Another rum Sunday at WF HQ


June 11, 2023

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!

This is another rum Sunday at WF HQ

Distillerie Carrère - Montebello, Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe (Montebello)

We'll taste them as they come out of the boxes and try to make them as diverse as possible, because if I listened to myself, I would only try my favourite styles and names.

Koloa 'Kaua'i Gold' (40%, OB, Hawaii, +/-2022)

They say this one is distilled from 'pure cane sugar', so it should be very light, let's see. Colour: straw. Nose: very light indeed, slightly grassy, with whiffs of hay, straw, and Mum's vanilla sugar. Very very very very soft… Mouth: not much, a little more grass, a touch of liquorice, a little burnt sugar, but it's totally a whisperer, with a little ethanol having the final say. Finish: short, not totally unpleasant, but I believe it's the lightest rum I've tried this year, so far. Or wasn't it the very humble Bacardi 'Anejo Cuatro'? Pure white sugar in the aftertaste. Comments: extremely light and not too bad, so harmless, but was it even aged in oak? Or in any other kind of wood? Was it even aged at all?
SGP:420 - 60 points.

Kasama 7 yo (40%, OB, Philippines, +/-2022)

I brought this one back from Poland, it's bottled by Polmos in small batches. Hope they don't make this one as some make Don Papa. Colour: gold. Nose: more pineapple than in pineapples! This is made in a lab, it is not proper rum. Vanilla extracts, glycol, pineapples… It is, in truth, extremely reminiscent of the cheapest Don Papa. Mouth: this pineapple liqueur is probably not too bad if you pour it over tons of crushed ice, and add bits of fresh pineapple, a straw and a paper umbrella. And 'Pais Tropical' on the stereo. Finish: none, just sugar syrup. Comments: it is not a bad drink, not at all, it is just not rum. The problem doesn't lie in the bottle, it's the fact that they call it 'Small Batch Rum Aged 7 Years'. Of course I've brought back much better stuff from Poland.
SGP:810 - 50 points.

Proper rum please…

Clément 2020/2023 'Canne Bleue Vieux' (42%, OB, Martinique, 20th Anniversary, agricole)

It's a 3 years old, so I suppose it was bottled this year as the vintage is 2020. It's 100% blue cane from various locations/terroirs. It should be particularly earthy… Colour: full gold. Nose: rye and pencil shavings! Then cedarwood indeed, vanilla (no artificial extracts this time) and rather a lot of sweet liquorice and aniseed, plus a little marmalade, hessian, dunnage... Very pleasant, somewhat 'oriental', with whiffs of incense. Mouth: I believe this cedarwood is a tad loud and would have deserved a higher strength so that it wouldn't become tea-ish, but the rest is most amiable, with this spicy earth, notes of bok choy, rye bread indeed, caraway and marmalade. Finish: earthier yet, a tiny tad cardboardy (the 42%) but pleasingly spicy indeed. A little chestnut honey and lavender in the aftertaste (sweets). Comments: could we have these at 50% vol., as the whites are?
SGP:562 - 84 points.

Foursquare 11 yo 2010/2022 (59.3%, The Colours of Rum, Barbados, No.17, bourbon, 264 bottles)

Aged for 5 years in the tropics and probably the usual self-blend of column and pot rums. Now I do vividly and fondly remember the 'pure pot' Foursquare I could try last year. I'm sure there will be more. Colour: gold. Nose: always this orangey lightness that's so seductive, these Jaffa cakes, marmalade, actually even more orange juice (freshly squeezed), orange blossom… Aren't oranges stealing the show here? But rum with Vitamin C, who would complain? With water: light earthiness, putty, marzipan, touch of linoleum perhaps… Mouth (neat): not the first time that I'm finding an agricole side to a Foursquare. Orange cake, cane honey, maple syrup, rosehip tea, these touches of varnish and lemon juice that we always enjoy… With water: stays the same, gets just easier – not that it was difficult before. Finish: medium, on orange blossom madeleines and scones, and indeed orange juice. Soft aftertaste. Comments: particularly excellent at just 11. Now since years in the tropics are tripled, that would actually be (3*5)+6 = 21 years. I liked this one better than No.18.
SGP: 641- 89 points.

We feel a desire for more FS (is that bad, doctor?) …

Foursquare 14 yo 2008/2023 (57.1%, The Roots, Barbados, cask #1, 271 bottles)

8 years in the tropics and 6 continental this time, so (8*3) +6=30 years. Right. Colour: gold. Nose: subtle but extremely cakey. Five O'clock tea, with English tea, scones, muffins, religieuses, macaroons, shortbreads and millionaire fudge. Plus fresh butter, marmalade and apricot jam. With water: I believe they never change hugely hen watered down. Let's say there is a little hay and crushed canes coming out. Mouth (neat): super-moist orange cake, giga-panettone from this morning, and touches of varnish and liquorice, plus coriander. With water: herbal teas. It needs water but water is not needed, see what I mean? Finish: medium, probably a little rounder yet than the 2010. Earthier aftertaste, with some caraway too. Comments: we could spend a whole night – and two litres of each – to try to decide on my favourite. That wouldn't be reasonable.
SGP:641 - 89 points.

Something rarer…

Montebello 23 yo 1998/2022 (43.3%, The Colours of Rum, Guadeloupe, No.1, 155 bottles)

I never quite managed to make myself a religion about Montebello, as we say here. Last time it was all very 1975… But the indies would usually help. In rum too, the indies are extremely important. Colour: straw. Nose: so charmingly weird! Elderberries everywhere, sorb, chequers, St. Germain… Now was it worth the hassle to harvest, distil and age cane juice to come up some elderberry/flower eau-de-vie and liqueur? Only half-joking… Mouth: same feelings, it's all about elder. How bizarre… Some acacia gum too, zucchini flower fritter, then blood orange… Even if the ABV would suggest otherwise, I would suppose it was entirely aged on location, on Basseterre. Finish: medium, exactly on, I insist, elderflower liqueur. Comments: what's good is that apparently, Elderflower liqueur had dethroned Aperol in Spritzes. Make some Montebello Spritz? Ideas ideas…
SGP:660 - 85 points.

Good, a powerful Jamaican bearing the same age/vintage, and we are done.

Monymusk 23 yo 1998/2022 'AHJ' (59.4%, Rest & Be Thankful, Jamaica, barrel, 181 bottles)

These labels are really nice, they should make T-shirts. Never heard of the 'AHJ' marque, possibly a broker's. What I know is that 'AH' means low esters at Monymusk. Colour: straw. Nose: it's like peat on the Kildalton coast, or the 'nose of Jaune' in some parts of Jura, it's never totally absent. What I mean is that this baby is still rather estery, with olives (right, those small pink ones), brine, nail polish and rotting pineapples. With water: rubber bands and lemon zests. Mouth (neat): low marque, that's right. A lot of lemon juice, brine, varnish, lemongrass, coriander… But indeed it is not a monster Jamaican at all. With water: right, but its lovely, salty, briny, with excellent citrus, tangerine and citron liqueur, overripe bananas, cigarettes, and the smallest drop of varnish ever. Finish: medium, very good, with a touch of salty petrol and some pineapple in the aftertaste. Comments: charming, refined. In the olden days, some would have added 'a smidgen feminine', regretablly.
SGP:552 - 87 points.

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