Rums for chums and maple for mates


September 18, 2022

Rums for chums and maple for mates

Assorted rums from any origins.

Pusser's Rum (40%, OB, Guyana, +/-2021)

British Navy rum, or the 'original admiralty rum'. With a salute to the Queen and to all our friends over there, who've granted us with yet a stunning Black Adder episode since their majesty's passed away. We're not familiar with Pusser's, we only remember a 15 that used to be poor at best. Colour: amber. Nose: starts very well, briney and bouillony, rather acetic as well, with some soy sauce, leeks, rotting plums, whiffs of plastic, coffee and even garlic… Pleasantly bacterial so far, shall we say. Mouth: well, this is way superior to that older 15, not sure about what happened that day. Good tar, brine, molasses, pipe tobacco, marrow soup, hoisin and all that. Even the low strength doesn't feel low. Finish: long, more of coffee and molasses. Comments: I've seen some good people calling this one 'Port Mourant Blue Label'. That would make sense.
SGP:662 - 83 points.

Polaris 'Constellation' (48%, OB, Canary Islands, +/-2021)

This is from a 30 years old solera, you understand, and bottled by 'La Palma Distillers'. At least they haven't added a large '30' to the label. Other rums from the Canaries that we could try have always been… well, I can't quite remember them… Very sweet for sure! Colour: full gold. Nose: sweet coffee, Frappuccino, Tia Maria, Coca-Cola, Jägermeister and molasses. All right then… Mouth: sweet and resinous. Have I mentioned Jägermeister, already? And burnt caramel? And old bitter walnuts? I've tried it with water and that won't help. Finish: medium, saltier. A Spaniard trying to mimic the Guyanians. Comments: not too bad, at all. Some action in there, even if many will find it too molassy. Well, I wouldn't sip it but it's still in the 'good surprise' category.
SGP:461 - 78 points.

Panama Rum 22 yo 2000/2022 'PMD' (46.3%, The Whiskyfind for Whisky Picnic Bar Taiwan, bourbon barrel, cask #13, 241 bottles)

Most certainly distilled at Don José's (Abuelo) and then aged for 8 years in Panama, then 14 years in the U.K. Colour: gold. Nose: typical light, ex-cane syrup columny rum, certainly pleasant in its lightness, with notes of orange cake and oriental pastries, angel hair, makrouts and all that. Some light honey, some light rosewater and some light orange blossom. Keyword: light. Mouth: certainly one of the better ones, possibly thanks to a good barrel which has imparted good vanilla, on top of good oranges and certainly some sugarcane honey. Touch of chocolate and liquorice in the background, which would add texture and structure. Finish: unexpectedly long, with some bitter chartreuse-like herbs adding yet another dimension. Honey in the aftertaste. Comments: certainly not an empty 'ron' here.
SGP:550 - 85 points.

Off to deeper-rum countries…

Penny Blue 2011/2021 (48%, The Navigator, Navigate World Whisky, Mauritius, sherry, cask #227, 138 bottles)

Other Penny Blues have been a little sweet, but this single cask may be different. Colour: deep amber. Nose: certainly rather El-Dorado-y, feeling caramelly and molassy, going on with crystallised fruits and jams, plums, prunes, marzipan-filled dates and pipe tobacco. It does not feel too 'sweet'. Whiffs of cedarwood, so pencil shavings too. Mouth: hurray, it's not a total sugar-bomb, even if it is very sweet and molassy indeed. Bags of fruit jelly (plums, blackcurrant, apricot) and deep-sweetened coffee, plus dried figs and toffee. Finish: medium, syrupy, yet kind of straight. Comments: a (slightly) drier Mauritian, that's good, as many are not exactly recommended by dentists ;-). Very good sweet drop from the Indian ocean.
SGP:640 - 82 points.

Special Edition 4 (55.2%, Sample Eleven, blended rum, maple syrup cask finish, 320 bottles, +/-2021)

Maple syrup casks? Do they actually exist? This set-up pretty much sounds like Ozzy Osbourne willing to sing Pergolesi's Stabat Matter, if you ask me. So, some fun to be had, I imagine… Colour: straw. Nose: right, the rum was nice and the maple syrup pretty absent. No false notes that I can detect this far, Ozzy, rather a sweet acidity that would rather hint at late-harvest riesling. With water: what is this trick? Very nice herbal and sweet nose, with some minerality that comes unexpected. White wine tightness. Mouth (neat): once again, I don't find the maple syrup but I do find the very good rum. A family-pack of liquorice allsorts, plus some limoncello and citron liqueur. Between us, did this lovely acidity stem from the maple syrup cask? With water: becomes really excellent, with some tar, liquorice, salt, tobacco… Finish: rather long, unexpectedly dry and pretty caney. Comments: I believe the Rum Mercenary, who's behind this bottling, should give his recipe for free and for the common good. So maple syrup casks you say?...
SGP:652 - 88 points.

A last one…

Port Mourant at Uitvlugt 26 yo 1995/2021 'PM' (52.6%, Nobilis Rum, Guyana, No13, 169 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: tinned anchovies and sardines, plus camphor, menthol, glue, olives and liquorice. Classic and classy. With water: linoleum, diesel oil, an old petrol station in Arkansas, and Provençale tapenade. Proper zeitgeist. Mouth (neat): massive, varnishy, acetone-y, glue-y, and wonderful. This is high-speed tasting. With water: tremendous batches, this one being just a tad rural. Right, rustic. Or a little robust. Plastics, olives, paraffin and natural rubber. Finish: long and dry, and rather tarry. Not a tenth of an ounce of sweetness here. All the liquorice of the Creation in the aftertaste. Comments: certainly not the easiest Port Mourant at Uitvlugt ever, but this austere, almost Jansenist side of it appeals to us. Coz we're very austere people, you know (writing this while listening to Kool & The Gang, no shame indeed).
SGP:363 - 89 points.

Quickly, a last last one, for the road…

Caroni 19 yo 1999/2019 (61.2%, Michiel Wigman, Precious Moments, Trinidad, 69 bottles)

Yeah well… Colour: deep gold. Nose: rough, explosive, full of plastics, of bits of tyres, of spent engine oils, of bitter walnuts, even of Madeira wine, dry Marsala, artichokes, black olives… In truth there is a curious feeling here, let's see how it unfolds in our wee tulip glass… With water: OMG. Mustard and plastics, new LP, pinecones, new leatherette, model glue, gluey model (I'm joking, drop that)… Mouth (neat): holy featherless crow! It is an utter monster indeed, shock-full of rubbers and glues. Do not even consider drinking even a single drop of this mammoth of a rum without any waters (I just did and to tell you the truth, I am not feeling too well… Honestly!) With water: there, easier rubbers and tars, but it remains extremely gluey, dry to the bone, and as some would say, 'chemical'. Perhaps for masochists? Finish: long, salty and very tough. Probably one of the heaviest heavy Caronis, never meant to be drunk unblended. Salted rubber in the aftertaste. A tiny touch of butterscotch in the post-aftertaste – that's an ocean of civilisation in this context. Comments: almost a prototype of the heaviest rums they ever made in the Caribbean, for adventurous chemists only; or unapologetic masochists. I might be part of them but frankly, it's tough.
SGP:374 - 85 points.

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