A few rums to get ready for the arrival of summer


May 4, 2025

A few rums to get ready for
the arrival of summer

Dillon in Fort de France, Martinique (Dillon)

What a smart headline! Sounds almost like cheap AI, don’t you think? Ah well, let’s move on and head to Guadeloupe…

Longueteau 3 yo ‘Souvenir La Tradition’ (45%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, +/-2024)

An assemblage of blue and red cane, the white having undergone degassing in stainless steel for eight months before spending three years in a cognac cask. I must say I remain particularly impressed by Longueteau’s white rums. Colour: gold. Nose: this is clean as a whistle, with that lovely spicy side that clearly stems from the distillate itself rather than the wood. It gradually turns coastal, bringing sea breeze aplenty, then unfolds with honeysuckle and juniper, and this rather intriguing note of liquorice-tinged peach. Or perhaps peach-tinged liquorice, you’re quite right. Mouth: perhaps a little less precise than the nose, yet it’s still most charming. Hard to say whether there’s a tangible cognac influence—maybe that peach again? Still that liquorice, then a touch of earth and tobacco, with some aniseed and salty notes we often encounter in younger agricoles. Finish: fairly long, increasingly saline, with a spoonful of custard arriving late to coat everything. A hint of ginger too. Comments: this remains really jolly good, and it’s brilliant how they’ve managed to preserve a wee 'blanc' character throughout.
SGP:452 - 85 points.

Let’s move on to dear Mawtinik…

Dillon 5 yo (43%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2024)

Made at Depaz but aged at Dillon. Dillon is one of those brands you’ll often spot in French hypermarkets, which does somewhat tarnish its image. We’ve not had much hands-on experience with Dillon, truth be told. This one was aged in first fill white oak and ex-bourbon. Colour: deep gold. Nose: rather amusing and quite entertaining, with notes of leek, asparagus and balsa wood, gradually veering towards something reminiscent of cachaça. We’re no cachaça experts, but the few we’ve tried have certainly left a lasting impression. Mouth: still very curious, let’s say cabbage with cinnamon, lemon and caraway, all wrapped in honey and ginger. Finish: fairly long, heading toward orange marmalade and cedarwood. Comments: a funny little creature, surprising and, most importantly, never boring. A lovely surprise overall, and at under €40, it’s also a bit of a steal.
SGP:551 - 83 points.

Clément 7 yo 2016/2024 (54.5%, OB for Drinks & Spirits, Martinique, agricole)

Part of a lovely box set of rums agricoles, not available by the bottle. Colour: deep gold. Nose: you’d swear there’s a fair whack of esters here—glue, varnish, overripe banana and a pack of blond cigarettes, then more damp earth by the spadefuls. Quite charming, actually. With water: solvents, acetone, fir wood. We’re very much on board (indeed). Mouth (neat): oh yes, this is good—more citrus-forward, with liquorice aplenty and even some rather assertive notes of pastis, before things take a turn towards increasingly bitter lemon. A touch of acetic sharpness too, which is lovely and unexpected. With water: everything falls into place, now we’re getting tropical fruit—papaya and mango—with a bit of earthy green tea. Finish: long, fresh, mostly on salted liquorice and aniseed. Comments: we do like this Clément a great deal—it leans ever so slightly towards Jamaica, and I say that’s never a bad thing.
SGP:462 - 86 points.

Caribbean Premium Rum 12 yo (44%, The Duchess, Marine Life, 2024)

‘Marine Life’ indeed, though do they really have orcas in the Caribbean? Colour: pale gold. Nose: esters are leading the conga line here, and we shan’t complain. Acetone, then varnish, followed by hairspray, then overripe bananas, pear eau-de-vie, a little carbon dust and a splash of olive oil. We think it’s absolutely smashing. Mouth: this is frankly Jamaican in character—excellent stuff, saline, tarry, and brimming with olives and seawater. Marine Life indeed! Finish: long, softer perhaps, yet still briny to the end. Comments: I’m not entirely sure this is truly a blend, but whatever it is, it’s superb.
SGP:463 - 88 points.

While we’re at it…

Sipper’s Rum ‘Batch 1’ (49%, The Whisky Jury, blend, refill wood, 2025)

A blend ranging from ‘0 to 20’ years of age, hailing from South America, Asia and Jamaica. Truly ‘world’ in style, to say the least. Looks a bit like Colonel Sanders is on the label, doesn’t it? Help!... Colour: gold. Nose: Jamaica is loud and clear—it’s like Ardbeg, you can’t hide it no matter the measure. Charcoal, barbecued bananas, perhaps a guava-and-seawater cocktail, and a dab of mango espuma. Well, more or less. Mouth: starts out like mango and banana yoghurt—utterly irresistible—before smoothly sliding into the high-esters zone, and there’s not a thing you can do about it. Olives, soot, tar, liquorice, seawater—you know the tune. Finish: long, leaning towards sweet liquorice, though still salty. A bit of varnish and even some hand cream right at the end. Comments: in the end it’s a touch rustic, but really excellent stuff, Colonel Sanders notwithstanding. Any Fijian in there?
SGP:563 - 87 points.

Beenleigh 2014/2024 (64.2%, Transcontinental Rum Line for The Whisky Exchange, Australia, cask #AU14SB01, 400 bottles)

One really ought to start taking the Australians at Beenleigh more seriously—though you might say it’s a very old distillery. I believe so, anyway. Colour: gold. Nose: we’ve nosed a few like this before—gentle yet present esters, geranium, candied orange peel, a bit of saltpetre and soot, then half guava juice, half avocado purée. Mind the strength though—it’s very high and could easily distort everything. With water: (immense viscimetry!) now some rubber, paraffin, shoe polish, then quality triple sec. Mouth (neat): very much on pear and plum eau-de-vie, straight from the still, with a dainty coating of white chocolate and muesli. Quickly now… With water: the salty, liquoricy side emerges, along with gentian and little chunks of salted anchovy. Good fun for sure. Finish: long, and everything mingles gleefully, to the point you’re no longer sure where to turn. Some quince in the after-aftertaste. Comments: one extra point for originality—bravo, Downunda.
SGP:652 - 88 points.

Very Fine Old Caribbean Rum from La Morita Caribena 58 yo 1967/2025 (50.8%, The Whisky Agency, barrel, 359 bottles)

It’s tricky to find much about this one online—it appears to be Cuban rum, operated by a Spanish outfit, and bottled here by the crème de la crème of Germany’s indie bottlers. So absolutely nothing could go wrong. Colour: amber. Nose: wait a moment—this is like triple sec aged in an ex-old-genever cask, with a few smoky touches à la Islay and a slab of dark turrón. Delightful and very original. With water: now we’re wandering into the scented silence of an old Buddhist temple—cedarwood, incense, a swarm of bees tucked away in a corner, wax and all that. Mouth (neat): rich, clearly somewhat ‘composed’, slightly sweet but with a marvellous array of spices, very much in the Spanish style. Pine liqueur, ginger, rowanberry, cumin, coriander, orange, honey… With water: doesn’t change much, save that it remains a bit liqueur-like, akin to yellow Chartreuse. Finish: of medium length, still fresh, now edging into mentholated territory. Some coffee in the aftertaste. Comments: heaven knows what went on in Cuba in 1967 for this amusing little thing to be ‘conceived’, but it’s clearly been augmented here and there—still, the overall charm is immense. At WF, we do love Cuba.
SGP:640 - 90 points.

Diamond 23 yo 2001/2025 ‘SWR’ (48.9%, The Rum Cask, Guyana)

SWR stands for Skeldon William Ross, though Skeldon itself closed in 1960—this one was produced using the usual Coffey still, so we’re dealing with a sort of modern-day Skeldon facsimile. Colour: mahogany. Nose: chocolate, peonies, pipe tobacco, Corinth raisins, prickly pear juice and a few touches of crème de cassis. Great fun, quite light in texture on the nose, but with a toasty note slowly taking over, giving it a rather original edge. Mouth: but this is armagnac! I swear, it tastes like a good Ténarèze laced with chocolate and prune juice. Just like any self-respecting Ténarèze, you’ll say (only joking!) Then comes more cassis, maple syrup and those Corinth raisins again. Finish: full-on prune! Incredible… Comments: I’ve no idea how they ended up making armagnac in Georgetown, honestly. The mysteries of spirits… And the worst part is, it’s absolutely excellent.
SGP:751 - 88 points.

Skeldon 27 yo 1978/2005 ‘SWR’ (60.4%, Velier, Guyana, 3 barrels, 688 bottles)

Skeldon has become something of a magical name, and here we’ve got the distillate from the original Coffey still, which had been moved to Uitvlugt like many others before being decommissioned. So, this is ‘SWR’ from Uitvlugt, as opposed to the more recent D.D.L. versions (see above). For us, the 1973 Velier was magnificent when we tried it in 2016, though perhaps not totally and utterly transcendent (WF 90). Let’s see what the 1978 brings... After all, it was ‘just’ Coffey still output—let’s not forget. Colour: mahogany. Nose: prunes and pine sap, peppermint, natural tar liqueur, pipe tobacco, glacé cherries, rosewood. Honestly, this is soft and rather glorious. With water: tiny waxes, discreet ointments, those mysterious compounds… Mouth (neat): plenty of waxes, paraffin, polish, a rough edge almost like grape stalks or black truffles, then an utterly irresistible trio of liquorice + menthol + orange. As they say, this one talks and babbles. Mid-palate, you’re handed a ristretto espresso. With water: right, fair enough, we yield. You know what it reminds me of? Ardbeg ‘Provenance’. Finish: long, liquorice-laden, salty, admirably rubbery, even faintly medicinal. Could probably cure quite a few ailments. Comments: a fractal old rum. As a reminder, that means each aroma splits into sub-aromas, each of which divides again, and again, and again, until death do us part. And yet, it’s anything but deadly… Amazing.
SGP:572 - 93 points.

(Merci Stéphane!)

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