Some rums, once again


April 21, 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!

Some rums, once again

There are many fine things lineing up, but that won't stop us from starting off by calibrating ourselves with, well, the help of little aperitifs that we have never tasted before, or only very sporadically. Like this one...

Magazine ad for Myers's, 1980s. The young woman didn't particularly seem happy with her decision, did she?

Myers's Original Dark (40%, OB, Jamaica, +/- 2022)

I had tasted it ten years ago and found it quite alright (WF 79), even though its reputation wasn't great-great. That's non-experts for you. Apparently, it's a very ancient recipe; what's certain is that the rather orange hue, as opposed to golden, suggests a liberal use of caramel. But let's not restart the caramel wars, shall we? Colour: orange gold. Nose: actually quite good, with petrol, tar, and discreet yet clear salty notes. Essentially, it's more The Platters than Parliament in terms of funk, but it works quite well. Sugarcane, very ripe bananas, a hint of olive oil… Mouth: yes, not bad at all, salty, with tar, a bit of varnish, petrol (who hasn't had to siphon a friend's tank at four in the morning, out in the country?), and then indeed bananas. I would be curious to taste it without the caramel layer, it seems promising. Notes of ash as well. Finish: a bit short but still salty and nicely Jamaican. Orange and mint in the aftertaste. Comments: we are in a good day, we'll raise the score (who cares, right?). A very nice, very British-tasting aperitif.
SGP:552 - 80 points.

Aldea 6 yo (43%, Rum Explorer by Château du Breuil, Canary islands, +/-2022)

Distilled by Distilleria Aldea and partially aged in France and finished in pineau at Château du Breuil. These rather large Calvados makers seem to be diversifying pretty successfully, in whisky and, indeed, in rum. But Canarias is not an easy choice, I hope this will be better than the deep-sweetened Arehucas, for example (WF 40). I much prefer the Madeirans – I know those are Portuguese and not Spanish. Colour: gold. Nose: a rather metallic nose and a bit on the polish initially, without muted grape juice notes, leaning more towards charcoal, fireplace ashes, a bit of mustard and bitter oranges. I would have said... Madeira rum, but it is true that it's also pure cane juice (I believe). Mouth: the pineau is noticeable, giving it a sort of premix vibe, sweet-smoky-salty, not unpleasant at all but it loses you a little. It's not a rum that's immensely rummy, if you catch my drift, but yes, it's not disagreeable. Plenty of sultanas and peach syrup. Finish: medium length, quite nicely fruity, a touch of liquorice. Comments: it's really not bad, in my opinion, even if it struggles a bit following the astonishing Myers's, which is normal.
SGP:641 - 78 points.

Black Tot 'Master Blenders Reserve 2023' (54.5%, Elixir Distillers)

Every time it's said, it's marvellous to see these master blenders who, out of sheer altruism and love for humanity, are ready to part with their personal reserves with boundless grace. In any case, here is an intriguing blend that generously features Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, and Guyana. In essence, a very British blend, or in any case, a very 'Royal Navy' one. Colour: full gold. Nose: it's very elegant, and at the risk of plunging us back into the Napoleonic wars (but no, that ended too badly for us!) there is a little Guadeloupean aspect to this rum that seems to house quite a bit of "grand arôme". In any case, it's mainly very balanced, without one origin dominating the others, not even Jamaica. Earth, tar, motor oil, dried grapes, eucalyptus, orange liqueur... With water: it's really the sugar cane that stands out – even if I imagine that only molasses rums were used to compose this blend. Mouth (neat): it's more marked by tar, a commendable bacterial aspect, pepper, seaweed, capers... The peppery note is prominent. With water: it loves water and develops a side of sandalwood and jasmine, very ripe mango, cinnamon, orange marmalade and rose water (Turkish delights). It's quite sinful, really. Finish: fairly long, a bit sweeter and gentler. As usual, the balances between the different components change with dilution, even more so in the finish. In my humble opinion... Nice salinity at the end. Comments: probably the cream of the crop of what you can do in terms of 'international' blending.
SGP:642 - 88 points.

El Salvador 2013/2023 (65.5%, L'Esprit Rhum, cask #MDH 2013-2, 264 bottles)

Aged for eight years on location, then two years in Europe. The estate/distillery is confidential but if you ask me, this could well from the makers of Cihuatan, so no bad news. We need to remain careful at 65.5%. Colour: gold. Nose: high varnish and barbecued herbs (thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds), pine resin, coal tar and just a lot of burnt sugar. Let's hope these rather wonderful roasted herbs will remain, once water's been added. With water: the herbs have remained but are rather in a fresh state. I also find banana peel and apple, dandelion flower, a bit of popcorn, sesame halva (pure sin)... Mouth (neat): rather sweet – herbaceous, but at this strength, we'll move on very, very quickly. With water: it shifts towards pink grapefruit, fudge, and vanilla cream. It remains quite simple but really very pleasant. And you can add litres of water. Finish: medium length, clean style. Apple juice with a hint of pepper. Comments: these are more like fillers, reminiscent of many Speyside whiskies. Take, for example, Glendullan or Strathmill. But that does not detract from their interest; we are well above the style of Puerto Rico (is there a style?) or the Dominican Republic, for example.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Since we're at it, tasting ethanol bombs…

Foursquare 2007/2022 'Fortitude' (62.9%, Man and Dram, Barbados)

Awesome Dada label. Colour: gold. Nose: interestingly, we're finding the same notes of parsley, rosemary, thyme and bear garlic as in the Salvadorian. Where do these molecules come from? Let's try to find out… With water: vanilla, melon, cane juice, nougat. Typical balanced style of a self-blend from Foursquare's. Mouth (neat): oranges at the helm, as fresh fruit, as liqueur, as marmalade, as candied bits and pieces… And a lot of alcohol. With water: just excellent. More oranges yet, and more pepper as well. Finish: medium in length, with a fresh texture that remains quite light, typical of these self-blends. In fact, I find that's how you recognise them. Comments: I agree we did this one a little quickly, but there wasn't much to say, everything was perfectly 'as expected', with no winey wood in the way.
SGP:641 - 88 points.

Zodiac 2024 – Verseau (63.6%, Famille Ricci, Trinidad and Nicaragua blend, bourbon, 420 bottles)

A new bottling straight from the French Riviera! This is actually a 50/50 two-cylinder blend of T.D.L. (Angostura) 16 yo 2008 and Compania Licorera de Nicaragua (Flor de Cana) 16 yo 2004. It's safe to say that this is a 16 year old. In theory, the T.D.L. is set to lead the dance. Colour: bright amber. Nose: there's always that fear of singeing your nostrils during a tasting session. In any case, you get the scent of mango cake and banana tart, with tiny hints of tar and more and more honey, yellow Chartreuse and fresh mint. These T.D.L.s are incredible. With water (incredible viscosity): earth, roots, quince, honey... Mouth (neat): superb, even at this near-lethal strength. It seems to me that we find this yellow Chartreuse again, ripe mangoes, even a drop of absinthe. Not to forget the wood glue... (alright, something reminiscent of wood glue). With water: more spices, gingerbread, a bit of ginger and turmeric, even saffron. Finish: long, fruity and balanced. And significantly very "good", simply put. Comments: I would have loved to taste the two components separately. And it would indeed be fun to sell two 50cl bottles assorted in a pack like "you've got the final say". In the style of these "ready to cook" ingredient assortments for the weary but committed urbanites... In short, it's a binary blend of very high quality.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Back to Jamaica…

HD 9 yo 2014 (54.5%, Morisco Spirits, Jamaica, bourbon barrel, +/-2024)

I highly doubt that this is a rum produced by the Harley-Davidson company. Colour: yellow gold. Nose: you know the recipe. Take sea water and lime juice, 50/50. Add chunks of carbon, brake fluid, about fifty olives (half green, half black) and throw in some rubber bands. Add gasoline as you wish – depending on the day's price – and mix well, making sure not to expose it to an open flame. With water: the glue that's late to the party. Mouth (neat): it's so good, so typical, really heavy on new rubber and olive brine... What more can I say? With water: as always, Hampden loves water. It should be noted, however, that there isn't a lot of fruit, not even rotting bananas. Finish: long. Comments: it's a spirit that is quite indifferent to age, I don't think you can even establish any sort of relationship between age and intrinsic quality (especially blind). There are not many distillates like this. In short, I'm growing even fonder of Hampden, I don't know where this will end. The only thing that could change our perception is if the charming owners started forbidding independents from alluding to the origin, but we are not there yet. As a true-blue Frenchman, I might even go on strike!
SGP:563 - 91 points.

Un petit dernier, as we say...

Zodiac 2023 – Bélier (59.3%, Famille Ricci, Jamaica and Panama blend, bourbon)

Right, some 14 yo Hampden DOK and some 16 yo Panama. We think the Panamanian might overshadow the Hampden, leaving not a trace of it behind, don't you agree? LOL. And isn't there a teasingly provocative side to these blends? The 'worst' part, as you know, is that DOK is Hampden's highest mark in terms of ester count. Over 1.5 kg/HLPA. Colour: dark gold. Nose: how amusing! It's like a honey cake smoked with fir wood. I'm serious. With water: here come the glues, the varnishes, carbon, brand-new rubber boots, olives, and perhaps even black garlic reduction—I really love that... You do detect a certain unusual sweetness, perhaps from the Panamanian element, but it's quite anecdotal. Mouth (neat): this smoked honey is crazy! Joking aside, the Jamaican dominates, as expected. Be careful, it's a bit throat-burning... With water: very Hampden. Nice depth, perhaps more fresh fruits (papaya), maybe not. The Panamanian is a bit like the piccolo within a symphony orchestra. Finish: smoked bananas and black olives. Yes. Apple and oranges in the aftertaste. Comments: a fun way to dilute your Hampden without lowering the alcohol level. Jokes aside for good, it's excellent and takes water well. Superb, these astrological (or should I say astronomical) blends by the Ricci Family.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

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