Google An avalanche of white rums to bring the sunshine in
 
 

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January 12, 2025


Whiskyfun

  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!

 

An avalanche of white rums
to bring the sunshine in

Distillerie Bologne, Basse Terre, La Guaddeloupe (Rhum Bologne)

 

 

We rarely get the chance to taste white rums, and to be honest, they’re not entirely at home on Whiskyfun (and don’t get me started on the number of ‘joven’ tequilas and mezcals we still have to try). But for me, white rum, much like a spritz, is also a symbol of summer. So, in the northern hemisphere, January seems like the perfect time to sample a little wheelbarrow-load of them. Our goal: around fifteen or twenty, especially as it’s brilliant to be able to explore the DNA of these distillates and compare them more effectively, something you cannot really do with malt whisky. Mind you, we won’t be tasting all of these in one go, but everything will be published below in one batch. And I should add that we don’t feel confident enough to assign scores with pinpoint accuracy, down to a single point. Good luck to us, and good luck to you…

 

 

Black Stripe (40%, OB, Canada, +/-2020)

Black Stripe (40%, OB, Canada, +/-2020) one star and a half
The bottle is quite intimidating, though it’s worth noting this is blended by Forty Creek. One can’t have it all, can they? Colour: white. Nose: hello? Well, there’s a touch of cane juice, hints of bamboo shoots, a drizzle of sugar syrup, and a mere drop of pineapple liqueur. Hardly the kind of profile one might recall the next morning. Mouth: it’s fine, let’s move on swiftly. A bit of earthy cane, a faint suggestion of artichoke, and sweetness without actual sugary weight, if you follow. Finish: virtually non-existent. A faint note of lime. Comments: not dreadful, but rather weak for a malt enthusiast’s palate.
SGP:330 – 60 to 69 points.

La Favorite ‘Cœur de Canne’ (50%, OB, La Martinique, agricole, +/-2023)

La Favorite ‘Cœur de Canne’ (50%, OB, La Martinique, agricole, +/-2023) Three stars and a half
This ‘Cœur de Canne’ (Heart of Cane) is also available at other strengths, such as 55%. Colour: white. Nose: ah yes, fermented cane, olives, capers, lime, parsley, Thai basil, beet syrup (and cane syrup, naturally). Mouth: a touch sweet but otherwise very good, vibrant, and perfectly enjoyable even without water or ice, with a lovely earthy character. Fresh carrots, lychee, hints of roses. Finish: long, clean, and fragrant. Comments: quite gentle for an agricole, yet still very charming.
SGP:441 – 80 to 85 points.

Taragawa (40%, OB, Japan, +/-2023)

Taragawa (40%, OB, Japan, +/-2023) Two stars and a half
Made by sake makers in Okinawa, using shochu stills (steel). Colour: white. Nose: ultra-soft, almost like rose water blended with lychee syrup. Mouth: moves closer to the world of rum. Lovely fermentary notes, with rice and chocolate, roses, violets, and papayas. Finish: good length, with a pleasant acidic structure beyond the floral and lychee elements. Pink grapefruit. Comments: interesting and unusual, I rather like it.
SGP:730 – 75 to 80 points.

Aguardiente de Cana (46.9%, OB, El Destilado, Mexico, +/-2020)

Aguardiente de Cana (46.9%, OB, El Destilado, Mexico, +/-2020) Four stars and a half
This is from Oaxaca, though it’s not mezcal. Colour: white. Nose: well, it may not be mezcal, but it certainly smells like it, with just the right mix of olives and charcoal. Small pickled lemons, pickled onions… Mouth: frankly, it tastes like mezcal. It’s excellent, still packed with olives and smoked lemons, along with earthy tones and a hint of petrol. Crazy stuff. Finish: long, smoky, earthy. Comments: I’m not sure they still produce this, at least that’s what I gather from the TWE website. The world’s gone mad if we lose top-quality spirits like this while continuing to churn out oceans of ghastly, sugar-laden gut-rot. Right, let’s take a deep breath...
SGP:372 – 85 to 90 points.

Duppy Share White (40%, OB, Jamaica, +/-2024)

Duppy Share White (40%, OB, Jamaica, +/-2024) Three stars and a half
The bottle is very pretty. We had tried an aged version before, which wasn’t bad at all. Mind you, this is Jamaican! Colour: white. Nose: hey, this is lovely! Super-ripe mirabelles, raspberry syrup, blackcurrant juice, and prickly pear. No Jamaican funk at this stage, but who cares. Mouth: oh yes, hints of varnish, fermented fruits, and olive oil, followed by touches of liquorice and even tar. Finish: not very long, but the flambéed banana note is superb. Comments: this deserves more than 40% ABV; it would be brilliant at 50%.
SGP:561 – 80 to 85 points.

Neisson ‘Clos Godinot’ (52.5%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2023)

Neisson ‘Clos Godinot’ (52.5%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2023) Three stars and a half
One of, if not the very first parcellaire white rum from Neisson. Colour: white. Nose: geranium and jasmine, white peaches, longans. With water: fresh concrete, engine oil, tropical greenhouse. Mouth (neat): slightly hot, earthy, and loaded with fermented fruits. It needs water. With water: a lovely saline touch, hints of tarragon and sage, with a fermentary bitterness. Finish: long, this time with extremely, extremely ripe bananas. Comments: plenty of action in this Neisson blanc.
SGP:462 – 80 to 85 points.

Renegade-Cuvee-Aura-46-OB-Grenada-2024

Renegade ‘All-Island Cuvée Aura’ (46%, OB, Grenada, 2024) Five stars
So much emotion here, as the distillery has closed. People definitely prefer sugary rubbish and that’s why major alcohol companies prefer to invest in brands of fake rum with made-up stories while being loaded with additives. As Coluche used to say, "To calculate the IQ of a crowd, you take the IQ of the dumbest person and divide it by the number of members."Alright, let’s take it easy, after all, Vox Populi, Vox Dei. Colour: white. Nose: a stunning distillate, saline, tarry, oily, and elegant. Tiny pink olives and a beautiful manzanilla en rama. Mouth: exceptionally saline and oily, followed by ripe mangoes and black cherry juice. Magnificent. Finish: long, with more citrus and spice. A superb saline aftertaste with olives. Comments: what a distillate! As a white rum, this is easily in the world’s top ten or even five, in my opinion. After the lovely Neisson, this confirms it.
SGP:462 – 90 points.

Update: there are some truly incredible coincidences — we had just finished wrapping up and editing this session when the news of a probable refinanced restart of Renegade reached us!!!

Bielle Blanc (59%, OB, Marie-Galante, agricole, +/-2023)

Bielle Blanc (59%, OB, Marie-Galante, agricole, +/-2023) Two stars and a half
Colour: white. Nose: closed and simple at 59%, which is not really ‘Bielle’. Sugar syrup (eh?). With water: no development, which is very surprising. Mouth (neat): varnish and cane, but again, it’s too hot. This must be made for ti-punches. With water: better, but a bit messy and poorly defined. It struggles after the Renegade. Finish: same. Comments: I don’t quite understand this. Bielle, in theory, is top five as well—I’m sure of it. Must be me, I might have done something wrong, I totally loved this one five years ago. I'll try again with another batch.
SGP:441 - 75 to 80 points.

Domaine de Bellevue ‘Rhum Blanc Bio’ (59%, OB, Marie-Galante, agricole, +/-2023)

Domaine de Bellevue ‘Rhum Blanc Bio’ (59%, OB, Marie-Galante, agricole, +/-2023) Three stars and a half
This is a single-parcel rum from Marie-Galante, though it carries the Guadeloupe GI, as administratively, Marie-Galante is part of Guadeloupe. We’ve already tasted some great Bellevues. According to the owners, ‘the Bellevue distillery is the only eco-positive distillery in the world’, though I’ve seen ‘carbon-positive’ rums before. To be verified… In any case, this rum comes from the new Bellevue distillery, built in 2001 right next to the old one. They own 62ha of sugarcane. Colour: white. Nose: fairly gentle at first, slightly earthy with notes of ripe pear, hearts of palm perhaps, and fresh blackcurrants… In any case, it’s very mild so far. With water: little development, a touch of paraffin. Very discreet, which is surprising. Mouth (neat): very powerful, very grassy, quite bitter, with bagasse and hay. Water is really necessary here. With water: again, it’s discreet, but rather elegant, with green berries. It then gains complexity with notes of olives and a touch of seawater bringing a light ‘funk’. Much more to my taste now. Finish: of medium length, quite grassy and salty. The little olives remain, as does a hint of vanilla. Comments: it needed quite a bit of water and some patience, but it worked out very well in the end, phew.
SGP:461 - 80 to 85 points.

Longueteau ‘Souvenir L’Intemporel’ (62%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, 2024)

Longueteau ‘Souvenir L’Intemporel’ (62%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, 2024) Four stars
A blend of approximately one-third blue cane and two-thirds red cane here. Like many fine white rums, it is matured for several months in vats before bottling. I’m very fond of the simpler Longueteau blanc at 50% ABV (WF 88). Colour: white. Nose: a distinctive nose, starting with vegetables and fish (sardines in olive oil), seaweed, and beach sand… It almost feels like standing before a ‘low marque’ Jamaican. Naturally, we love this, even at 62%. With water: hints of carbon, exhaust fumes… (in rum, that’s appealing; in real life, not so much) followed by orange blossom. Mouth (neat): brilliant, with lime, green pepper, olives, and seawater. This is bold! With water: the cane reigns supreme, elevated by the same very saline flavours. Finish: long, precise, even refreshing. Comments: I’m not sure all of this is ‘timeless’, but it certainly evokes the style of a great white mezcal, for instance.
SGP:462 - 85 to 90 points.

Amrut 2022 (62.8%, Habitation Velier, India, pure sugarcane juice, 2023)

Amrut 2022 (62.8%, Habitation Velier, India, pure sugarcane juice, 2023) Four stars
Made from cane harvested just near the distillery and distilled in the pot stills used for Amrut’s famed malt whiskies. Colour: white. Nose: delightful! More tarmac than in all the others, with fresh rubber, zucchini, dried mushrooms, seawater, and whelks… Very surprising. With water: a touch fresher, more maritime, and even a bit chalky. Do they have all these aromas ‘near the distillery’? Mouth (neat): oh yes! Gorgeous ‘funky’ mangos alongside bags upon bags of Williams pears, which is entirely unexpected. With water: brilliant—cakey, honeyed, and salty. Finish: long and tight, with a hint of varnish. The pears remain in the aftertaste, along with a return of tar. Comments: a delightful surprise.
SGP:552 - 85 to 90 points.

Montebello 2019/2022 ‘Canne Rouge’ (52%, Barikenn, Guadeloupe, 551 bottles)

Montebello 2019/2022 ‘Canne Rouge’ (52%, Barikenn, Guadeloupe, 551 bottles) Four stars
Colour: white. Nose: soft and fruity, with pears and plums, papayas and bananas, plus soft honey and fresh cane juice with a faint chalky touch. With water: cement, plaster, limestone, and rainwater. Mouth (neat): earthy, with fermented fruits and saline notes… With water: it’s the earthy side that truly stands out. Rather dry in profile, which is exactly what we like. A drop of mustard. Finish: long, mineral, and rich. Shares characteristics with a fine fino sherry from Jerez. Green pears. Comments: this little Montebello is a true champion swimmer.
SGP:562 - 85 to 90 points.

Wait, we need to reassure ourselves about the Bielle blancs... (We’re already totally convinced by the aged ones, I insist).

Bielle 2023 (58%, Swell de Spirits, Marie-Galante, On Tour Series, for Limoges Spirits Festival 2024, 250 bottles)

Bielle 2023 (58%, Swell de Spirits, Marie-Galante, On Tour Series, for Limoges Spirits Festival 2024, 250 bottles) Four stars
We’ve got some lovely friends in Limoges. Colour: white. Nose: coconut, mercurochrome, and peach syrup. I’m sure water will work wonders. With water: the pears take control once again. Delicate touches of first rain, though it remains discreet. Mouth (neat): rich and oily, with lemon, pear, cane juice, and a hint of brine. With water: cane juice, agave juice, and pear juice—very gentle. Finish: of medium length, soft, and almost folded onto apples. Comments: these fresh Bielles strike me as surprisingly gentle, but this one is still vastly superior to the official ‘59’.
SGP:551 - 80 to 85 points.

Bologne ‘La Batterie’ (58.6%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, canne noire, 3,000 bottles, Edition 2020)

Bologne ‘La Batterie’ (58.6%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, canne noire, 3,000 bottles, Edition 2020) Four stars
Black cane is said to be a very aromatic variety, albeit low-yielding. This is a single-plot cuvée from the parcel ‘La Batterie’, as the name suggests. Unfortunately, we haven’t tasted much Rhum Bologne so far. Colour: white. Nose: plenty of freshness but also sweetness, with orange blossom beyond fresh cane, followed by fennel and dill, clementine peel, Sichuan pepper, and a faintly brioche-like note. Very pretty and elegant, though not exactly ‘gentle’. With water: a touch of seawater and a small olive complete the profile. Mouth (neat): soft but beautifully lemony, with zest, pink pepper, and fennel. It’s a bit hot at 58.6%, though nothing out of the ordinary. With water: delicate earthy touches, jasmine tea, citrus peels, saline notes, liquorice, and pepper. Finish: really long, with citrus, pepper, and a tiny pinch of wasabi. A hint of coconut lingers in the aftertaste. Comments: at no point did I feel the need to add ice cubes—well done, Guadeloupe.
SGP:551 - 85 to 90 points.

Jamaican Blended Rum (58%, Swell de Spirits, high ester, On Tour Series, for Rhum Fest Paris 2024 10 years, 200 bottles)

Jamaican Blended Rum (58%, Swell de Spirits, high ester, On Tour Series, for Rhum Fest Paris 2024 10 years, 200 bottles) Five stars
Colour: white. Nose: of course. Mouth: naturally. Finish: obviously. Comments: pure Jamaica, with tar, olives, antiseptic, paint, petrol, seawater, acetone, and all sorts of diverse solvents, plus that little masochistic touch that Jamaican rums (apart from Appleton) always compel us to embrace. And we do, almost with shame. A high-definition white rum, exceptional.
SGP:463 - 90 points.

Unaged Heritage Blend (56%, Tamosi, Jamaican and Guyana, +/-2024)

Unaged Heritage Blend (56%, Tamosi, Jamaican and Guyana, +/-2024) Four stars and a half
From what I understand, this is Hampden + Port Mourant + Uitvlugt. As blends go, you could do much worse. Colour: white. Nose: an acetic side, very charming, with touches of ammonia and parmesan, followed by olive brine, seawater, and fermented fruits (bananas, pineapples). With water: carbon paper and linoleum. Mouth (neat): quite frankly, the Jamaican dominates. Tar, olives, pickled items, carbon, and all that. With water: adding a fair amount of water proves interesting, as it brings out the blend’s components beyond Hampden’s dominance. Sardines in olive oil, salted anchovies, black olives, and fermented cassava (sour cassava starch) … Finish: similar, very briny. Comments: all in all, this is a Navy Blend for highly superior British officers.
SGP:562 - 88 points.

Ghana ‘Unaged’ (65%, FRC, 320 bottles, 2024)

Ghana ‘Unaged’ (65%, FRC, 320 bottles, 2024) Four stars and a half
We’ve forgotten the name of this distillery in Ghana, but we know, having tasted it once before (whoof), that it’s very good. What a useless blogger (a rare moment of lucidity, S.). Colour: white. Nose: it’s a bit strong (no kidding Erwin), but there are lovely notes of apples and bananas. With water: the solvents and acetone come through—like a medical cabinet. Mouth (neat): varnish, petrol, coconut milk, and apple eau-de-vie, along with massive doses of ethanol. With water: ah yes, here come the olives, tar, lemon, pine needles, iodine tincture, and oysters… Finish: long, very saline, and extremely coastal. Seaweed and seawater. Comments: Ghana is by the sea, isn’t it? Not sure if this distillery is in Accra, but that would make sense. In any case, well done, FRC!
SGP:562 - 85 to 90 points.

White Pearls ‘Rhum Blanc’ (48%, Vagabond Spirit, Réunion, 2024)

White Pearls ‘Rhum Blanc’ (48%, Vagabond Spirit, Réunion, 2024) Three stars and a half
Rum from Savanna, it seems, with a passage in amphora. We’ve always been supportive of ageing in amphora/concrete/glass/stoneware, but it appears that authorities generally prefer oak or other wood, which makes one suspect that these authorities are likely influenced by the agroforestry industry. Just joking. Colour: white. Nose: easy, light, and sweet, with honeysuckle, apple, mild lemon, plums, and fresh cane juice… This isn’t a grand aromatic profile but it’s really nice. Mouth: good, easy, with notes of fermented apples, young calvados, grappa, umeshu, and pear cider… Finish: medium length, slightly acidic, with a curiously light but subtle body. It’s close to the cane. Comments: fine and delicate.
SGP:541 - 80 to 85 points.

Los Convidados 2023 ‘Satvrnal’ (64%, Swell de Spirits, Mexico, 1,000 bottles)

Los Convidados 2023 ‘Satvrnal’ (64%, Swell de Spirits, Mexico, 1,000 bottles) Five stars
Well, we don’t really know what this is, so let’s see. In any case, the folks at Swell de Spirits are clearly having fun, and rightly so, if you ask me. Colour: white. Nose: it seems a bit lethal, but we enjoy these whiffs of gunpowder, black olives, smoked bacon, fresh IKEA plywood, and moped exhaust fumes… (I’m thinking of the Gitane Testi Grand Prix 50cc from 1975). With water: by Zeus, we’re in Jamaica. Mouth (neat): absolutely explosive. Salmiak and heather maceration, universal glue, and concentrated lemon juice with bird’s eye chili. To be honest, it stings your tongue quite a bit. With water: crazy, admirable, acetic, spicy, salty, and… fairly floral. There’s mullein syrup, for instance. Finish: very long, mineral, and salty, with lupins in brine. Comments: what an adventure for a white rum. I love it, and so should you, if I may say so.
SGP:572 - 90 points.

Last one, let’s hang on…

South Pacific Distillery 2017/2018 (83%, L’Esprit, Fiji, third edition, 258 bottles)

South Pacific Distillery 2017/2018 (83%, L’Esprit, Fiji, third edition, 258 bottles) Five stars
It seems this is what Fiji’s all-powerful rugby team makes their opponents drink before matches. Have you seen the ABV? Shall we survive? And who will take care of Whiskyfun’s mousers if something happens? Colour: white. Nose: it’s petrol mixed with medicinal alcohol. I feel we should have notified our insurer before attempting this ‘thing’. The worst part is, it’s actually lovely—as long as you keep your glass at least two metres from your nose and ensure no open flames are nearby. Olives, anchovies, and sharp green apples. With water: smoked bacon and fish, plus small thick-skinned lemons with ultra-acidic juice. Or finger limes. Mouth (neat): it obliterates your entire airway, but you can tell it’s good. Hyper-concentrated olives and solvents. With water: absolutely incredible. A massive combination of pepper, tar, glue, and lemon so intense even the C.I.A. would lodge a complaint. Finish: forget it—you can’t fight this, even armed with two litres of Vittel (or Gleneagles, Highland Spring, Miller Light etc.). Comments: did we dream this? Did a relatively discreet French independent bottler actually release a ‘very high ester’ rum at 83% ABV, the equivalent of John Bonham in Achilles Last Stand?
SGP:384 - 90 points.

Well, I think this idea of sampling a good number of ‘whites’ has run its course. It’s interesting to note, at least from my humble perspective as a mere enthusiast, that the hierarchy of ‘aged’ rums doesn’t necessarily align when it comes to the whites from the same distilleries or brands. We’re planning another tasting of completely crazy white rums around July 2028, if that suits you (we’ve still got quite a few waiting). Oh and great news regarding Renegade!

More tasting notesCheck the index of all rums we've tasted so far

More tasting notesCheck the index of all Ledaig we've tasted so far

 

 

 
   

 

 

 

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