Just a few more rums on this cold Sunday


December 11, 2022

A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace!

Just a few more rums on this cold Sunday, wishing for springtime already

As it said.

Chairman's Reserve 'Legacy' (43%, OB, St. Lucia, +/-2021)

We've already had some excellent single casks while the regular NAS has been a little more pedestrian in my book, back in 2016 (WF 79). Time to have this other fair-price NAS from St. Lucia Distillers… Colour: rich gold. Nose: it is one of those single blends (molasses, ex-pot and column) that do showcase some agricole traits, in this very case cane juice, liquorice, overripe bananas and benzine plus engine oil in dribs and drabs. The liquorice would tend to take over, together with a little bit of rubber smoke. Mouth: perhaps not as full as we were expecting after the lovely nose, the arrival being pretty nice (more liquorice, fruits, spices) but the middle a little too dry and even flattish, before it would then really take off, with really a lot of salted liquorice and even some black olives. Finish: rather long, always on salted liquorice. A little toffee too. Overripe tropical fruits in the aftertaste. Comments: a lively, pretty complex, relatively estery and smoky Chairman's Reserve.
SGP:452 - 84 points.

Turquoise Bay 'Amber Rum' (40%, OB, Mauritius, +/-2022)

The packaging might be a little too 'nice', many new-built brands of rum are being packaged like this these days… You're right, whiskies too. Colour: gold. Nose: very light, with a little aniseed, cardamom and triple-sec, also rose petals and patchouli. Little whiffs of wood alcohol as well as some liquid caramel and vanillin. Very harmless, it seems… Mouth: some sugar, orange liqueur, a touch of caraway, peach syrup, pineapple syrup. Very light and pretty sweet, but at least they have not really over-sweetened it. Finish: short and easy. The aftertaste is a little too sugary for me. Comments: not exactly a sipper, but this one feels 'honest' – while calling for a few ice cubes.
SGP:730 - 70 points.

Chamarel 2012/2022 (55.6%, Navigate World Whisky, Highveld Aging Series, Mauritius, sauternes cask, cask #SAU29, 294 bottles)

Single estate rum from the south-west of Mauritius. Many rums are advertised as 'single-estate' but that often means 'single -distillery', as in 'single malt', whereas Chamarel do grow their own sugarcanes. Them too blend ex-column and ex-pot still rums, this one being pure cane juice, matured in Sauternes wood. Colour: red amber. Nose: wee touch of rubber and struck matches at first, then an avalanche of jams and jellies, especially peach and mirabelle. Add quince and apricot, as well as some strong honey, heather-style. With water: gets a little gentler, but it's also having more prunes, pipe tobacco and stout. You're right, not exactly gentler… Mouth (neat): thick, coating, very unusual, full of propolis, resins, menthol, eucalyptus, then those jams, then caraway and clove. Big time! With water: the nicest part. Wonderful fruity spiciness, stolle, fruitcake, speculoos, ginger and clove, cracked pepper… Finish: very long, this time with a mentholy freshness over a feeling of old armagnac, with these spicy prunes in the aftertaste. Comments: one of my favourite Mauritians this far. Love the heaviness, absolutely not a flaw under these kinds of circumstances.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Clarendon 2013/2022 (67.3%, L'Esprit, Jamaica, cask #BB 434512, 254 bottles)

Let's get prepared… Colour: gold. Nose: huge varnish, ammonia, acetone, glue, capers and olives, plus toasted bread. And 67%+. With water: more fruits, less acetone, and quite a lot of gingerbread and Läckerli. A drop of absinth, or perhaps simply pastis (aniseed, liquorice). Mouth (neat): it is kind of approachable, with five litres of banana liqueur blended with a good litre of varnish, all that in one little tulip glass. With water: you could believe it's Hmpdn. Some thick spicy apricot liqueur of some sort and some lime juice to keep it refreshing. Lovely fresh spiciness, green pepper, parsley, celery… The celery really lifts it up. Finish: back to heavier matters, that is to say tar, basically. And oak spices, cinnamon clove… Comments: not as tough as other Clarendons or Monymusks, despite the high strength and the very spicy aftertaste.
SGP:463 - 87 points.

Oh well, since we've mentioned Hmpdn…

Hampden 23 yo 1998/2022 'HD' (58.7%, Wealth Solutions, The Colours of Rum, Jamaica, 247 bottles)

The marque here was 'HLCF', that's 500-700 gr esters per HLPA. Medium at Hampden, huge almost anywhere else! Colour: white wine. Nose: I'm not sure you can beat these olives, chalk, samphires, model glue and overripe bananas. With water: new bicycle inner tube, retsina, perhaps fennel seeds, capers. Mouth (neat): perhaps a notch sweeter than others, perhaps a tad heavier on tar and salty chutneys as well, it's even a tad shochu-y, in a way, it should go well with fatty meats and some cheeses, such as our beloved comté. Or with Moroccan garlic and pil-pil prawns (aren't we hungry now?) With water: this one will definitely work wonders with spicy food. Finish: very long, sublimely liquoricy and salty. Logically, there's a lot of salty liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: there are many tinier flavours and aromas that we haven't even mentioned. Desert island dram, as they say on the continent.
SGP:563 - 91 points.

Ding-a-ling, last one…

Chalong Bay 'Lunar Series' (62.1% OB, Thailand, Antipodes, 2022)

Distilled in Thailand and aged in France for 20 months. We had tried the first Chalong Bays when they were only allowed to bottle at 40% vol. (upon some Thai law, as far as I can remember) and have always been thinking that the potential was huge. Glad to be able to try one at a much higher strength (to say the least). Colour: pale white wine. Nose: so funny! Pure vesou, cane juice, leaven, pancake dough, rotting pineapples and bananas, fresh yuzu and lime… Love this fermentary and yet fresh and fruity combination. With water: whoops, some acetone waking up, some bananas flambéed too. Mouth (neat): very heavy lime, some saltiness, plus some agave syrup and just blanche d'Armagnac. No, really. With water: funny indeed, with some sweet lime liqueur, elderberry liqueur, also some pear eau-de-vie and sweet vanilla. That 'sweet' vanilla is maybe not the nicest part here, it's almost as if the oak had cancelled a part of the lovely character. Only a small part… Finish: long, sweet. Toffee apple and pears plus custard. Comments: very good, but not that easy to follow. I'm not 100% sure the spirit and the wood were really getting along. But yeah, very good, nonetheless.
SGP:552 - 83 points.

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