A few more rums, some extreme


July 20, 2025

A few more rums, some extreme

First, the usual apéritif, and probably quite a bit of sugar...

Dictador 16 yo (40%, OB, Colombia, +/-2024)

Fruit of the inexpressible ‘solera system’. They told me this 16 wasn’t too bad, but let’s remain cautious… Colour: deep gold. Nose: well, this isn’t dreadful, it’s got a developed edge yet remains rather fresh, on dead leaves and bay, nori, then praline and ginger liqueur. It’s that latter element that’s a bit troubling, truth be told. Mouth: oops, this is still terribly sweet, even if it doesn’t immediately trigger rejection, even at room temperature. Still, it’s not good, the flavours are unpleasant, with burnt sugar and rubber. Finish: fairly long, and that’s precisely the issue. Very ‘burnt sugar’. Comments: unpleasant at 20°C, though I imagine it might go down more acceptably at 5°C. A rather poor wee thing, really; the ‘Capítulo I’ we tasted last time was far better, in our opinion.
SGP:720 - 39 points.

TDL 2006-2008/2024 ‘Harmony’ (57%, Vagabond Spirits for Takumi Spirit, ex-bourbon, Trinidad)

TDL, essentially, is the new Caroni, isn’t it? Colour: amber. Nose: it’s fruity, the texture feels of the ‘light’ kind, with orange liqueur, acacia honey, candyfloss, and a whole bag of sugary Easter eggs. With water: tar and shoe polish come out first, then wafts of fresh plywood and a decidedly Ikea-like character. Mouth (neat): there’s a rough, bagasse-like edge to it, gritty yet sweet at the same time, with rather striking acidity. Belize does spring to mind… With water: everything seems to gather around preserved lemons, olives, and honey. It’s very sweet-salty and gently bitter-sweet at once. Finish: same. Comments: not easy to pigeonhole, but I rather enjoy this gently improbable ‘self-blend’.
SGP:552 - 85 points.

Saint James 12 yo 2010/2023 (45%, La Maison & Velier, Magnum Series #2, Alex Webb Edition, Martinique, agricole)

This is the Magnum Series linked to the famous photo agency, though these aren’t magnums. I think this is going to be good. Colour: full gold. Nose: oh yes, cassata, strawberry muesli, white clover honey, fresh turmeric, fennel and star anise. Bright as the lens on an old Leica (eh?). Mouth: terrifyingly beautiful and distinguished, it truly resembles nothing else. Delicate hints of coconut cream, then all those spices we just mentioned, especially the aniseed. It’s rare to find this much anise, even chez Pernod Ricard (ahem), but as it happens we adore anise. In short, this is a true Martiniquan pastis. Finish: very long and now very bitter. Extreme liquorice and extreme anise. Comments: love it or loathe it – your call. There’s something properly bonkers about it.
SGP:471 - 89 points.

T.D.L. 8 yo 2016/2025 (67.5%, The Colours of Rum, ex-bourbon, Trinidad, cask #4, 314 bottles)

Yet another blatant assassination attempt at 67.5% – where are the authorities when you need them? Colour: gold. Nose: at this stage, we’re not far from the Vagabond, both estery (glues) and fresh and fruity (pineapple, pear, amyl diacetate and so on). With water: quite remarkable how it falls into line, becoming soft and fruity (pear liqueur), but also showing lovely and elegant touches of fresh tyres, engine oil, plus honeysuckle, iris, jasmine… All of this is rather fascinating to follow. Mouth (neat): it hits hard, all glue and pear indeed, so let’s not linger – water, quickly… With water: bang on, quite amazing how water smooths everything out, even if some notes of sticking plaster start to emerge, alongside lemons and lemon balm. Finish: long and surprisingly salty. Comments: a real treasure hunt, as one gradually tames it down from 67.5% to around 45%.
SGP:562 - 88 points.

We're heading straight to Jamaica...

HD 9 yo 2015/2025 ‘DOK’ (68.9%, The Colours of Rum, Jamaica, Edition #17, cask #2, 297 bottles)

I trust you know that in rum, ‘HD’ doesn’t stand for Harley-Davidson, right? But ‘DOK’ means 1,500 to 1,700 gr esters/hlpa, which is roughly the ‘eleven’ on Nigel Tufnel’s Spinal Tap scale. Colour: deep gold. Nose: at such strength, there’s barely anything perceptible, one simply wants to save her/his nose and olfactory bulb. Let’s say there’s a bit of acetone, Formica, and balsa. With water: dried pears, jujubes, bicycle patches, an old moped, worn tyres, and a genuine heap of dried flowers, which is rather unusual. Mouth (neat): well, this isn’t really ‘enjoyable’ at this strength, it’s almost, say kind of vulgar (Everclear is near) and ‘industrial’. Let’s move on… With water: much better, though it remains a touch odd, jumbled, rounded, curious, and not all that ‘DOK’ in the end. These beasts are truly difficult to bring down to an ideal drinking strength, it seems we rather failed here, to be perfectly honest. Finish: same. Comments: I think we somewhat botched this one, frankly. Mea Culpa.
SGP:552 - 82 points.

One last one...

Hampden 1 yo 2023/2025 ‘Oloroso’ (62.3%, The Colours of Rum for Catawiki, Jamaica, cask #135, 75 bottles)

1,300–1,400 gr esters/hlpa here, so a proper C<>H. One must say, the ultra-young HDs from this series we’ve tasted so far have been nothing short of interstellar. Colour: full gold. Nose: UHU glue, formic acid, gherkin brine, and garlicky mussels in white wine. With water: more petrichor, fresh tar and black garlic. I find it utterly brilliant, I fear. Mouth (neat): as for the oloroso, who knows, but the rest – glue and salted liquorice galore – is utterly gorgeous. One just needs to enjoy this rather, let’s say, excessive style. With water: superb saline tension, marked by whiffs of acetone and ammonia. It’s absolutely mad, really. Finish: massive salty and ‘chemical’ bitterness, which inevitably pushes the drinker into a bout of introspection, something along the lines of, do I really like this, and if so, why do I like it, am I normal, will society judge me, etc, etc, etc. Comments: pure madness, the kind you simply won’t find in malt whisky; bacterial fermentation has clearly become the flavour of the day. Just saying…
SGP:374 - 90 points.

One very last one...

HD 15 yo 2009/2025 ‘DOK’ (55.9%, The Whisky Jury, The Ester Hunter, Jamaica, refill cask, cask #3, 173 bottles)

Just to remind you, that’s 1,500 to 1,700 gr esters/hlpa. Octomore looks like a lemonade in comparison. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s rather immaculate yet far from simple, on seawater, citrus, oysters, tyres, clams, cigarette ash, seaweed, and peat smoke… Peat smoke? With water: you've just opened a massive jar of pickled gherkins – congratulations! Mouth (neat): massive indeed, mezcal and burnt tyres, cocoa, ashes, hyper-intense coffee… With water: a great deal of salinity, which slightly upsets the rest, though we happen to adore saline (formerly ‘mineral’, formerly ‘salty’, occasionally ‘vertical’) wines and spirits. Finish: very long but a little mad, let’s be honest. It feels a bit like you’ve just drunk the entire Mediterranean Sea, from Gibraltar to the Gulf of Iskenderun. Comments: what a beauty, this is the manzanilla of rum! But beware, if ultra-salty spirits aren’t your thing, step aside and leave the bottles for those of us who are into it. Us, for instance.
SGP:364 - 91 points.

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