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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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May 26, 2024 |
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Crazy Rums without any silly aperitifs |
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| The schooner brigantine 'Tres Hombres' (France-Antilles Guadeloupe) |
We continue our exploration of the rum world, where we're starting to see more finishings, particularly in wine casks but also in barrels that previously held stronger-flavoured rums. One could imagine Barcelo or Bacardi finished in a Caroni or Jamaican cask (no, no, that's a bad idea!). In any case, rum is following malt whisky in this regard, though it's unclear if these in-cask blends, as we say at Habitation Whiskyfun, are always a good idea. Of course, these barrels used for the finishing process are never 'wet' and are always carefully rinsed of their previous contents, as required by etiquette and sometimes by law. Naturally! So, let's find an aperitif, avoiding any overly sweet molasses bombs this time... |
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Saint James 'Cuvée 1765' (42%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2015) 
A young cuvée crafted to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Saint James, presented in a lovely bottle. It seems it is still offered to enthusiasts. We hold Saint James in high regard. There, that's said. Colour: yellow gold. Nose: full of yellow flowers (dandelion, buttercup), very ripe mango, and some camphorated, even medicinal touches (balms, bandages). Then come avalanches of fruit candies of all sorts. It's very, very seductive and easy. Mouth: it really seems like there's a bit of peat, which is amusing. Yet I am sure there isn't any. The rest combines ripe banana, pineapple, a touch of saltiness, toasted brioche, and maple syrup. Finish: medium length, more on cocoa powder and roasted pineapple. This slight sensation of medicinal, coastal peat lingers in the aftertaste. Definitely... Comments: a few more watts would have been welcome but it's still a damn good juice, quite flattering but never vulgar.
SGP:642 - 85 points. |
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Père Labat 2018 'Sélection Les Frères de la Côte' (59%, Les Frères de la Côte, Marie-Galante, agricole, 760 bottles, 2022)
I remind you that Marie-Galante is part of Guadeloupe. This rum spent 4 years on the island, then crossed the Atlantic on a sailing ship, the Tres Hombres (nothing to do with ZZ Top), for 3 months (they took their time!), before resting for 2 months in mainland France. Ageing at sea has always fascinated people, ever since the Glenlivet 1899 'return from Australia' we tasted a few years ago with the BBC. Colour: gold. Nose: lots of ripe strawberries and freshly squeezed oranges, then tobacco, leather, and liquorice. Also, that very earthy side typical of the rums we greatly enjoy. But at this strength, we'll add water quickly. With water: damp earth and seaweed, then ground coffee after use. Mouth (neat): beautiful power, very fine fruity spices, cardamom, pink peppercorns, violet liqueur and lavender sweets, liquorice, and a salty edge like in Saint James… With water: the salinity becomes even more pronounced, as does the liquorice. Also, some flowers like borage. Finish: long, fresh, fruity, floral, and spicy all at once. Some notes of very ripe peach. Comments: in the end, it remains quite classic and very, very good despite its young age. They speak of 'dynamic ageing,' but this aspect remains difficult to identify during tasting (obviously).
SGP:552 - 86 points. |
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Clairin Vieux Vaval 8 yo 2015/2023 (51.8%, Velier, Haiti, First Release) 
From Distillerie Arawaks in Cavaillon, distilled from Madame Meuze cane juice. Not entirely certain about the casks they've used – there were two of them. I must admit, I'm not convinced that aged clairin is superior to the dazzling white ones. Colour: gold. Nose: an abundance of acetone, reminiscent of nail polish remover. It's doubtful that the maturation process has softened this spirit, which, in my opinion, is fantastic. There are amusing hints of aubergines, artichokes, turnips, potting soil, gherkins, and capers… With water: notes of Pattex and UHU glue. Mouth (neat): I'd say we're on safe ground here, as there's just as much varnish and even ammonia as in the white versions. Hurrah! Some green olives too, and a peculiar sensation akin to having chewed on a pair of wellingtons the previous evening. Best forgotten. With water: oh, splendid! Still plenty of glue and varnish, but now complemented by plums and exceedingly overripe bananas. You're correct, nearly rotting. Finish: very long, with a saltier, rather bacterial quality. And olives, always olives. Comments: s-u-c-c-e-s-s. Courage, poor Haiti!
SGP:563 - 88 points. |
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Clairin Vieux Casimir 8 yo 2015/2023 (53.6%, Velier, Haiti, First Release)
From 'Hawaii' cane from terroir 'Baradères'. They've used two ex-malt whisky barrels, hope there was not much whisky influence – right, better none. Colour: pale gold. Nose: more around tar, tyres, capers, brand new scuba diving suits (useful in the Caribbean)… With water: a little gentler, with oils and butter. Sour wine, vinegar from Jerez, pinesap, cigar ashes… Even if it doesn't sound like it, it's fantastic. Mouth (neat): a little gentler here, but utterly perfect as far as balance is concerned. Salty olives and fruits, chutneys, tarmac; bananas… This one dazzles on your palate. With water: holy featherless crow! In truth, it tends to veer off course so to speak and becomes quite acetic, but isn't there a bit of a masochist in every aficionado of such spirits? Finish: long and once again more civilised. Pepper. Comments: I've found the trick; one must just avoid adding too much water. Admirable clairin.
SGP:563 - 89 points. |
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TDL 19 yo 2003/2022 (59.1%, Compagnie des Indes for The Auld Alliance, Trinidad, 280 bottles) 
This should be a fruit bomb. We've had some terrific TDLs within recent months. Colour: deep gold. Nose: never was a spirit this fruity. Incredible peaches, pineapples, papayas, passion fruits, mangos, pears… Sniffs like a blend of Littlemill 1990, Cooley 1991, Lochside 1966 and Benriach 1976. It's almost evil. With water: the rum's elements now come through, natural rubber, liquorice, a bit of bagasse, a hint of lady's moisturiser… Mouth (neat): a fruit bomb once again. We can just add to the above list some Bowmore and Laphroaig from the 1960s. But is this really rum? Isn't it more like fortified mango juice? With water: fresh parsley and Thai basil join the parade of exotic fruits. Finish: long, with a great purity of fruit. Wonderful touches of coriander leaves – if you like coriander leaves, of course. Comments: mad fruitiness, there's almost an embarrassing side to it. I know what I'm meaning…
SGP:851 - 91 points. |
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Ewarton 17 yo 2005/2022 'WPL' (54.8%, Velier & Silver Seal, Cedro Series, Jamaica, 178 bottles)
This is a Worthy Park entirely aged at the distillery. Not too sure about what 'Ewarton' refers to, what we know is that 'WPL' means it's a very light marque (60-120 gr ester/HLPA). What's really interesting here is that 2005 was the first vintage of 'new Worthy Park', the distillery having previously remained silent for decades. Colour: gold. Nose: cedar shavings, hops, tangerines, incense, sandalwood, ripe papayas, cane honey, plasticine. And one small olive. With water: very lovely, midway between the world of fresh fruits and that of crazy esters (funk, as some friends say). In short, more incense, old Himalayan temple, red tea, and so on. Old clothes in an old wardrobe. Mouth (neat): once more, this is absolutely not 'light', but it is very acetic, with obvious notes of cider vinegar. Some pinot gris, quince, fruity-lighter varnish (acetate) in the background. With water: no need water, H2O slightly dismembers it, so to speak. Straight oak and big peppers coming out, the limits of exclusive tropical aging. Finish: long, on cocoa, bitter chocolate… Comments: nothing to add.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
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Diamond (Port Mourant) 10 yo 2013/2023 (63.5%, Rock & Rhum, Guyana)
Got to love these wee French bottlers that write rum, 'rhum'. We've already tried an excellent variant at a lower strength (WF 88). Colour: pale white wine. Nose: lovely turpentine, bicycle inner tube, coal dust, cellulosic varnish, engine oil, smallest olives… With water: leatherette, carbon, small acidic apples. The ones you couldn't even distill, even if you added tons of sugar and bags of champagne yeast. Mouth (neat): awesomely pure, salty, briney and fantastically 'chemical'. Sounds odd but I know you know what I'm talking 'bout. This pure rooty liquorice is just as awesome, by the way. With water: waxes and ashes in all their guises. Lime juice and olive oil. Finish: long, tight, rubbery in a good way, a notch metallic as well. After all it's only ten. Comments: Port Mourant, one of the grandest distillates, thanks to the prehistoric distilling equipment. Innovation? You go first… Forgot to mention a Bowmore-y side – without the Aston Martin nonsense.
SGP:463 - 89 points. |
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Port Mourant 2010/2022 (59%, Rum Nation, Guyana, sherry finish)
The folks at Rum Nation in Italy are simply wonderful (there, this should earn us a half-pint of Moretti next time we meet). Colour: chardonnay. Nose: the sherry remains subtle, and that's that. Otherwise, it's a slightly gentler Port Mourant, more on vegetable oils, apples, papayas, with some cigar ashes and graphite, charcoal, pencils… With water: very lovely notes of white asparagus, which we adore! Mouth (neat): excellent, on tart apples, lemon, very green olive oil, liquorice wood… Really very good and more lemony than others. Don't tell me it's the sherry finish that's the guilty party… Or was it manzanilla? With water: saltier but still civilised. Perhaps a bit of walnut liqueur, and that's the sherry. No problem. Or perhaps our Italian friends added some Nocino from Modena while everyone was looking the other way. Finish: long but balanced. The green walnuts becomes evident. Comments: one could drink quite a lot of this. Hey, it's none of my business, but a nocino finish, why not?
SGP:463 – 88 points. |
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Caroni 25 yo 1997/2023 'Venus' (60.1%, Jack Tar, Cosmic Series, cask #81)
TBH, everything gets a little cosmic once you've got some good Caroni in your glass. What's terrible is that once you've heard the word 'Venus', you cannot not think of Shocking Blue – or yeah, or Banana-rama (good one S. You're fired). Colour: deep gold. Nose: no banana here; we are deeply entrenched in precious woods, associated varnishes, and furniture waxes. Rosewood, cigar humidor, cedar, thuja wood, old cask, old solera butt, cigar box… we are truly in these realms. With water: oh, how beautiful! An old Italian library crammed full of incunabula. Leather, waxes, old paper, parchment… Mouth (neat): totally exceptional. Mint, liquorice, verbena, camphor, litres of chartreuse, old French rancio, Spanish Malaga (obviously)… we are in international territory; it's not 'just rum'. The wood is very present, but since part of the ageing happened in old Europe, we stayed in more or less civilised territory (No stupid politics, we're talking about the climate). With water: some say that tropical ageing multiplies the maturation speed by three. This would mean that this Caroni, if it had been aged on-site, would be as tired and distorted as a 75-year-old rum. Can you imagine! But it is purely magical, poetry in a bottle. Sage and old ham. Finish: long, precious, very complex, moving towards a morel sauce with old sweet wine. Well played, I've made myself hungry. Comments: this is when you think of Botticelli's Venus Rising from the Sea, and you're about to be struck by Stendhal syndrome. Or almost that.
SGP:563 - 93 points. |
Hard to stop there, come on, one last 25-year-old Caroni... |
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Caroni 25 yo 1997/2023 'Manta Ray Genesis' (60.4%, Silver Seal & East Asia Whisky Company, bourbon cask, cask #121)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: good grief, it's almost the same rum! Still those varnishes, those waxes, those bananas, those very ripe plums, that camphory side... Let's speed things up. With water: cigars, cedarwood, pipe tobacco, dried apricots, old polish, old books... Mouth (neat): yes, it's the same. Mint, Chartreuse, liquorice, fino, green walnuts, nocino... I particularly recommend Silver Seal's nocino, by the way (and bam, another free half pint of Moretti down the hatch). With water: it's the same rum as the Jack Tar at this stage. Finding differences would be splitting hairs. Well, perhaps a little more rubber and lanolin in this little Silver Seal, but maybe not. Finish: very long, mentholated, liquoricy, with that raw ham and sage again. Raw ham and sage, but it's saltimbocca from Rome! Comments: to be honest, when I saw the name 'Manta Ray', I thought this rum was going to be a bit flat. Silly me. To be 100% honest, it is just a tiny tad less complex, less 'Botticellian' than the Jack Tar. Anyway, we're at a very, very high altitude in both cases.
SGP:563 - 92 points. |
Still, the big surprise was the TDL. They need to be watched closely... Well then, see you next time! |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted so far
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