A selection of rums to ease us into winter


October 12, 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 selection of rums to ease us into winter

Let’s begin with the inevitable aperitif which, generally speaking, is anything but a true malternative. Still, it’s important to take a broader view, isn’t it?

Carùpano 12 yo 'Reserva Exclusiva' (40%, OB, Venezuela, +/-2024)

What, you say poor Venezuela hasn’t yet become an American state? Colour: gold. Nose: molasses honey and corn syrup, just missing the pancakes. Joking aside, it’s harmless and not at all unpleasant. Mouth: too sweet, though you do get a touch of sugarcane. One does wonder whether there’s actually any alcohol in here. A hint of orange liqueur, which is rather nice. Finish: short, sweet, but not dreadful. Comments: we’re certainly not about to rush out and buy a pallet of double-magnums, but there’s something endearingly cheerful here. For a rum bearing the words ‘reserva’ and ‘exclusiva’—always a red flag for the bargain basement—it’s doing surprisingly well.
SGP:720 - 72 points.

Ampov 2022/2025 (45%, OB, Cambodia, Ex-Cognac cask, batch #2)

We’d already greatly enjoyed their ex-Port version two or three weeks ago (WF 87), and Cognac ought to work even better, exerting less influence on the distillate. Colour: pale gold. Nose: perfect pot still rum, fresh, very close to the cane, delightfully grassy (hay, lawn, a bit of compost and even cow dung, which is splendid), then veering towards fermenting fruits, plums, bananas... The Cognac seems to be playing a background role, and that’s just how we like it. Mouth: oh, this is lovely! Hints of diesel and liquorice laid over a bed of bananas and olives. Well, that’s about the size of it. It’s just ever so slightly lacking in alcoholic backbone—perhaps it would shine even more brightly at 48 or 50%. But not my business, as they say. Finish: good length, saltier now, even more on olives, capers and samphire. Candied lemon in the aftertaste. Comments: a future rum star, in my very humble opinion, especially as there’s something quite rare here in the world of rum and aged spirits more broadly: a refreshing humility.
SGP:563 - 89 points.

Papa Rouyo 'Viraj' (52.9%, OB, LMDW Itinéraires, Guadeloupe, agricole, ex-sherry, 2025)

Let’s say it plainly, we were quite fond of the first Papa Rouyos, but we’ve never had the time or the space to follow their progression, which we rather regret. Colour: gold. Nose: very discreet, to say the least. Biscuits, amaretti, a couple of drops of maraschino, a bit of marmalade, kirsch-soaked cherries... This cherry note is intriguing, let’s see where it leads... With water: now we’re getting closer to the cane and the earth, after a tropical downpour. Mouth (neat): this is straight up cherry and pistachio cake. Or perhaps a Black Forest gâteau with a double shot of kirsch. Agreed, we’re straying a bit far from Guadeloupe. With water: once again we’re pulled back towards a slightly lemony cane, as if by an elastic band. Hints of strawberry liqueur too. Finish: medium length, leaning more towards jammy notes and pink pepper. Comments: cracking stuff, just a touch disconcerting.
SGP:651 - 84 points.

Planteray 15 yo 2010/2025 'Haiti' (40.5%, Planteray, for LMDW, cognac finish, cask #Rime F2-13, 258 bottles)

This from distillerie de Jeanty, though I must humbly admit I haven’t the faintest idea who or where that is. And we shan’t even ask ChatGPT, alright? As by our reckoning, about 50% of what ChatGPT says on spirits is utter nonsense. I kid you not. Colour: gold. Nose: there’s a clairin side to this, which is already enough to make us happy. Olives, carbon, rubber, rotting fruit, damp earth, rainwater... Mouth: loco-loco, with some improbable fruitiness and again those ‘rotten’ notes, but we can’t help ourselves, we love all these deviations. Let’s be clear, this isn’t Glenmorangie. Finish: long, curiously tertiary, candied fruit -> mint -> earth -> esters. Only the aftertaste is slightly less to my liking, a bit too sweet for me. Comments: never tried this sort of rather unlikely combination before, and that’s no doubt where its charm lies, here at WF Towers.
SGP:751 - 85 points.

HD 2014/2024 '<>H' (56.8%, The Whisky Jury, The Ester Hunter catch 1, Jamaica, refill barrel, 165 bottles)

We’re very pleased indeed, as there are tonnes of new Hampdens around at the moment. So, it’s time to clear out last year’s releases, isn’t it? Colour: pale gold. Nose: as soon as you fill your wee tasting glass, it’s as if you’ve just opened a box of brand-new made-in-China Nikes. Simply add the requisite amount of olive oil, fresh tar and rubber. With water: curiously Chinese. It’s been nearly forty years since I first visited China, and those ‘crazy plastic’ aromas have never quite left me. Mouth (neat): extreme and magnificent. You know the drill, varnish, solvent, olives and lemons, with a surprisingly refreshing lift. With water: there must be fruit, and here it’s lemon. Finish: same again, with a vinegary saltiness taking the lead and refusing to let go. Comments: painfully good, if we may say so.
SGP:463 - 90 points.

It’s very hard to follow a Hampden—unless it’s with another Hampden of the integral muerte variety... Especially when it’s from the same crazy brand...

Hampden 8 yo 2017/2025 '<>H' (67.9%, OB, Jamaica, bourbon barrel, cask 44, 229 bottles)

You’ve seen the ABV, of course we called our lawyers immediately—you can never be too careful. Dear people of Hampden, you may well become acquainted with my (not necessarily grieving) widow if anything goes awry here... Colour: gold. Nose: it’s getting tedious—yet another marvel. Peaches, quinces, acetone, seawater, diesel oil and old-school hairspray. With water: same again. Mouth (neat): Hampden, I hate you. Remember the saying, hating someone is like drinking poison and waiting for them to die—never has that been more apt. With water: utterly incredible, and at around 45% ABV it crushes you like some miserable Republican worm. Or a pitiful French bureaucrat—they’re no better. Alright, let’s calm down, these Hampdens do send you a bit mad... Finish: eh? Comments: a proper little marvel—perhaps the Zeus of spirits these days.
SGP:572 - 92 points.

Check the index of all rums we've tasted