A few more rums to try and hold on to summer


September 7, 2025

A few more rums to try and hold on to summer

Luisita

Luisita in Tarlac, Philippines, single estate rum

It’s true that last Sunday, we went from 9 to 91 points without so much as a blink, quite an unusual gap in a tasting session, even in a category as broad and varied as rum. Today, we’ll try to take fewer risks.

Blue Mauritius 'Gold' (40%, OB, blend, +/-2024)

Since 2012’ they claim on the label. Well, we did try one of the earlier batches back in 2013 and found it decent enough (WF 72). Right, those 40% aren’t exactly screaming greatness… Colour: gold. Nose: buckets of pineapple liqueur drizzled with vanilla and a hint of coconut. That’s more or less the whole show, but it’s really not dreadful at all, even if the palate’s looming with some concern… Mouth: extremely sweet, positively liqueur-like, banana foam sweets, more pineapple liqueur by the ladleful, and an overwhelming amount of sugar. Finish: long, alas, much too sugary. Comments: I’ve just checked, and just like last week’s Don Papa, this one turns out to be a ‘spirit drink’ too. I suppose there’s far too much sugar in there to legally call it rum. That said, I did prefer it back in 2013. Still, I’m quite sure it’d do alright over ice…
SGP:820 – 50 points.

Since we're embracing the strange, as we say here…

Samai ‘Kampot Pepper’ (41%, OB, Cambodia, +/-2024)

The Samai ‘Gold’ was jolly good indeed (WF 84), hence our decision to take a punt on this ‘Kampot’. Kampot pepper, as it happens, is a rather well-regarded variety of peppercorn grown down in Cambodia’s Kampot province. Colour: pale gold. Nose: how utterly charming! Nothing at all like last week’s Don Papa ‘Alon’—this one’s crisp and refreshing, with elements that might remind one of some very posh gins, though of course we know next to nothing about gin. Even if, over at WF Towers, we did crank out a fair number of litres of our own gin last year, delightfully named ‘Gin Genie’. One couldn’t possibly make that up. Mouth: pity, the sugar takes over a bit too much for my taste, which is a shame, as the underlying structure is really rather delightful. Think fennel, pink pepper and lime. A real shame about the generous dosing of sugar—mind you, I’m not saying there shouldn’t be any at all. Finish: long, sweet, leaning more into citrus now. Comments: we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on this Kampot pepper, if not on this little spiced rum itself. That said, let’s not forget we’ve also already encountered some superb Samai in the LMDW ‘Flags’ series—it bears remembering.
SGP:740 – 72 points.

From now on, we'll need to be careful not to stumble upon those spiced rums by accident, they're really not our thing...

Havana Club 'Especial' (37.5%, OB, Cuba, +/-2025)

We’ve already tasted some Añejo Especials at 40 or even 45%, but never a version simply labelled ‘Especial’ and bottled at 37.5%, as distributed in France in this instance. At that rate, one does wonder what exactly is so ‘Especial’ about it… That said, it’s clearly intended for Cuba Libres, as the back label candidly states. Colour: full gold. Nose: hey, this isn’t bad at all, with some rather lovely spicing—star anise comes to mind—alongside molasses honey, ginger biscuits and a wee touch of cinnamon. There’s even a subtle whisper of pineapple. Honestly, the nose isn’t half bad. Mouth: sweet, that much is certain, but I imagine it still slips in just under the good old European Union’s legal sugar threshold. It feels a little hollow, to be fair, no doubt owing to the reduced strength, and although the notes of cane honey, banana and speculoos are pleasant enough, the sweetness does begin to smother things a tad. Finish: short, but even sweeter. Comments: you know the mantra, ‘perhaps over a lot of crushed ice’, but to be fair, this one’s perfectly decent. Incidentally, their museum in Havana is rather brilliant, I think.
SGP:731 – 65 points.

Luisita ‘Casa’ (58%, OB, Philippines, small batch, +/-2024)

Caution, Luisita may hail from the Philippines but has nothing whatsoever to do with Don Papa. We’ve already tasted some rather good ones from this house. This particular expression is 5 years of age but is said to contain older parcels from the 1990s, high-ester no less. Anyway, let’s see if your casa is my casa (too easy, S.) Colour: pale gold. Nose: on the nose it’s rather on the oily side, with notes of sesame oil, fresh cane juice and the odd touch of liquorice. It does seem a bit locked up by the high strength though. With water: it really opens up on slightly fermented cane juice with just a few dabs of boot polish. Mouth (neat): the esters leap out right away, it’s very much on olives and concentrated lemon juice, with a precise, zesty sharpness that we’re quite fond of. With water: a complete volte-face into the world of tangy fruit sweets. A hint of coffee too. Finish: same neck of the woods, fresh cane and lemon. Comments: a truly lovely rum, delicate and rather subtle but sometimes also roaring. A proper Filipino rum, in short.
SGP:451 – 84 points.

Marie-Galante 23 mo 2022/2024 (59.7%, Spirit of the Day, agricole, 262 bottles)

They clearly couldn’t wait the extra month to make it a full 2 years, that’s the kind of spirit we like. So then, Bellevue? Bielle? Père Labat/Poisson? Colour: white wine. Nose: cane juice and gentian, with a touch of pink pepper and caraway. With water: modelling clay starts to push through, along with a modest dose of engine grease and little notes of fresh new tyres… Mouth (neat): excellent, feels not unlike a fruit eau-de-vie—rowanberry or holly perhaps—but salted and again underpinned by gentian. With water: the balance between cane, roots and salt is just spot-on. One might almost believe sugarcane was a root (just kidding, obviously). Finish: fairly long but gentle, with flashes that recall agricole rums from… Madeira. Comments: it’s hard to go more spirit-driven than this, and yet there’s clearly been some thoughtful ageing at play. Spot on.
SGP:562 – 87 points.

South Africa 4 yo 2019/2024 (59.7%, La Maison du Whisky, Flag Series, agricole, 270 bottles)

Mhoba, of course—or at least we presume as much—which would be splendid news as we’re rather fond of Mhoba. This is an agricole-style rum, made from hand-cut local cane. Colour: full gold. Nose: not one for everyone, as it’s massively acetic, but that’s perfect for us, as we adore this sort of thing and might just see about acquiring any remaining stock. Vinegars galore, balsamic up front, then carbon and brine. It’s almost as if the Jamaicans decided to make high-ester rum from fresh cane juice instead of molasses. With water: calms down just a touch. Mouth (neat): superb salty-vinegary tension, with wildly overripe fruits playing backup. With water: no real fundamental change on the palate. Finish: long, ultimately fairly simple, but so beautiful we couldn’t care less. Comments: one caveat, it’s not terribly fond of dilution, which flattens it slightly, so do mind the watering.
SGP:663 – 89 points.

I think we’ve outfoxed ourselves, only a Jamaican could top this likely Mhoba…

Monymusk 24 yo 1999/2024 ‘MPG’ (57.4%, Rest & Be Thankful for Navigate World Whisky South Africa, 283 bottles)

The MPG marque sits around the 100g/hlpa ester mark, but it bears repeating that so-called lighter marques can sometimes feel heavier than heavier ones. Are you following me? Colour: pale gold. Nose: actually rather delicate, on vineyard peaches and a faint smokiness reminiscent of fresh tarmac, then blood orange and pink banana, with hibiscus syrup and jasmine tea not far behind. It’s all exceedingly elegant. With water: fresh mango absolutely bursts out, lightly wrapped in a touch of tar. Mouth (neat): more punch and drive on the palate, this is gorgeous stuff. It oddly brings Highland Park to mind—even if totally unrelated—then shifts towards seawater and even lemon-dressed oysters. Excellent. With water: mango returns once more, but everything remains delightfully crisp and fresh. Finish: long, increasingly saline, with citrus and passion fruit coming to the fore. Still superb. Comments: these so-called ‘low-ester’ Monymusks can be astonishingly pure and refreshing. A brilliant South African duel between the Mhoba and this Monymusk that, indeed, was bottled for ZA, and both have walked away with top honours.
SGP:652 – 90 points.

Check the index of all rums we've tasted