A few more rums on this beautiful Sunday


March 2, 2025

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!

A few more rums on this beautiful Sunday

Fly

Let's choose them somewhat at random, but still in order. I know what I mean...

Ingenio La Cabana 7 yo (43%, Cane Island, El Salvador, American white oak, +/-2023)

By the makers of Cihuatan rum, of which we have already tasted some rather decent versions (WF 77-80). Colour: deep gold. Nose: a slight metallic touch (copper wires) accompanied by hints of fresh varnish and walnut oil, then sugarcane, orange syrup, and some increasingly prominent hay. It’s rather pretty and, most importantly, not overly liqueur-like on the nose. Mouth: there is some added sugar, quite evidently, yet the whole remains fairly balanced between orange liqueur, nougat, and cane syrup. All in all, a rather sweet rum. Finish: short, sugary. A cup of Nescafé with five sugar cubes. Comments: really very honest, it just needs some ice, or otherwise, keep your bottle in the fridge and drink your glass quickly, before it warms up.
SGP:740 - 75 points.

Dictador ‘Platinum’ (40%, OB, Colombia, +/-2024)

The Dictador ‘Insolent’ was more decent than expected a couple of weeks ago (WF 72 – while we were bracing for the worst). This ‘Platinum’ was distilled in stainless steel, which should, in theory, retain a dirtier side as there’s no ‘cleansing’ effect from copper, then aged in deep-charred sherry and port casks. Colour: amber. Nose: lots of espresso and caramel, then even more turrón and ground coffee once again. Small touches of cumin and roasted, caramelised peanuts. In short, the keyword here is ‘caramel’, though I find it to be a rather nice caramel. Mouth: sweet, but not excessively so. That said, the Nescafé and caramel return, making it rather one-dimensional, while the low strength causes it to lose altitude very quickly. Finish: short, slightly syrupy, and still carrying that sugar-laden Nescafé and caramel profile. Does Nestlé have a stake in Dictador? A much more bitter aftertaste, yet still very sweet, in the style of Montenegro. Comments: I think it needs a lot of ice. The Cihuatan was still superior.
SGP:840 - 70 points.

Centenario ‘30 Solera Edición Limitada’ (40%, OB, rum, Costa Rica, decanter, +/-2024)

A rum that everyone presents as a 30-year-old, though of course, it isn’t, with the youngest component seemingly around 8 years old. I tasted it in 2013, and Angus in 2018, and we both found it rather average (WF 70-72), but perhaps this recent bottling suits our taste better. Colour: dark reddish amber. Nose: entirely in the Salvadorian style, slightly metallic, with oils (walnut, sunflower), molasses, and coffee laced with caramel. Certainly not an unpleasant nose. Mouth: lots of caramel, lots of molasses, roasted nuts, and always that well-known instant coffee. Black tea and bitter chocolate. It is undeniably sweet, but it almost feels dry after the crazy Dictador. Finish: short, on molasses honey and a hint of black nougat in the aftertaste. Comments: once again, ice or the fridge seem inevitable. Or Coca-Cola.
SGP:740 – 70 points.

We're stopping the sugar bombs; we'll have more next time, but in moderation.

Karukera ‘Black Edition Alligator’ (45%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, +/-2023)

Karukera ‘Black Edition Alligator’ (45%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, +/-2023)
Karukera has pulled an Ardbeg-like move with this finishing of a four-year-old rum in ‘very-deeply-charred’ casks, colloquially known as ‘alligator’. Like Longueteau, Karukera is produced at the Domaine du Marquisat de Sainte-Marie. Colour: amber. Nose: a great success! Charcoal, smoked sausage (Morteau), soot, salted liquorice, cloves, bitter oranges, crème brûlée, brown sugar… Highly charred casks don’t impart smoky notes, but here, they certainly kind of do. Mouth: lovely smoky bitterness, burnt cake, dry molasses, touches of lavender, honey-glazed ham, liquorice wood, rosemary… The mouthfeel is just perfect. Finish: shorter than expected but still beautifully smoky. A more honeyed and liquorice-laced aftertaste, with a splash of fresh orange juice. Comments: you almost get the impression that this improbable treatment actually enhances the agricole character. A fantastic malternative bottle.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

We had previously tasted an earlier batch of this Karukera, which had left us far less convinced. Have they improved the recipe?

Foursquare 22 yo 1999/2022 (61%, The Colours of Rum, Barbados, Edition No.14, 210 bottles)

The Colours of Rum have released a fine selection of well-aged Foursquare. Colour: rich gold. Nose: ultra-typical, even at 61% ABV, opening on nougat, maple syrup, and honey popcorn, with touches of coconut and a hint of diesel fuel. A fresh profile leading to notes of fresh sugarcane juice and violets. Truly very pretty and elegant. With water: lovely notes of fresh rubber, ‘new Nike’, brake fluid, orange zest, genever, etc. Mouth (neat): the high strength brings out a marked bitterness, artichoke liqueur, and very dark chocolate—it needs water. With water: loads of oranges of all kinds, including Seville oranges, with a pinch of salt and pepper, as well as ginger. Finish: long, but unchanged. That wasn’t needed anyway. Peppery aftertaste. Comments: extremely pretty, just as expected.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

T.C.R.L. 8 yo 2014/2023 (49.6%, Transcontinental Rum Line for The Navigator NWW, Fiji, cask #F14WP24, 240 bottles)

A bottling for South Africa! Time to put the brilliant Abdullah Ibrahim on the stereo… Matured for 2 years in bourbon in Fiji, the rest in ex-rum casks in Europe. Colour: gold. Nose: this is petrol! Petrol with a handful of green and black olives, a bit of lemon, a touch of seawater, and then, to drive the point home, strawberries and a few tubes of glue. The funniest part is that it remains elegant and refined—I’ve no idea what kind of sorcery is at work here. Mouth: a sublime composition, striking a masterful balance on a beautifully bitter base. Salt, liquorice, olives, acetone, lemons, rubber, seashells, benzine… Finish: superb salty liquorice. Comments: not exactly a surprise, and yet… it is, in a way. After all, we are only 12,098 km from Jamaica as the crow flies.
SGP:572 - 91 points.

Caroni 1994/2019-2024 (58%, Velier, Rum Paradise #8, ‘Guyana Heavy Trinidad’, Trinidad)

This Caroni aged for 25 years in Trinidad, then in Guyana, before moving to Cognac for resting in demijohns from 2019 onwards. Colour: amber. Nose: that typical lapsang souchong and coal tar profile, but also menthol, hibiscus, violet, and jasmine, followed by a box of 50 Cuban double coronas. Absolutely lovely. With water: it goes “full fractal peacock tail.” I know what I mean. Small broths, dim sum, chervil, coriander, parsley, miso, dates and Corinth raisins, earth, mushrooms, moss, paint, varnish… and a whole array of other things, including small citrus fruits. Mouth (neat): intensely resinous, mentholated, liquorice-laden, and bitter (in the best possible way). Loads of varnish and fir honey. With water: very woody, broadly speaking, leaning towards precious black teas, powerful coffee beans, and bitter chocolate. You have to love this style—we certainly do. Finish: same story, with hydrocarbons lurking behind the dominant woody essences. Comments: you can really feel the time spent in British Guyana—there’s even a little old Port Mourant character in there. Just joking, of course.
SGP:473 – 92 points.

A Jamaican to finish...

Clarendon 23 yo 2001/2024 ‘MLC’ (51.5%, Plantation, for LMDW Foundations, Jamaica, 300 bottles)

Aged for 18 years in Jamaica, then 5 years in cognac casks at Ferrand, who also own part of Clarendon. The ester level is fairly high at 500g/HLPA, so we don’t think the cognac influence could have impacted this rum too much. The MLC mark is the highest at Clarendon. Colour: deep gold. Nose: an amusing smoky honey cake note, complemented by eucalyptus, camphor, and menthol. Seawater and engine oil round off a rather soft and civilised profile. Could that be the cognac influence, in the end? With water: the rum still takes the lead, ha! Though a hint of lightly mentholated triple sec appears, along with a touch of chamomile. Mouth (neat): rather surprising, with a seemingly obvious cognac influence—honey, sultanas, and peach syrup coating seawater, light solvents, and olives. With water: now at its best, the elements meld beautifully, it’s quite spectacular. Liquorice, peach, lemon, peppermint, Earl Grey tea. Finish: now with green pepper and honey, evolving significantly over time. Comments: a surprising yet truly excellent Cognac-Jamaican puzzle.
SGP:562 - 87 points.

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