Summer isn't over yet, here are some more rums


September 8, 2024

Summer isn't over yet,
here are some more rums

Naval battle, oil on canvas (WF Collection)

Botran 15 yo ‘Reserva Especial’ (40%, OB, Guatemala, +/-2023)

A mention of the ‘sistema solera’ is rarely a good sign, particularly when considering the actual age of this dram, especially at €29-35. Colour: dark gold. Nose: heavily stewed fruits, such as pear and pineapple, with caramel, coconut, candy sugar, and a touch of coffee liqueur… To be fair, it’s not half bad and doesn’t reek of syrup like so many others. Mouth: sweet, but not overly so, slightly soft with a strong note of powdered coffee and pineapple liqueur. The syrupy texture makes it hard to appreciate without ice, though, honestly, we’ve had worse. Finish: of medium length, leaning towards molasses and ‘cheap’ maple syrup, with tinned pineapple and corn syrup. Comments: honestly, it’s drinkable; just needs some ice. It’s not absolutely necessary to drown it in Coke or other cheerful mixers, in my humble opinion.
SGP:530 - 72 points.

Chairman’s Reserve ‘Original’ (40%, OB, St. Lucia, +/-2023)

We're more accustomed to their superb single casks that occasionally pop up, so let's see how this entry-level offering fares… Colour: full gold. Nose: rather nice! Very much on fermented sugarcane, with whiffs of petrol, engine oil, fresh tar, and liquorice. The flavours do compensate for the low ABV, we’d say. Mouth: very nice indeed! Quite a bit of saline and tarry depth, even touches of olives, anchovies, salted liquorice, a hint of fresh rubber (bracelets), and vesou… This is certainly better than another entry-level Chairman’s Reserve that wasn’t ‘Original’ a few years back. Finish: surprisingly long, with brine and liquorice lingering. Comments: this is top-notch for a very well-considered price. Lovely style, and for once, we won’t even complain about the low alcohol content.
SGP:552 - 85 points.

Definitely, some pleasant surprises today...

Pusser’s Rum ‘Gunpowder Proof’ (54.5%, OB, Guyana, +/-2023)

Advertised as being at ‘Gunpowder Proof,’ but I thought that was supposed to be around 56.9 to 57.1%, or 100° proof UK, wasn’t it? They also mention ‘admiralty strength,’ but ‘admirability strength’ would perhaps be more fitting (though that’s another weak pun, S.). This is indeed a Demerara, although it’s bottled in the British Virgin Islands—no, nothing to do with tax shenanigans. Colour: orange gold. Nose: parsley, coriander, molasses, tar, raisins, and a subtle ‘saucy’ note, which seems quite intentional and stylistic. Plum juice, umeshu... With water: it becomes more earthy, which we rather like. Mouth (neat): it’s good! Liquorice, caramel, a hint of salt, a touch of tar, molasses, and some meaty juice—perhaps soy sauce. With water: the salty liquorice and meaty juice continue, with a few drops of seawater added to the mix. Finish: long, rich, and getting sweeter at this stage, with that famous prune juice making an appearance. Comments: it certainly does the job, and even more so at €35. Very El Dorado-like, though it doesn’t quite have the elegance of Chairman’s Vat—no, wait, Reserve.
SGP: 641 - 80 points.

Hooded Skunk Rum (58%, OB, Denmark, +/-2023)

I’m not entirely sure what this is, and frankly, I’d rather not know, even if Danish sugarcane plantations are famous the world over. Right, they don’t have any colonies in the tropics, do they? Colour: gold. Nose: it’s amusing, with notes of bubblegum and, indeed, fresh cane juice. There’s also hay, strawberries, and roasted tea, something like Japanese hojicha. Puffed rice too. With water: a touch of earthy strawberry and mezcal comes through. Mouth (neat): well, it’s not bad at all, very different, very ‘meta-spirits’, with gentian, mezcal, celery eau-de-vie, and yes, even the expected aquavit... It’s really fun, and for now, I’m enjoying it. With water: yes, it’s quirky and tasty. Not the sugary horror you sometimes encounter ‘elsewhere in this direction’. Finish: long, and even smoky. Beechwood smoke, anchovies, liquorice, and overripe strawberries. Comments: what on earth are we tasting here, S.? It’s fun!
SGP: 563 - 80 points.

Secret Cuban 12 yo 2009/2022 (59%, Dràm Mor, bourbon barrel, cask #139, 227 bottles)

One always dreams of Sancti Spiritus or Santiago, yet everyone remains tight-lipped about these secret Cubans. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s very lovely, highly refined, with not a hint of vulgarity, featuring fresh cane juice and the most elegant vanilla. There’s a tiny touch of petrol, perhaps indicating a few drops of ex-pot still aguardiente in the mix. With water: it turns fresher, with notes of agricultural oils (rapeseed, sunflower) and crushed almonds. And that cane juice. Mouth (neat): well, here we go, I’m sorry to say this is the best young Cuban rum I’ve tasted in a very, very long time. Beautiful oranges, cane, hints of anise, biscuit dough, with another touch of varnish and petrol, and a splash of orange blossom water... With water: even better, becoming wonderfully delicate. Some overripe fruits and a hint of mastic. Finish: not as long as a Fidel speech (ha) but this slightly salty note is, well, quite sexy. Comments: there are some much older indie Cubans around at the moment, and they’re very good indeed, but as far as young island rums go, this one is superb. I can’t wait to return to Cuba. Right, let’s bump it up by two points.
SGP: 562 – 87 points.

Foursquare 19 yo 2002/2022 (56%, Silver Seal)

I adore the old ships that Silver Seal adds to its labels. It’s true they played an absolutely enormous role in trade between Europe and the wider Caribbean, contributing to the development of sugarcane. Colour: white wine. Nose: wait, is this pot still? Overripe bananas, Riesling, kerosene, olives... With water: by Jove! A myriad of small herbs, smoked or otherwise. Dill, wild carrots, wild garlic, and so on. Mouth (neat): yes, pure pot still, no doubt about it (or I’ll eat my hat). It’s magnificent, with earthy lemon and olive oil smoked over cypress wood. Well, more or less that. With water: smoked lemon, if such a thing existed. Finish: long, lemony, salty, and truly complex, with a slightly liquoricy and mentholated aftertaste. Comments: it’s obviously not my business, but I do hope they’re filling loads of Foursquare pure pot still casks at the moment. Single blends were a charming idea, but like at Ben Nevis, the real deal is the pot still. That’s my humble personal opinion, anyway.
SGP: 562 - 91 points.

Come on, something crazy...

TDL 2002/2024 (55.7%, The Whisky Jury for The Antilope, Macau, Trinidad, The Many Faces of Rum, cask #10, 238 bottles)

TDL 2002/2024 (55.7%, The Whisky Jury for The Antelope, Macau, Trinidad, The Many Faces of Rum, cask #10, 238 bottles)

We prepare ourselves, stretch a bit, have some coffee followed by Perrier… right, we’re ready. Colour: pure gold. Nose: one can’t deal with these folks and their spirits anymore. The nose is rather magical, very pure, with a strong focus on small pink banana, vineyard peach, and guava that knows how to behave. It’s insanely precise and pure. With water: as the youngsters say, it’s too beautiful. Polishes, ripe tropical fruits… It quite simply floors you. Mouth (neat): it’s detestable, it’s so good. It ought to be banned. Pink grapefruit, white Irouléguy from Arretxea, and there you have it. With water: it’s so good, we stop, we give up. Finish: as I said, we give up. Fir wood and pine nuts in the aftertaste. Comments: none. Website on strike. We’re French, after all.
SGP:651 - 93 points.

T.D.L. 13 yo 2009/2023 (62.8%, The Colours of Rum, Trinidad, barrel, cask #107, 256 bottles)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: incense, sandalwood, orange cake, the jury’s still out. Mind you, nearly 63% vol. With water: shoe polish, ski wax (I’m aware it’s not the season), almond oil. Mouth (neat): call me Suzy. Varnish and preserved apricot juice. With water: right, this is a simpler version of TDL, certainly top-notch, though a touch more rustic. But it’s got passion fruit! Finish: indeed. Comments: another brilliant drop, but the 2002 was something out of this world. A touch of a death seat effect, perhaps.
SGP:641 - 87 points.

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