Simply more rums


February 18, 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!

Simply more rums

Because there's always more and we shan't complain about that.

Ariki 'Black Rhum' (40%, OB, France, Tahiti, +/-2022)

This one's new to me. They're using a small column still and seem to produce both high-ester and lighter rums from local cane juice. I suppose you could call it agricole-style but not sure they have a colonne créole. I find the name typically French, neither Rhum Noir nor Black Rum. Colour: office coffee. Nose: very unusual, very hard to describe. Let's say overripe bananas plus stewed bell pepper and really a lot of cold tomato juice, then some liquorice and pineapple wine. I find these tomatoes absolutely charming, you could almost call this one rhum all arrabiata on the nose. Good fun! Mouth: a little too sweet at first, but liquorice, tomato, strawberry and ultra-ripe bananas do work. A feeling of sweetened pissaladière, some kind of vegetable tart they make in the city of Nice. Finish: not that short, more on pepper and liquorice. There must be some kind of endemic fruits and flowers too, but the names keep escaping me. Caraway. Comments: some extremely singular rum from the southern Pacific. As usual, we'll add that we would have preferred 43 or 46% vol. Extra-points for singularity.
SGP:651 – 82 points.

Conde de Cuba 7 yo (38%, OB, Cuba, +/-2022)

We rather liked the 15 yo (WF 78) but in truth, these 38% vol. are a little scary, don't lower strengths always send a wrong message? Colour: gold. Nose: super-light but pretty pleasant, I'm even finding a bit of olive. A light petroly side too, some candy sugar, a little straw and hay… What's sure is that it isn't 'empty'. Mouth: light, a bit sweet, perhaps a little indistinct. Bananas flambéed and cane honey. Finish: short but clean, if a little sweet indeed. Comments: fair, loyal and honest Cuban rum. Same ballpark as that of the 15 yo.
SGP:530 – 78 points.

Nicaragua 16 yo 2004/2023 (61.9%, Colheitas, The Auld Alliance & Famille Ricci, bourbon)

Most possibly Flor de Cana. Colour: dark amber. Nose: high varnish, putty, vanilla, coconut, lupins and prunes. It's not even that blocked. With water: a few metallic touches (copper) and an unexpected load of williams pears. Really a lot of poached williams pears. Mouth (neat): a little diesel oil, more varnish, gritty fruit peel (peach), perhaps melon liqueur… But boy is it hot. With water: the poached and stewed pears are back, together with some honey and cereal bars. Finish: medium, on similar flavours. Pears, caramel, a little puréed chestnuts. Comments: not a fat distillate but it's got some charming aspects. In any case, probably the best of what Nicaragua has to offer, as far as rum is concerned.
SGP:640 - 85 points.

TDL 13 yo 2009/2023 (62.9%, The Whisky Jury, Trinidad, refill barrel, cask #3, 259 bottles)

So, Angostura's Trinidad Distillers Limited. We've had a brilliant one recently, one by… The Whisky Jury (a 2003, WF 91). Colour: deep gold. Nose: amazing, you cannot not think of lighter Caroni. Sublime mangos over a little liquorice, engine oil and aniseed. And 63% ethanol. With water: blazing camphor and dazzling liquorice. The small ripe mangos are still there too. Mouth (neat): totally, crazily superlative. There are more mangos and passion fruits than in a 50/50 blend of 1960s Bowmore and 1960s Laphroaig, honestly. With water: some salt and three olives to the rescue. Finish: long, this time with some peach liqueur. Totally insane. Olives as the signature. Comments: holy Suzy Quatro! (ooh that was useful, S.)
SGP:752 - 92 points.

Grenada 30 yo 1993/2023 (57.7%, Valinch & Mallet, The Spirit of Art, cask #3, 252 bottles)

This should be Westerhall. It aged for 15 years on location, then in Bonnie Scotland. I have to say I've never tried such an old Westerhall. Colour: gold. Nose: a soft tropical fruit salad, with bananas, papayas, guavas, pineapples… some minuscule metallic touches and the tiniest hints of rubber in the background. With water: no actual changes. Lightish and charming. Mouth (neat): a lighter body indeed but some very nice fudge and banana. A few leaves, some oranges, some sweet peaches. Say flat peaches. Water is needed. With water: more flat peaches yet, bananas, some mead, a little apple juice… Finish: medium, fruity, between Europe and the Caribbean as far as fruits are concerned. Candy sugar in the aftertaste. Comments: very good, just not extremely characterful. Some kind of old Glenfiddich or Glenlivet of rum.
SGP:651 - 85 points.

Diamond 22 yo 2001/2023 (45.2%, Precious Liquors, Guyana, 100 Aspects of The Moon Tsuki Hyakushi Series)

Colour: gold. Nose: was this distilled by British Petroleum? And did they throw olives, bananas and carbon dust into the still? And williams pears again? And a handful of salted liquorice lozenges? Well, that worked a treat. Mouth: a little strange, in the best acceptance of that word. Some curious waxes mingled with some peach/pear sirup, then a few things from the sea (sardines, anchovies, mussels) and this salty liquorice. Finish: rather long, very salty, as if we just had seawater. Comments: it somewhat reminds us of an old malt that has started to scatter a bit in its cask, losing a bit of coherence but also becoming very distinctive and almost unique, which is priceless and, in fact, beautiful.
SGP:562 – 90 points.

Diamond (Port Mourant) 10 yo 2013/2023 (53%, Rock & Rhum, Guyana, 120 bottles)

So the double wooden pot still and full continental aging, but not too sure whether that was in the UK or in the Netherlands – or elsewhere indeed. By the way isn't it funny that the UK would be seen as 'continental' as long as rum maturation is concerned? There are islands and there are islands. Colour: white wine. Nose: chiselled, ultra-precise, on carbon dust, new rubber boots, liquorice wood, elastoplasts, black olives and anchovies. With water: perhaps more elastoplasts and even whiffs of warm plastics, new stereo that's been working for hours, brand new trainers, then our friends the olives putting it all straight. Mouth (neat): typical salted olives plus touches of overripe bananas and fresh shellfish. With water: similar, a little bit sweeter, otherwise all on salted liquorice after a minute or two. Finish: long, 'kind of relatively gentler'. More salted liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: superb, it's probably an excellent introduction to higher-ester rums if you've got friends who rather go for either the silent ones (no names) or Bumbu/Don Papa.
SGP:553 - 88 points.

Caroni 2000/2019/2023 (68.5%, Velier, Paradise #5, Trinidad, cask #4053, 215 bottles)

This pretty expensive baby first spent nineteen years on location and was then transferred to Cognac where, oh utter extravagant glory! it was not remorselessly dumped into ex-cognac wood, just into a beautiful demijohn (#1). So, it is, technically a 19 yo or even an 18 yo, as 'glass no counts'. Colour: full amber. Nose: it is 'too' strong, too much on bourbon, varnish, vanilla, 'a Saturday morning at IKEA' (minus the meatballs), sawn plywood… and yet we have hope. With water: I'm am not finding it immensely Caroni-y (oil slick in your glass), rather medicinal instead, with litres of eucalyptus syrup and myrtle liqueur, over bandages and gauze. There clearly is a strong old bourbon character too (Pappy and stuff). Mouth (neat): lethal strength. Fresh paint, varnish, insanity. With water: same feeling, it is somehow a bourbon from Trinidad, becoming then more medicinal again. Notes of tamarind, a little glue, banana liqueur, drop of seawater, varnish. No heavy fuel this time. Finish: long, saltier, with a touch of turpentine over the ripe bananas and the liquorice. A feeling of having licked concrete and pebbles in the aftertaste. Comments: I found this baby pretty difficult to handle – me I guess - but naturally, it's a spitzendrop. I thought Caroni Paradise #4 was even superior earlier in January (WF 92).
SGP:563 - 89 points.

Good, this is Hampden time:

Hampden 10 yo 2013/2023 '<>H' (66.8%, Wealth Solutions, The Colours of Rum, Jamaica, cask #434968, 213 bottles)

Very high ester count here, <>H meaning around 1,000 g/hlpa and medium amounts of cane juice vinegar. Colour: gold. Nose: greatest of news, your brand new Pirellis have arrived! ß- this and only this. With water: all kinds of glues, Pattex, UHU, Loctite and compadres. Benzine. Mouth (neat): utter love for this. Dazzling mentholated caraway, loads of rubber and liquorice, some tarragon, salt, carbolineum, things reminiscent of 'that abandoned old petrol station', white balsamico (our Italian friends say that's not proper balsamico)… With water: we tamed it. It loves water. Seawater and drain oil. Finish: very long. Dazzling salted liquorice. Comments: I don't think there's much you can do against these 'chemical monsters' that are so close, in spirit, to the early Ardbegs. I mean, stuffs that we were not really supposed to drink in their unblended forms. Aren't we real rebels?
SGP:464 - 91 points.

Please another diamond-H…

Hampden 9 yo 2014/2023 '<>H' (67.3%, Wu Dram Clan, Jamaican, bourbon barrel, 232 bottles)

Matured like 50% tropical and 50% continental. Reminds me of Kid Creole and The Coconuts in that respect. Colour: gold. Nose: a notch gentler and better polished despite the extreme strength. Softer glues, lighter varnishes, more ultra-ripe bananas, seawater from a gentler sea… But, or rather and, it is awesome, curiously approachable despite it being a HEH (High-Ester-count-Hampden – some personal appellation, don't worry). With water: funny whiffs of ristretto, then perfect glue, new tyres (Pirelli, if you want), and another Saturday morning at IKEA (IKEA, where's the cheque?) Joking aside, it is (very) relatively gentle. Mouth (neat): tears you apart a wee bit, I suppose that wasn't the idea in the first place. Liquorice, tyres and seawater are good. With water: not that tarry, but very salty and varnishy, that's what I would say. It's a bit like if they had used more cane vinegar for this one. Finish: long, salty, with more concentrated lime and lemon this time. Green olives in the aftertaste. Comments: actually a little lighter than the 2013, but just as brilliant in my book.
SGP:462 - 91 points.

Gracias, peace and see you.

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