This is another rum Sunday


July 16, 2023

This is another rum Sunday

As usual, we'll try to find both pretty pedestrian juices - excessive packaging and historical or pseudo-historical names would tend to give them away in the first place – and some heavier and/or more complex ones from the Islays and Highlands of rum.

La Favorite in Martinique (Odyssea)

Embargo 'Anejo Exquisito' (40%, OB, blended rum, +/-2022)

The name's a little scary (why try it if it's under embargo?) but the very diverse origins involved here are intriguing, namely Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, Martinique and Cuba. Five different rums altogether. Colour: light gold. Nose: the nose is light too, I doubt they would have added Caroni, Bielle or Neisson. In truth it is very pleasantly caney, and indeed there are even faint touches of benzine, but it is really very light on the nose. Mouth: a little sweet and still light, with oranges, a little liquorice, molasses, then plain sugar, perhaps fructose. Also a little cinnamon liqueur and some vanilla sugar. Finish: short and sugary, but it is relatively okay. Comments: I would have believed it was another story-driven Dominican. Not too bad but the sweetness is hard to stand, in my humble opinion. I suppose you could use it in cocktails without the need to add any sugarcane syrup. Now embargoed at WF Towers indeed. Ha.
SGP:730 - 50 points.

Panama 15 yo (43%, Transcontinental Rum Line for Navigate World Whisky, cask #PA15sPMD93, 160 bottles, 2021)

This is a single solera cask, not too sure how that works. Colour: gold. Nose: some wood smoke, perhaps pinewood, reseda, plus orange juice, rosewood, geranium and ylang-ylang, some smoked bacon. It's very complex, pretty intriguing, and to be honest, I wouldn't have said 'Panama!' Mouth: I'm not saying 'Panama!' either, as it's dry, still smoky, earthy, with good liquorice wood, eggplants, some polish, tar… I would say it works pretty well at just 43% vol. Finish: medium, herbal, tarry, this time with notes of absinth, wormwood, aniseed… Salted liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: as intriguing as the cask number, ha. Excellent surprise, would love to try a version at 48-50% vol. Now, Panama, really?
SGP:552 - 86 points.

Foursquare 8 yo (46%, 1731 Rum, Barbados, 2022)

This one was fully matured in the tropics. It is the usual blend of column and pot still Foursquare. We've tried all kinds of blackmail and threats but could never get an answer WRT the proportions from the owners. I think we'll send them Munster cheese in the midst of August and use snail mail. Unless… Colour: light gold. Nose: a little varnish and ink at first, then rather hay, straw, fennel, Jerusalem artichokes and chamomile tea. It is a light and delicate Foursquare on the nose. Mouth: varnish again, a petroly side, more grass and hay, all that in all lightness. Notes of American oak and vanilla. Finish: medium, on green tea, grass, tobacco and oak shavings. Lemony aftertaste. Comments: rather a lighter Foursquare, pleasant and pretty refreshing. The oak feels a little bit but it does spice it up. Good combo.
SGP:461 - 85 points.

Inner Circle 5 yo 'Navy Strength' (57.2%, OB, Australia, 2,700 bottles)

This brand is made at Beenleigh, which is no bad news, is it. Molasses and column. Colour: gold. Nose: cool, really. Caraway, aniseed, fennel seeds, a lot of woodruff (as a matter of fact I drank a large glass of woodruff syrup just yesterday and couldn't miss this nose), pine nuts, various resins… With water: just more of all that, plus angelica. Love angelica. Mouth (neat): same heavily caraway-driven arrival, then aniseed, dill, and a lot of green plums and green liquorice. With water: some green tannicity, apple peel, green walnuts, and a little oil, coal tar or something. Finish: rather long, with more 'greenness'. Leaves, grass, Chinese anise… Comments: the Australian Navy has got the wrong submarines (hey it's a joke), but they sure have good rums Downunda. Excellent unusual rum, I'm also reminded of that amburana wood we've tried lately.
SGP:362 - 85 points.

La Favorite 2019/2022 'Cuvée Sé nou menm' (51.2%, OB, Martinique, 500 bottles)

Apparently, Facebook has been somehow involved here, which feels a little 2007, no? This rhum is barely 3, but they managed to insert a finishing in cognac wood, quite an achievement if you ask me. Colour: gold. Nose: typical Favorite moist fruitiness, with overripe bananas and pineapples, plus huge quantities of pipe tobaccos of all kinds, patchouli, plus a little sweet wine (grand and petit manseng, I would say). It is extremely aromatic. With water: earthier and more herbal. Damp hay, linoleum, peonies… An unusual style. Mouth (neat): concentrated, rather extractive, rich, on praline, caramel, cinnamon rolls, liquorice and more tobacco. Perhaps a tad drying at this point, that's the extractiveness. With water: same feeling but there are many root vegetables, which I always like a lot. Not the king of all swimmers, though, it would become a little flat and drying if you added too much H2O. Finish: very long, earthy, with awesome aniseedy touches and some grapefruit. Comments: a little cask-forward but let's not ruin our own pleasure, it's very good. Just a little extractive…
SGP:461 - 87 points.

Monymusk 23 yo 1999/2022 (55.8%, Rest & Be Thankful, LMDW, Jamaica, American oak barrel, 143 bottles)

A very low-ester expression of Monymusk but I'll say it again, numbers don't always mean much and everyone's got his/her own detection threshold anyway. Colour: white wine. Nose: new rubber, bicycle inner tube, new garden hose and Barbour grease. See what I mean. With water: seawater and olives, plus ski wax. I know what you think, ski wax in Jamaica? Have you ever watched the movie 'Rasta Rocket'? Mouth (neat): excellent. The right amounts of rubber, the right amounts of bananas, and the right amounts of green olives. With water: really excellent. Perfect earths, liquorice, olives, and indeed, rubbers. Finish: long and saltier. Olives and limes in the aftertaste, plus a good glass of margarita. Yep. Comments: at this age and given the well-behaved wood, it was not much of a contest.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

Some Caroni and we're done.

Caroni 24 yo 1998/2022 (62.9%, The Colours of Rum, Wealth Solutions, Trinidad, No.3, 251 bottles)

Eleven years in the tropics and thirteen years in Europe (what they call 'the continent'). Isn't the strength a little frightening after twenty-four years of aging? Colour: full gold. Nose: not heavy Caroni? Not sure. Mutton suet, polishes, drawing gum, hay and garden compost, umami sauce… I'm sure water is needed (Einstein!) With water: just litres of fresh paint, plus an old toolbox (in an old garage, in an old house, and so on). Mouth (neat): no, extreme and brilliant. Good, no, this is all excessive, you'd almost believe you're eating a cigar. Not too sure, after all, it is not a beverage for humans. Very extreme stuff. With water: you'll need a lot of water to tame this Caroni. Drinking diesel oil and oak juice. Finish: long, on last week's black tea forgotten in the teapot, and lamp oil. Comments: not an ounce of sweetness. Look, me poor whisky drinker, me not accustomed to these whacky extremes, me not even know how to score this, me ask for your comprehension. Very good, notheless, perhaps just not the best ever within this wonderful and pretty prestigious series.
SGP:273 - 86 points.

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