Rums are back on WF


December 15, 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!

Rums are
back on WF

The somewhat artificial, even absurd, trend of "premiumisation" that has affected many single malt whiskies in recent years has led quite a few aficionados to partially shift their attention towards rums. True, the tide has been ebbing for a year or two now, but rum’s customer base has nonetheless expanded. There’s inevitably a ratchet effect—perhaps small, but in my opinion, real. In short, we’re probably not all going to abandon rum just because the prices of single malt whisky are tumbling again, sometimes as rapidly as a lorry with no brakes careering down the Andes (what?). Anyway, let’s see what we have in store today…

The inevitable mizunara.
You can also buy it here.

The Duppy Share ‘Aged Caribbean Rum’ (40%, OB, Jamaica & Barbados, +/-2024)

A serious aperitif, for once, in the form of a lovely bottle, a blend of young rums from Worthy Park and Foursquare, offered at a very well-considered price. Colour: gold. Nose: I find you can clearly sense both origins, with diesel oil and tar on one side, and orange cake and sugarcane on the other. Those two or three little olives could come from either camp. Very pleasant, though slightly light on the nose, likely due to the ABV, which shouldn’t intimidate anyone. Mouth: it’s good and very consistent with the nose. A little sugar (without sweetness, if you know what I mean) and plenty of liquorice, brine, pineapple, papaya, and ultra-ripe bananas. Even more than ripe, really. Finish: a bit too short for the enthusiast, though the profile remains pleasant. Comments: a very nice blend where neither distillery truly dominates. A bit more punch would do it good.
SGP:542 - 80 points.

J. Gow 3 yo ‘Revenge’ (43%, OB, Scotland, bourbon, +/-2024)

Rum from Orkney, hooray! Alas, the phrase ‘inspired by pirates’ on the label is a bit alarming – as bad as the Vikings – but that’s not what matters. Besides, is there a single rum on this planet that doesn’t mention pirates? They’ve been making rum at J. Gow since 2017, and of course, given the sugarcane harvests on Orkney are what they are, molasses must be imported. But it’s pot still! Colour: white wine. Nose: in the Jamaican style, with just the right amount of ‘funk’, tar, seawater, salmiak, then a light descent into softer, almost floral aromas. A touch of heather, or are we dreaming? Mouth: delightfully saline, we might even say insular. Lovely salted liquorice, seawater, oysters, pepper… Still that funk – one might even think of the Average White Band, that great Scottish funk band. Finish: lovely but a bit short. Similar aromas. Comments: in reality, this rum is produced on the tiny island of Lamb Holm in the Orkneys. I think there’s plenty of scope for a version at 50 or 57% ABV. In other words, at ‘pirate strength’. But truly, after the rums from Islay and Ninefold, Scottish rums are on a roll.
SGP:453 - 84 points.

Isautier 13 yo 2009 ‘La Cour’ (59%, OB, La Réunion, agricole, 2024)

An old distillery that was rebuilt and then renovated. We’ve already tasted some excellent ones. Colour: dark gold. Nose: lots of orange zest and cumin, quite an unusual combination that works very well. A slight cologne-like note, but not at all off-putting in this context—quite the opposite. Very nice earthy tones and plenty of spices. With water: not much development, just a touch gentler. Very nice. Mouth (neat): very powerful, still spicy, with cumin and caraway taking the lead, alongside orange marmalade. A bit rough, but that’s the alcohol. Mustard seed. With water: the sweetness of orange liqueur, candied ginger, and mild mustard… Fresh oak is a little noticeable, but it works, becoming even spicier. Finish: long, with a return of earthy notes and a beautiful honey that takes over. Comments: I feel that Isautier keeps improving, at least when it comes to these high-end bottlings. Very lovely spices.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

Let’s stay in the Indian Ocean…

Penny Blue 13 yo 2011/2024 (60%, OB, Mauritius, Foundations, oloroso sherry, cask #220, 126 bottles)

It’s Berry Bros. who develop the Penny Blue brand, which is always a rather good sign, of course. The sherry? We’ll see… Colour: caramel. Nose: an entire lorry full of Mars bars, plus a touch of instant coffee, slightly burnt walnut cake, and toffee. It’s better than it sounds in these notes. With water: let’s name the brand, Nescafé, along with a wee slice of Dundee orange marmalade (of course). Mouth (neat): a fairly light distillate wrapped in a very powerful shell, so lots of substance around the edges but a somewhat fragile middle—not necessarily a flaw, mind you. Anyway, it’s very cask-driven (clearer now, isn’t it?). With water: it’s good, more balanced, and oddly enough offers a better texture. Finish: medium length, mostly on pepper and marmalade. Comments: very good, but it suffers a bit after the Isautier, which has much more personality.
SGP:631 - 83 points.

Since we're in the area...

Savanna 21 mo (58.2%, Poh ! Spirits, La Réunion, 140 bottles, 2024)

Savanna 21 mo (58.2%, Poh ! Spirits, La Réunion, 140 bottles, 2024)
A blend of traditional and grand arôme, aged 21 months in Sauternes. In any case, Savanna resists everything (wink). Colour: pale white wine. Nose: the alcohol comes through a bit, but mercurochrome, varnish, brine, and diesel quickly take over, while ripe banana and mirabelles bring in some fruit. There’s also a slight finger biscuit note. Lovely. With water: the yeasty notes come to the forefront, to our great delight. You might even find a hint of peated beer. Mouth (neat): no one can resist the grand arôme, though three litres of mirabelle and apricot eau-de-vie soon come crashing through, Mad Max-style. But it’s one of the prettiest clashes imaginable. Apricots and olives? Who’d have thought. With water: what’s funny is you can’t quite tell where the flavours come from—the rum or the wine—it’s a bit of a guessing game, but the result is wonderfully coherent. It’s excellent, really, with some blood orange rising to the surface. Finish: long, with small touches of rose liqueur. The worst part? It’s actually absolutely delicious. Comments: it’s not so much how they made this that’s fascinating, but how they came up with the idea. And the fact they avoided the potential trap of grand arôme + heavy Sauternes.
SGP:752 - 89 points.

New Yarmouth 19 yo 2005/2024 (55.8%, Vagabond Spirits, Silva Collection, Jamaica, maple wood finish)

A 4-month finishing in maple wood. Surely a hit in Quebec, but I’m not convinced it could influence a New Yarmouth that much, fully loaded with all its attributes. Let’s see… Colour: light gold. Nose: tabernak, this is pure Jamaican so far—tar, carbon, acetone, rotting fruits, brine, olives, salty liquorice… With water: tarmac after a heavy tropical downpour. Mouth (neat): salty and lemony liquorice in abundance. Maybe that lemony side—and those touches of limoncello—comes partly from the maple wood, though I couldn’t say for sure. With water: I’m giving up the search here; at most, I’d say there’s perhaps a faint hint of added sweetness. Does dried maple wood contain much ‘sugary’ sap like the syrup? Finish: long, and indeed relatively soft for a New Yarmouth. Comments: it’s fun and very good. Almost makes you want to listen to Céline, though we’d rather go with Diane or Nanette.
SGP:752 - 87 points.

Let’s carry on with something more ‘normal’ if you don’t mind. Well, we’ll try at least…

Neisson ‘ESB Mizunara’ (51.2%, OB, Martinique, agricole, organic, 2024)

You’re kidding—Neisson is doing Mizunara now? Everyone says it’s ‘a rare Japanese oak,’ but at this rate, there’ll soon be no trees left standing. Seriously, it’s a type of Quercus mongolica and is, according to Wikipedia, ‘widely distributed in Northeast Asia.’ Of course, bringing it to Martinique probably isn’t great for the carbon footprint, but let’s not nit-pick. At least there’s the Panama Canal. Colour: straw. Nose: well, it’s lovely—lightly toasted and honeyed, with limoncello cakes and a faint touch of fir buds. Pleasant. With water: similar, but now more cedar wood, and even a touch of charcoal. Mouth (neat): very soft, with a slight tequila edge (from the Mizunara?) and loads of fir honeydew. A bit of caraway and poppy seeds, plus some lemon. It’s really good, though it’s starting to feel a bit like some spiced-up white rum. With water: same, with added salty touches. Lemon blossom honey and seawater, though the proportions are still unclear. Finish: fairly long, but the flavours start to feel a bit tiring—there’s a persistent sweetness that won’t let go. Comments: it’s good, very good—it’s Neisson, after all—but to me, this feels like a rather anecdotal cuvée. Next, amburana, I suppose.
SGP:641 - 80 points.

HD 8 yo 2016/2024 (59.2%, The Whisky Jury, Jamaica, refill barrel, cask #101301, 269 bottles)

A ‘multimark’ HD. We have no reason to think this isn’t Hampden, though whether it leans more OWH or <DOK remains to be seen. Colour: gold. Nose: quite gentle, with even whiffs of canned peaches over the earthy side. A lighter style. With water: new fabric, gravel, but not much varnish, glue, acetone, or ammonia… (we get it, S.). Mouth (neat): very good, with plenty of salty citrus. Preserved lemons, Italian-style, and pickles in brine. With water: the salinity comes out even more, while the texture remains fairly light for an HD. Finish: long, carried by pepper and those unmistakable preserved lemons. A touch of molasses too. Comments: there’s simply no such thing as a bad HD, and we’ve known that for ages.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

TDL 31 yo 1991/2023 (62.7%, Distilia, The Golden Age of Piracy, Trinidad, cask #R2455, 205 bottles)

A tribute to ‘Black Bart,’ a famous pirate. Pirates, again! This one spent 15 years in Trinidad (and Tobago—we always forget Tobago). Colour: gold. Nose: this isn’t one of those fruity bombs we love so much (aka the Bushmills from the Caribbean), but rather a fairly earthy and mentholated rum, not hugely expressive at this stage. At 62%, that’s pretty normal—it’s probably a bit locked up. With water: hints of new tyres, but still struggling to come out. No fruit, even with water. Mouth (neat): seems very good, but it doesn’t really feel like it’s 31 years old. It also feels like the cask had a strong influence on the distillate, with a very prominent ‘resinous’ side. It’s kind of circling around turpentine territory. With water: much better, almost a resurrection, but let’s not get carried away—there are many rums at a higher level within Distilia. Finish: long, but still with that odd sweet rubber feeling. Comments: we’ve finally found a rum from Distilia that we don’t totally love… About time, really.
SGP:661 - 79 points.

Naturally…

Caroni 25 yo 1997/2022 (64.5%, The Colours of Rum, Trinidad, cask #6, 132 bottles)

It was about time we tasted this baby that will probably blow our heads off. Colour: gold. Nose: this is a lighter Caroni in terms of aromas, but of course, it’s powerful when it comes to ethanol. Perhaps the two are connected, aren’t they… With water: oh, how I love those new plastic notes from Temu, Wish, or Aliexpress. Seriously, I adore them—I could order useless electronic gadgets that don’t work at all just to catch that smell when you open the parcel. But let’s not talk about phthalates and bisphenol in our tasting notes (too late, S.). Mouth (neat): quite superb, though very simple at this strength. Bitter oranges, varnish, and a touch of tar. With water: lovely, rather balanced, not really a rubber bomb, but I enjoy it a lot even if it’s perhaps not a Caroni ‘+++’. Finish: long. Paint, rubber, and some budget orange liqueur. Comments: that industrial vibe—whatever that truly means—always appeals to me, even if this isn’t one of the extreme Caronis. Still, it’s very, very good.
SGP:563 - 88 points.

Let’s head back to Jamaica to finish off…

Secret Jamaica 9 yo 2015/2024 (50%, Rest & Be Thankful for Wu Dram Clan & Kirsch Import, 2 barrels)

Well, they say it’s secret, but they add that it’s from a distillery in Lluidas Vale, where, as everyone knows, there are 137 distilleries. Of course, there’s only one: Worthy Park. Clever move to release these semi-secret versions. We love Worthy Park. Colour: light gold. Nose: rubber and brine upfront, then fresh branches, fresh almonds, hints of asparagus, new motor oil, and greenhouse vibes… It’s stunning, very elegant. With water: delightful, with carbon paper, thermal paper, and low-tide seawater. Mouth (neat): how good is this! There’s even a touch of Ardbeg (seriously), lemon, seaweed, shells, fresh tar, and a bit of seawater. Still to decide whether this water is from the Irish Sea or the Caribbean. With water: now just perfect. Bitter almonds, orgeat, salted lemon (no issues there), and even a hint of peat. Yep. Finish: long, fresh, salty, maritime. Comments: let me puff up my chest a bit here—it’s crucial to nail your dilution perfectly to hit 90, as we just did. With reducing water quantity and quality really matter, yep.
SGP:453 - 90 points.

Well, since we’re at WP (theoretically)...

Lluidas Vale 7 yo 2015/2024 (63.1%, The Duchess, Jamaica, cask #18, 243 bottles)

240–360g ester/HLPA here (marque WPH), which is relatively light, though not too light. Indeed, it’s WP. Let me say it again—brands that block independents from using their names are shooting themselves in the foot, slowly fading out of relevance among aficionados. This has already happened with many malt whiskies that younger enthusiasts don’t even know about (yes, there are young malt whisky enthusiasts!), and it would be a shame if rum brands followed the same path. Just my humble opinion: no visibility, no image. Colour: white wine. Nose: the purity at Lluidas Vale is always rather striking (no brand names allowed, right). Here we’re deep into industrial harbour water, tar, fresh oysters, and green olives—two olives, no more. With water: carbon paper, wax paper, wallpaper glue… Mouth (neat): this Lluidas Vale is so good! Even at 63%. Full of ashes, lime, liquorice wood, more ashes, and a touch of mint oil… With water: incredible purity, fruity salinity, precise aromas—olives, anchovies, asparagus, lemon… Finish: long but quite soft, precise, almost refreshing, almost like a dry martini with Noilly Prat. The London experts will get it. A faint hint of strawberry cream at the very end—some peculiar molecule at play here. Comments: I’ve always been a big fan of Lluidas Vale—bring on the next Lluidas Vale!
SGP:463 - 90 points.

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