've tasted so far

It’s Sunday, time for another bunch of rums

It’s Sunday,
time for another bunch of rums