Rum and courage


July 7, 2024

Rum and courage

We are thinking very, very strongly of all our friends in the Caribbean islands who have suffered the heavy damages caused by Hurricane Beryl. Though it has been fierce, your strength and resilience are even stronger. Remember the celestial powers do play a part in creating the world's finest rums: yours. Courage and hugs!

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Thailand 5 yo (42%, Rum Explorer, Château du Breuil, +/-2022)

Thai rhum finished in France, what could go wrong. Thai rum is either great (Issan, Chalong Bay) or rather a disaster (most of the rest). Colour: gold. Nose: it's not bad but rather light, with barley sugar and very ripe apple. Some earthy whiffs that aren't unpleasant, but overall, it's really too light on the aromatic front. For me, anyway. Mouth: it's not bad, with some iodized notes, liquorice, cider apple, even pear, but it nosedives a bit and lacks some oomph. Finish: very short, evanescent, slightly metallic (tin can). A pity, there were some lovely notes of oranges and guavas. Comments: needs ice. Not too bad.
SGP: 430 - 76 points.

Doorly's XO (43%, OB, Barbados, 2023)

The last time we sampled this beast was in 2013 (WF 85). Every ten years, I suppose we'll manage. You'll note, however, that we're now at 43%, compared to 40% last time, so one must have faith in humanity. Naturally, it's Foursquare. Colour: full gold. Nose: cedar, pencil shavings, sunflower oil, white nougat, freshly cut grass, pressed cane… It's rather light, quite elegant. Mouth: sweetness, citrus, hay wine, flower jelly, and always that fresh cane side, even though it’s molasses. Very nice. Finish: medium length, more herbaceous. Nougat, cane syrup, hay, and grass. Comments: we're not going to change our score for just 3% ABV more, are we?
SGP:451 - 85 points.

New Grove 12 yo 2010/2022 ‘Savoir Faire’ (65.2%, LMDW, Antipodes, Mauritius, Limousin oak, cask #550, 427 bottles)

Yet a murderous strength. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it’s a bit powerful, but you can sense walnut cakes in the background. But let’s not take any risks, shall we? With water: oh, it’s magical, violets, orange blossom, wisteria, a packet of liquorice, cut hay, potpourri… What beauty… and what a surprise. Mouth (neat): I love it. It’s too strong, but I love it. The fruity liquorice is sublime here. With water: it veers towards essence and varnish, then gently matured sweet olives, and finally back to liquorice with a hint of salty tar. Yes, that does exist; it’s like pine tar liqueurs and all that. Finish: very long, this time with a cavalcade of very ripe tropical fruits, chiefly the ever-present mango. Comments: seriously, what is this?
SGP:652 - 90 points.

The Many Faces of Rum, The Duo, Chapter 2 (50.7%, The Whisky Jury, blended malt, 80% south American, 20% Hampden, refill wood, 2024)

It’s amusing how all the top bottlers, at one time or another, start producing blends. Colour: gold. Nose: I believe the Jamaican does all the work. It reminds me of our experiments with John Glaser about twenty years ago, where you’d add 20% Ardbeg or Laphroaig and the rest didn’t matter much, except for texture, which was Clynelish’s job. We wouldn't put Clynelish in a rum, would we? Then again, why not... With water: lovely coastal notes, saline, tarry and rubbery as well. Mouth (neat): we’re having a laugh, it’s Hampden and such. A British Navy rum, just better. Liquorice and mint, or what we call a "perroquet" in France. With water: very good. Finish: long, estery, olives, rubber, tar. Comments: we might call this Hampdenette, but in that case, visiting the island will be out of the question. We’ll think about it.
SGP:663 - 89 points.

Jamaica 5 yo ‘Single Domaine Rum’ (50%, Rum Nation, Oloroso finish, 2023)

It should be easy and pleasant. Believe me, in France and at this moment, that’s quite useful. Colour: gold. Nose: tangerines and copper. A sort of boosted Appleton if you will. Apricot jam, which is quite magical. Frankly, we fear a sugary palate, but let’s see. This young nose is magnificent. Mouth: no! It’s much less sweet than previous releases, on the contrary, there’s charcoal, cigar ash, pine wood… With water: sublime notes of smoked meats, bacon, dried ceps… Where does all this come from? Finish: rather long, saltier, excellent. Asian cuisine, but I couldn't tell you more. Something with chilli and pineapple. Or peppered peaches. Comments: we almost forgot to add water. Magnificent young Jamaican. We have politicians in France wanting to change our constitution: I propose we now call ourselves ‘Rum Nation’, after all, we have quite a few distilleries of all sorts in the country and elsewhere.
SGP:662 - 89 points.

Diamond 18 yo 2003/2022 (53.5%, Silver Seal, Guyana, Special Edition, cask #53, 186 bottles)

We love these old-fashioned labels, reminding us that our ancestors were accustomed to fighting with cannons aboard all sorts of ships. The first friend to mention Nelson, we’ll drown, then burn, then hang, then feed to the pigs. Yes. Colour: dark amber. Nose: full-on walnut cake, Catalan cream, black nougat, treacle toffee, and just cane sugar loaf. Likely ex-column rather than pot still. With water: superb herbal notes, especially watercress and fresh parsley, then liquorice, alfalfa, chen-pi… I know I often mention chen-pi (hi, Gene!), but I find it really is a component of many great spirits. Mouth (neat): sublime black nougat and very old oloroso. I don’t think there’s any oloroso, but there you go. With water: just superb. Oranges, liquorice, toffee, butterscotch. Finish: biting into salted toffee. Does salted toffee even exist? Do they have it on Dramazon? Black olives in the aftertaste. Comments: superb Diamond. Still, we need to know which still it was. Any ideas?
SGP:563 - 90 points.

TDL 2008/2024 (61%, Vagabond Spirits, Trinidad, Steam Cask, Silva Collection, 240 bottles)

Colour: golden amber. Nose: definitely not a mango bomb, rather a museum of all things liquorice. But that could change with the addition of water, so for now, let’s remain cautious. With water: the wood comes out, pencil shavings, but it approaches liquorice wood. The camphor side, with eucalyptus and mint, works very well. Mouth (neat): very strong tar, varnish, liquorice, and pine resin. Be careful, you might end up swallowing some. With water: don’t let your guard down! Overripe banana and wood glue. Finish: very long, heavy on varnish, glue, and liquorice. A slightly bitter aftertaste, with aubergines and tar. Comments: to be honest, I didn’t know that, like Caroni, TDL made both a light and a heavy style. It shows I’ll never be a rum blogger. Mad rum.
SGP:473 - 87 points.

A little Jamaican to finish...

Long Pond 17 yo 2005/2023 ‘MJV’ (66.1%, The Whisky Blues, Jamaica, barrel, 259 bottles)

12 years tropical aging + 5 years continental. Very, very nice label, I think we should encourage bottlers who don’t go the ChatGPT + thirty seconds route. Honestly, it’s becoming atrocious; the only upside is it makes you want to drink a lot to forget. I propose a moratorium on the use of ChatGPT for designing in the spirits world, what do you think? Because frankly… Colour: full gold. Nose: it's a classic high-ester Jamaican, with varnish, petrol, olives, overripe banana… With water: cedarwood, banana peel, nail polish, new plywood. Mouth (neat): a tad tough. Marzipan, Play-Doh, glue, rubber, bitters… With water: still on petrol, varnish, acetone, wood juice… Seriously, it’s tough, a bit of a masochistic thing. Finish: long, but even drier. There are good aspects, but it also turns a tad soapy. Comments: a rum for survivalists? Would it repel bears, wolves, and hyenas? At this stage, I believe it’s a bit too much.
SGP:372 - 83 points.

They have wonderful spirits at The Whisky Blues, but that one was a bit excessive IMHO. Personal taste.

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