More rums de la muerte and Nick Lowe


October 13, 2024

More rums de la muerte and Nick Lowe

(Bacardi)

The big festivals of the season, like the Whisky Show in London or Whisky Live Paris, are always a great opportunity to catch up with many friends and receive feedback on WF (not just about the yellow background, which seems to be more and more popular because, as they say, 'colours are life', ha). There's a lot of talk about 'score inflation', a topic that always concerns me because I try to maintain a consistent scoring approach over time. It's true that there are more scores of 90+, but this is entirely due to the ever-increasing proportion of excellent "malternatives" that cross the threshold of Château WF, and not the whiskies themselves. You see, even though we only taste these malternatives one day a week, I noticed that in August alone, 55% of the spirits that reached that score were whiskies, while 45% were malternatives. You might say that we also steer clear of the rubbish in this latter category, and God knows there's plenty of that. Here, let me give you a little example to illustrate my point...

Bacardi 'Carta Blanca' (37.5%, OB, white rum, Puerto Rico, +/-2024)

Well, would you believe it, this is the first time we're tasting this little number on purpose. I imagine it's mostly destined for cocktails. Colour: white. Nose: sugar syrup, a hint of cologne, and a touch of hay. It’s as light as a chick's feather. Mouth: utterly inoffensive, with a taste that's mostly neutral alcohol and the faintest hint of lemon. A smidgen of brown sugar, if you really look for it. Finish: virtually non-existent. Comments: the best thing about it is that since there’s almost nothing there, there can’t really be any flaws either. Let’s not forget that this tipple and its cousins helped its owners build a spirits empire that now includes gems like Aberfeldy, Craigellachie, Aultmore, Macduff, Brackla, Teeling, and of course Dewar’s. Oh, and the marvellous Worthy Park. Couldn’t they sneak 10% of Worthy Park into Bacardi? Or perhaps do a Bacardi 'Jamaican Tribute'? I’d add that these humble spirits also help us keep our scoring scale nicely tuned, wandering down its lower reaches from time to time. We 'might' have more Bacardi today... Or not.
SGP:210 - 30 points.

Enough joking around...

Sodade ‘Canne Rouge’ (42.7%, OB, Cabo Verde, white grogue, +/-2023)

Crafted from pure organic ‘red cane’ juice and distilled in pot stills following an extended 12-day fermentation using indigenous yeasts. In other words, it’s a proper box-ticker. We've thoroughly enjoyed previous Sodades, and this one carries on the tradition. Colour: white. Nose: beautifully honeyed, almost like mead, with a fermentary edge. There are notes of leaven, Parma ham, a touch of oranges, and potting soil, rounded off with a hint of small olives. Mouth: slightly sweet but with a delightful ‘dirty’ character, quite wild and yeasty, staying true to the cane itself. Think croissant dough mixed with old figs, followed by a touch of tapenade and a hint of wet plaster. Finish: medium in length, leaning towards the earthy side. There’s a whisper of rotting oranges and a touch of salt in the aftertaste, balanced by some lingering sweetness. Comments: I must admit, I preferred their 'Cana Rocca Ouro Blanco' and 'Botanic Joao' (both scoring WF 88), but this is still a very good drop, albeit more of a curiosity that strays a bit from traditional rum. A tad on the sweet side.
SGP:541 - 81 points.

Nine Leaves 2023/2024 ‘Last Drops’ (62%, OB, Japan, LMDW, black sugar, 950 bottles, 2024)

The story of Nine Leaves began in 2013 and, sadly, came to a close in 2023. It appears that La Maison has managed to get their hands on a significant portion of the remaining stocks, including these rather evocative ‘last drops’. I’ve often found Nine Leaves to be a bit peculiar, but then again, I’m far from being a rum expert. Very attractive label, by the way. Colour: white. Nose: like a glass of Riesling spiked with a bit of coffee and holly eau-de-vie. Really. With water: an added layer of cherry and raspberry juice, gentle honey, and dried flowers. Mouth (neat): it does rather slice you in two at this strength. ‘Properly brutal,’ with a taste profile that leans towards coffee-schnapps, or perhaps more accurately, schnapps-coffee. With water: much more civilised, revealing soft lemon with honey and a hint of mild horseradish, while the background remains pleasantly fermentary. Finish: rather long, with notes of sugarcane, a sort of grapefruit and flower liqueur, and a hint of sweet bread in the aftertaste. Comments: quite a cerebral profile, lacking the explosive immediacy of the best rums, yet far better than I remembered. I know some friends will adore it.
SGP:451 - 78 points.

Come on, three whites, that's enough.

TDL/FS 2006/2024 (58.8%, Zero Nine Spirits, Cyberpunk Rh12, blend Trinidad+Barbados, 200 bottles)

It's rather bold to blend TDL and Foursquare 50/50, isn’t it? I mean, how could one expect to outshine the individual components in a case like this? Or perhaps it's all just for a bit of fun? If that's so, then we applaud the initiative. Colour: gold. Nose: this feels like a marriage of reason, yet we didn't expect any discord here. Mango and honey, peony and pink pepper, with ripe pineapple and strawberry, all seamlessly bound together by beeswax. With water: a touch of slightly salted brioche, kougelhopf, and sugarcane emerges. Mouth (neat): wonderfully lively, with both rums distinctly recognizable, yet taking turns to lift each other up. A seaside citrus note but watch out for the strength! With water: it does seem as though the Foursquare has taken the lead, with TDL graciously stepping aside. We're now closer to spices, sugarcane, and molasses rather than the typical baskets of tropical fruits often found in TDL. Finish: long, quite vibrant, citrusy, and honeyed. A hint of basil and fresh coriander, with a touch of liquorice wood lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: well, they’ve certainly landed on their feet with this one.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Cuban Rum 45 yo 1978/2024 (49.7%, Chapter 7, Spirit Library, Volume 1, Cuba, 339 bottles)

We’re not entirely sure what this is, but past experiences with these old secret Cubans have always been quite successful in my book. Colour: amber. Nose: utterly charming roasted hazelnuts, pecan pie, candied sugar, caramel, coffee toffee, and maple syrup of the 'special' grade. A tiny hint of miso sneaks in, and naturally, a touch of Cuban tobacco. I absolutely love this nose, even if it's not overwhelmingly complex (and does that really matter, S.?). Mouth: this is the epitome of the style, with a saline edge, even slightly medicinal, featuring bitter orange, various honeys (including some local melipona honey!), and those roasted pecans and maple syrup once again. I find it improbably delicious, especially with that subtle salinity that plays with your lips so unexpectedly. Finish: medium in length but magnificent, with a touch of cedarwood and white pepper, followed by that irresistible combo of maple syrup and caramel. A more peppery aftertaste returns at the end. Comments: what's remarkable here is that you never quite sense the relative lack of texture that can be found in Cuban rums. I can't help but think of Santiago de Cuba. Santiago, te quiero mucho. BTW Santiago was where the original Bacardi was located, but the brand had already built other distilleries in Puerto Rico and Mexico as early as the 1930s.
SGP:641 – 92 points.

Oh, and…

Hoy Como Ayer 1956/2024 (53.7%, La Maison & Velier, Cuba, cask #2315302, 285 bottles)

Back in 1956, Cuba was still under Batista’s rule, who wouldn’t be overthrown until 1959. This could mean, for instance, that it’s genuine Cuban Bacardi since the distilleries weren’t nationalized until october of 1960, though that’s pure speculation. Interestingly, December 1956 was also when Fidel and Che Guevara landed on the island. It's astonishing to come across a rum like this—where has it been hiding all these years? Colour: glowing coffee. Nose: there’s a strong stylistic resemblance to the 1978, especially with all those roasted nutty notes, but here we also find fine woods and, quite frankly, impeccably preserved old Cuban cigars, along with dark chocolate, juniper, hints of turpentine, and a curious touch of wild strawberry and raspberry liqueurs (just a drop or two). Finally, a hint of top-quality soy sauce kind of rounds things off. Very impressive, this is far from just a dusty old rum kept ‘for show’. With water: it tightens up slightly, showing notes of old furniture, burnt wood, and very dark tea, yet it remains splendid. Mouth (neat): I was worried, but I was wrong. The woods do take centre stage (spruce, thuja, oak, cherry), but prunes, blackberries, and crème de menthe balance things out rather masterfully. A touch of chocolate with a hint of mint (and maybe tobacco?) completes the picture. With water: a tiny hint of gunpowder (naturally) and black pepper, followed by roasted cacao beans and an amusingly aged oloroso-like note. Finish: medium in length, dry, with menthol, coffee, dark chocolate, and tea. A touch of bitter orange and thin mints lingers. Comments: más especial!
SGP:562 - 91 points
(genuine points, organoleptically speaking!).

We'll recover from this Cuban whirlwind with what is likely a little gem from Guyana from three or four years ago, and then we'll call it a day.

Enmore 26 yo 1994/2020 ‘RSV’ (52.5%, Valinch & Mallet, Guyana, cask #71, 215 bottles)

This one’s already gathered a bit of a reputation, hasn’t it? REV refers to the Versailles still, a venerable single wooden pot still that was relocated to Enmore in 1977. I was under the impression it had ended up at Uitvlugt in 1994, but let’s not get bogged down in historical nit-picking. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: remarkable notes of violet-flavoured liquorice, fresh mastic, and caramel. There’s a hint of fine Armagnac alongside roasted salsify. Simply magical. With water: now we’ve got prunes steeped in Armagnac, a touch of tar, engine oil, and the scent of brand-new leatherette. Mouth (neat): a sublime vinosity, almost reminiscent of a fine white Burgundy. Then it’s an explosion of liquorice in all its forms, with dark chocolate filled with blackberry and damson plum jam. Flawless. With water: it was already perfect, but somehow even better now. Think of a tisane-cocktail brewed from black tea, Iberian ham, liquorice, cinnamon, prunes, and tobacco (but don’t try that with real tobacco—it’s toxic!). Finish: very long, with chocolate, liquorice, prunes, mint, and now a hint of olive and some fresh, ultra-ripe mango. Comments: a concentrated burst of aromas at an exceptional level. Liquorice lovers, like me, will be in heaven (though I suspect this one’s already scarce).
SGP:562 - 92 points.

Passing from 30 to 92, does that work for you as a proper use of the 100-scale? Hasta luego.

Hey, wait! I just remembered that we have some really old Bacardi from the Cuban era in stock, seemingly bottled for the US even before Prohibition (17 January 1920 – 5 December 1933). Now's the perfect time to taste it, without trying to compare it to the rather modest contemporary Carta Blanca.

Bacardi ‘Superior Carta Blanca’ (46%, OB, Cuba, +/-1915)

Bacardi ‘Superior Carta Blanca’ (46%, OB, Cuba, +/-1915)
Fascinating to see the mention ‘Santiago de Cuba - Havana – New York,’ with New York serving as the location for a Bacardi bottling unit established in 1915 but shut down due to Prohibition in 1920. Also intriguing is the mention of the alcohol content in % ABV and the high strength of 46% (92° US proof). Well, aside from that, one really doesn't know quite what to expect here, to be honest... Colour: white wine. I reckon there was some brief ageing in wood, perhaps something akin to ‘reposado.’ Nose: interesting similarities to the modern Carta Blanca, especially in the notes of cane syrup and the lightness overall, but there’s also an oiliness to this one (peanut), along with hints of lemon and a touch of mint, some shredded coconut, white nougat, and then little apples, jujubes, and serviceberries... It’s hard to determine whether this added complexity comes from the original distillate or from more than a century spent in the bottle, given that the liquid remains as bright as a new penny. After about ten minutes, more citrus notes start to come through (clementines, oranges…). Mouth: there's a touch of OBE (slight soapiness, a hint of dust, glass/light taste), but the rest is robust, lemony, slightly rough-edged, and even a bit full-bodied, almost showing a character reminiscent of Lowland Scotch, bringing Bladnoch to mind. It all goes down like a charm, despite the light OBE. Finish: rather long, still lemony, but with that ever-so-slight soapy touch. Comments: this must have made superb mojitos and daiquiris back in 1915. One can even imagine Hemingway tasting these bottles during his first visit to Cuba in 1928. Ah, Hemingway again, between Paris and Cuba, it’s hard to escape him.
SGP:551 - 82 points.

(Thank you Christian and Whisky.Auction!)

PS: There is a major risk when you’re tasting a lot of very fine spirits like these: the temptation to finish your glass rather than being content with just a couple of drops to appreciate the finish. And honestly, who’s going to throw away Cuban rum from 1956, right? It's crucial, therefore, to have strategies in place, like creating 'living bottles' for your summer cocktails (and to share with the neighbours), or occasionally re-distilling your already-tasted stocks to remove all undesirable elements like fruit flies, wasps, dust, pollens, and especially any water you might have added. Of course, what you do with everything you’ve re-distilled over the years remains a... serious problem as not many people will be interested in your house gin or vodka. Above all, you need to be careful to avoid setting the house on fire; if that were to happen at Château WF, as I often say, all that would be left is a 50-metre crater with a lot of shattered glass at its centre. Well, actually, we’re lucky to have a kind of ‘bunker’ for that. Anyway, let’s move on...

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