Our final rums of 2024


December 29, 2024

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!

Our final rums of 2024

A selection of more or less easy-going rums for this very end of the year, actually chosen at random but starting with two or three aperitifs without too much ambition.

Christmas in Martinique is even better than elsewhere! (France-Antilles Martinique)

Doble 9 15 yo ‘Anejo’ (38%, OB, Cuba, +/-2024)

An amusing bottle adorned around its neck with a domino featuring a double nine, a nod to the traditional Cuban domino game. I’ve never encountered this fairly new brand in Cuba, but the Cuban government’s authentication label does appear, well, authentic, even if it seems this rum was blended and bottled in the Dominican Republic after having been produced in Cuba. The bottling strength of 38% remains just a tad worrying… Colour: pale gold. Nose: it doesn’t quite feel its supposed 15 years and comes across as extremely light, offering a distinctly Cuban touch (fresh hay, for instance) along with a hint of lime. It’s all rather inoffensive. Mouth: there’s a faint sweetness, though it’s hard to tell if it’s been boosted, resting on a slightly herbal base. Still very light, not unpleasant, with subtle hints of coconut and instant coffee. Finish: very short, with orange liqueur lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s really quite decent, I think.
SGP:330 - 70 points.

Abuelo XII anos ‘Three Angels’ (43%, Panama, +/-2024)

The Abuelo XII ‘Two Oaks’ was rather average and fairly laden with sugar three years ago (WF 60). This ‘Three Angels’ edition was partially aged under the warehouse roofs, where temperatures are always higher and thus the angels’ share more significant (15% per year, they say, but did the casks actually spend at least a year under the roofs?). The 43% ABV is a good sign. Colour: amber brown. Nose: I quite like this—it’s rather dry, offering notes of coffee, dark chocolate, black tea, burnt wood, roasted chestnuts, and even hints of menthol and liquorice. So far, so good. Mouth: there’s some sugar and molasses, but not excessively so, accompanied by molasses honey and a touch of coffee liqueur. Roasted hazelnuts, dark raisins, and even a faint muscat-like note appear. Finish: long, certainly sweet but without too much excess this time. Comments: it’s worth noting that, under EU rules, a spirit can no longer be labelled as ‘rum’ if it exceeds 20 grams of added sugar per litre. I think this rather nice Abuelo stays within that limit, although the sugar remains noticeable. Miles ahead of the earlier ‘Two Casks’.
SGP:650 – 75 points.

Navy Island Jamaica ‘XO Reserve’ (40%, Navy Island Rum Company, Jamaican blend, +/-2024)

This baby at 40% ABV and without an age statement is rather pricey (€45), but then again, it’s a blend of ‘pot still’ Hampden, Monymusk, and Worthy Park. So, in the end, it’s not that expensive, is it. Colour: light gold. Nose: it reminds me of the early Mezan blends. Surprisingly light but not at all ‘empty’, featuring carbon paper, light brine, and ultra-ripe fruits (those famous pineapples ‘teetering on the edge of the road’ as we say in French), along with a faint touch of wood varnish. It whispers, but what it says is lovely. Mouth: similarly light but not empty—let’s say ‘pastel’. Nice salinity, two or three capers, a bit of tar and salmiak, then a small piece of tarte tatin. Light pepper. Finish: not very long, of course, but acceptable. Bits of pineapple in brine? Do those exist? Comments: perfect for introducing your guests to Jamaican rums without immediately forcing them to gulp down Hampden <DOK at 67.5% ABV. Very nice—do they also make a 100-proof version?
SGP:642 – 85 points.

Bielle 2015/2024 (54.9%, Swell de Spirits, x Inter Caves, Pop series, Marie-Galante)

Bielle 2015/2024 (54.9%, Swell de Spirits x Inter Caves, Pop' series, Marie-Galante)

Bielle is Bielle (well, you’ve outdone yourself, S.) This one spent 7 years on Marie-Galante before sailing to France in 2022 aboard the two-masted schooner ‘Avontuur’. Look her up on Google—it’s a fine ship. Colour: bright straw. Nose: it’s unmistakably Bielle, with those aniseed notes mingling with fresh cane and putty. Magnificently fresh—perhaps the Atlantic crossing on a sailing ship further amplified that impression. With water: even prettier, with hints of old fuel oil, eucalyptus, more anise, and mint. Mouth (neat): that medicinal edge also evokes certain artisanal cachaças (did the schooner take a detour via Brazil?), along with lemon, fresh cane, pink grapefruit, and a touch of fennel. A rum like no other. With water: citron liqueur, candied cherries, and angelica. Finish: not especially long but superbly refreshing. Impressions of putty and anise return in the aftertaste, followed by lemon and pepper. Comments: utterly charming, this Bielle. Plus, pouring it to friends allows you to recount the story of the schooner, its wind turbines, solar panels, and all that. An awesome beast.
SGP:562 – 90 points.

Foursquare 15 yo 2006/2022 (59.1%, Whisky AGE, barrel, #15, 231 bottles)

It’s hard to imagine anything going wrong here, though one might still dream of a pure pot still FS. That said, the label clearly specifies this is the usual self-blend of column and pot still. Colour: straw. Nose: I’m not entirely sure how many different combinations they experiment with in terms of percentages of the two styles, but here the pot still seems to take the lead, leaving the lighter column rum in the background. I’m getting chalk, soot, even a touch of saltpetre, grape seed oil, pistachio, and praline… In the end, it’s still fairly elegant, even delicate. With water: hints of fresh cake, fougasse, scones, orange cake, and ginger cookies… Mouth (neat): that famous orange marmalade with cane syrup and green and pink peppercorns. No complaints here. With water: not much evolution, but that’s perfectly fine. More fresh cane juice and perhaps even a small glass of umeshu. Finish: medium length, featuring pu-ehr tea and just a touch of turmeric. Vanilla and a bit of coconut linger in the aftertaste, along with one wee dried fig. Comments: in the end, this is quite a gentle Foursquare, but/and it’s excellent.
SGP:551 – 88 points.

Uitvlugt Port Mourant 1999/2024 (47.1%, The Whisky Jury, Guyana, refill barrel, cask #88, 173 bottles)

It’s worth remembering that 1999 was the final year for Uitvlugt before everything was transferred to Diamond, including the very old Port Mourant still, which had first been at Albion before being moved to Uitvlugt. Let’s say it again, please repeat—the still from… Colour: gold. Nose: monstrously beautiful, as the relatively low bottling strength already hinted. Extraordinary notes of fresh rubber, liquorice, overripe mangoes, oysters, olives, Bakelite, engine oil, and oil paint in every imaginable colour (really?), plus linoleum… Mouth: this is absolutely maddening. A perfect combination of mango, tar, liquorice, and seaweed. And countless other nuances, but we don’t have all day… Finish: long, with salinity becoming even more pronounced. The mango and other elements echo in the aftertaste, which is just slightly astringent overall. Fairly strong pepper. Comments: very, very maddening.
SGP:463 – 91 points.

Enmore 26 yo 1998/2024 ‘EHP’ (49.3%, WFRC & WDC, Dos Deliquentes, 204 bottles)

Ex-wooden 2-column Coffey still (still a mystery to this humble whisky geek) with ageing in bourbon, armagnac, and refill rum casks—the whole process remains even more mysterious to me. Yes, EHP means Enmore. I suppose we’d better focus on the liquid if you don’t mind… Colour: gold. Nose: the softest of the Guyanese bunch, featuring plenty of yellow flowers and all kinds of cakes, notably coconut balls and vanilla sponge, followed by praline and English tea ‘with a splash of milk’. Really very civilised. Lovely little earthy touches emerge next. Mouth: an unusual profile combining coconut and vanilla sweetness with hints of glue and solvent, plus a yeasty background. Finish: medium length, turning alternately acetic and more focused on cane and little fruity sweets. Comments: very hard to follow the Port Mourant—I probably should have tasted this first, but I followed the order of bottling strengths. Still excellent, though I think this one is for über-geeks and Demerara rum scholars. In short, being softer doesn’t mean it should be handed to just anyone. Very hard to score, as my rum knowledge stops here.
SGP:641 – 85 points (to be taken with a large pinch of salt).

Let’s liven things up a bit…

Hampden 2023/2024 (63.14%, The Colours of Rum for 13. German Rum Festival, Jamaica)

Some DOK aged in ex-PX, oloroso, and bourbon. What a funny joke—who’s going to notice the various casks in a DOK at 63%? Sorry, 63.14%. DOK, as a reminder, means 1,500 to 1,700 gr ester/HLPA. And this one’s got plenty of that ‘A’, so plenty of esters. Right then, let’s say our prayers and brace ourselves… Colour: gold. Nose: let’s be honest—our olfactory bulb, which processes scent signals from receptor neurons in our nasal cavity, quickly filters out anything deemed ‘excessive’. That’s why we sometimes find Octomore ‘not so peaty’ or DOK ‘not so acetic/tarry’. In short, it’s just a stunning Hampden. With water: I feel like you could drown this in Vittel (our official water—we’re still unpaid, mind you) and it wouldn’t change a thing. Maybe hints of burning tyres or a failed burnout by a novice Harley rider. Mouth (neat): superb sharpness, as if eating unripe salted olives in absurd quantities while sipping Tesla brake fluid. Well, I imagine. With water: here comes the lemon, green pepper, salted liquorice, and so on. Finish: very long, though ultimately slightly dominated by rubber. Comments: absolutely insane.
SGP:475 – 88 points.

Come on, one last one that 'might' stand up to this utterly infernal Germanic DOK…

Secret Jamaican Distillery 9 yo 2012/2022 (62%, Dràm Mor, bourbon barrel, cask #072, 198 bottles)

In general, these secret Jamaicans are Worthy Park, though of course there’s no proof. Colour: full gold. Nose: ultra-ripe exotic fruits, hints of ammonia and acetone, artichokes, olives, pipe tobacco, crushed gravel, and slate. Overall, the structure feels finer and fruitier than some of the other famous Jamaicans, which lean a bit more towards ‘doom metal’ than WP’s classic hard rock (what?). Okay, not Appleton. With water: oh, scallops cooked in Noilly with little Chinese mushrooms. And there you have it—I’ve made myself hungry. Mouth (neat): simply perfect. Equal parts citrus juice and seawater. Excellent, precise, very WP. With water: intensely maritime and lemony before tar and highly concentrated molasses take over. Finish: almost spicy, thick, and peppery. Quite fun. Unexpected notes of flambéed and salted bananas appear in the aftertaste. Comments: a lively little Jamaican with plenty to say—at the very least.
SGP:563 – 88 points.

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