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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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September 11, 2022 |
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Let's see what we find in the boxes… |
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Carùpano 6 yo 'Reserva Especial' (40%, OB, Venezuela, +/-2021) 
We've never tried any Carùpano (I know the accent on the u is not right). It's from the land of Diplomatico and Santa Teresa so we're expecting some sweet lightness. Colour: light gold, so not ridden with caramel. Nose: this time it's fully on caramel, Werther's Originals, café latte and… well, café latte. It is extremely Starbucksy on the nose, do they also own distilleries? Mouth: more butterscotch, plus some rawer, thinner spirit that would make us think of very young grain whisky. Really loses any focus it would have had after ten seconds. Finish: short, spirity, and indeed full of caramel. Comments: this very light rum is not bad, actually, but it's certainly not a sipper. Neither is it very 'especial'.
SGP:720 - 70 points. |
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Ron La Progresiva de vigia '13' (41%, OB, Cuba, +/-2021)
Another brand I had never heard of although I have been roaming Cuba quite some years ago (but then again and again, I'm no rum expert). But here's a clue, it's said that it used to be made only for the Cuban nomenklatura and as gifts to heads of state visiting the island. But of course. Very flannelly packaging. Colour: gold. Nose: pretty nice I have to say, reminding me a bit of my favourite Cuban, Santagio 11 yo, with a deeper and more complex structure. Lovely hints of old copper, fresh-crushed sugarcane, touches of lavender and even rye, violet sweets, then the expected oranges, as drops and as cordials. Doesn't feel too 'sweet' on the nose. Mouth: as almost always, the palate isn't quite on par and perhaps a little indefinite, but the good news is that you wouldn't really feel any added sugar or sauces. It's actually rather vegetal, dry, and indeed with quite some cane juice. Finish: the palate is a little rougher, and a little drying, and certainly pretty grassy. Fruit peel and a little burnt caramel. Comments: naturally, the figure '13' is only mimicking an age statement, but it is a fine Cuban rum.
SGP:640 - 74 points. |
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Diamond 18 yo 2003/2021 (54.2%, Wealth Solutions, The Colours of Rum, Guyana, cask #32, 242 bottles) 
Colour: white wine. Nose: high-ester rum, pretty pure, with 'a sense of' mezcal and olives, many fermentary smells, leaven, very distant whiffs of durian, anchovies, brine and all that. In short, it's rather brilliant. With water: some acidic fruitiness coming on top (lemons, rhubarb, gooseberries) and even notes of bandages and ointments. Mouth (neat): pretty massive, appropriately dirty, salty, perhaps in the style of Versailles, or of that of several Jamaicans. Or of raw Talisker. Bags of olives and anchovies. With water: similar, with also a dirtyish grassiness. Fresh compost and old hay, perhaps. Finish: rather long, on just the same kinds of notes. Dirty aftertaste – the kind of dirt we enjoy in rum. Comments: some very excellent salty rum. I've tried a wee blend with 50% this and 50% Talisker and I have to say I'm pretty proud as that pushed the citrus to the stratosphere. Sadly that also generated some soapiness.
SGP:463 - 89 points. |
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Port Mourant 2010/2021 (61.2%, Milano Rum Festival, Guyana, cask #2, 242 bottles) 
According to the label, this one should burn, no? Colour: white wine. Nose: a bit blocked by the high ethanol but you do feel some varnish on top of the crushed olives and salted fish. Water should be added sofort (we've decided to speak European on little WF). With water: some new plastic, plywood, more salted fish, capers, engine oil… And yet there is some kind of lightness too. Mouth (neat): it's not always easy to make a difference between Versailles and Port Mourant. In any case, this is way too hot at full strength. I agree, no surprises. With water: a few sugary touches, otherwise fruits starting to get overripe (bananas) and a salty tarriness. Finish: rather long, with some 'sweet varnish' over overripe plums. Comments: I say it's as good as young Port Mourant gets.
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
Perhaps a really old Uitvlugt? |
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Uitvlugt 1989/2022 (46.7%, The Whisky Jury, Guyana, refill barrel, cask #8, 203 bottles) 
WF's new mouser, P'tit Noir, looks a bit like the one on the label. Colour: amber. Nose: wow wow wow wow wow. I know that's not very professional but then again, I'm not a pro, by any means. Lorries full of fruits from all countries, sublime tarry spices (a maharaja's own recipe for yellow curry), liquorice, tar, old car (King Charles' old Rolls) and many kinds of polishes. Mouth: we're approaching utter perfection here. Sublime combination of 'easy' fruits (all kinds) and petroly and tarry elements (all kinds as well), plus oysters and olives. Finish: perhaps the hardest part because of some kinds of tobacco-y tannins. There's quite some espresso coffee too. Comments: wow wow wow wow wow (any ideas how someone could lay himself off?)
SGP:463 - 91 points. |
Off to Trinidad and Tobago, with the usual… |
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Caroni 18 yo 1997/2015 (50.5%, Whisky-Fässle, Trinidad)
It's funny that they would have kept one of their famous western ducks instead of switching to scarlet ibis or rufous-vented chachalaca. Colour: full gold. Nose: this baby doesn't quite smell like high-ester, a.k.a. 'heavy' Caroni, but as far as lighter styles go, it's all rather pure and caney at first, then more on vegetables and green fruits. Green bananas, for example. Some flints in the back. With water: linoleum and Barbour grease. Who remembers linoleum? Mouth (neat): come on, it's not light at all! Possibly a blend of light and heavy Caroni, with these rather specific notes of patchouli, menthol and eucalyptus (but those may come from the wood). Salted lemon juice. With water: some chocolate, some salt, some eggplants, a little cardboard. Not exactly your average Caroni, but as I could taste some old officials in the past, I would say we're rather close here. Finish: rather long, saltier. Some salted and peppered fudge in the aftertaste. Comments: it's been a little hard after the supersonic Uitvlugt, but it turned out very all right in the end.
SGP:452 - 88 points. |
No rum session would be complete without a Jamaican! |
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Hampden 3 yo 2018/2022 'HLCF' (64.6%, Velier for Salon du Rhum Belgique, Jamaica, bourbon, cask #284, 262 bottles)
HLCF, that's supposed to mean between 500 and 700 grams esters per HLPA, so rather high. But once again and just like ppms peat, those figures do not always translate into the end spirit. As for such a young Hampden, that's pretty much the equivalent of a proper Toledo sword dipped into hemlock; let's try to survive… Colour: white wine. Nose: sour wine, green lemons, brine, Mediterranean seawater (I'm joking), carbon paper and diesel oil. Some unexpected mangos and bananas in the background, after all this is rum. With water: superb, on new Formica (I've heard they're producing some again) and whey. Mouth (neat): pretty splendid and seemingly full of acetone, ammonia, benzine, carbon dust and dead oysters. Something demoniacal at almost 65% vol. With water: the usual oysters and olives, some smokiness, and a lot of brine or seawater (not obligatorily from the Mediterranean). Finish: very long, rather more on rotting bananas of all kinds, yellow, blue, green, pink… Comments: totally love this spirit. I know I should not grant such young booze with such high scores.
SGP:452 - 90 points. |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted so far
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