Just a few more rums


October 5, 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!

Just a few more rums

Not quite the year-end new releases yet, but they won’t be long coming!

At Burdekin in Australia (Rumporter)

Ron Quorhum QRM 'Sistema Solera 15' (40%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2025)

The ‘30 Aniversario Solera’ had been rather underwhelming last Sunday (WF 49) but perhaps we’ll be more fortunate with this ‘15’. Just a gentle reminder that the term ‘solera’ is used exceedingly liberally in the world of rum and generally has precious little to do with the genuine soleras of Jerez, for instance. Broadly speaking, anything involving fractional or ‘perpetual’ filling of casks tends to be dubbed solera. Colour: gold. One might applaud the relatively pale hue which could suggest minimal caramel colouring. Nose: well, this isn’t bad at all, rather fresh, on sugarcane with toasted hazelnuts, honey, vanilla, banana cake... Mouth: not a tidal wave of sugar, although it is fairly sweet, edging somewhat towards the style of a certain well-known Cuban brand. Nicely balanced, toasty again, honeyed, lightly burnt. It’s genuinely not unpleasant, nor even overly light. Finish: rather short yet still balanced, with pronounced notes of sugarcane honey. Comments: a thousand times better than the ‘30’, in my humble opinion, though still not quite Foursquare or Hampden (etc.)
GP:640 - 75 points.

XM 12 yo 'Special' (40%, OB, Guyana, +/-2024)

A blend of rums from DDL/El Dorado that we had already tasted some ten years ago and found decent (WF 76) if decidedly sweet. Let’s see whether this one contains a generous helping of rums ‘sweetened at birth’. Colour: deep gold. Nose: much drier than expected, more toasted, with walnut cake and even roasted pecans, dried apricots, and a very faint maritime side, blending liquorice with seaweed. And why not? Mouth: ouch; there’s almost as much sugar as in the QRM, although here it’s more counterbalanced by the roasted nuts. A little tobacco and above all some coffee liqueur. The pecan pie also makes a comeback. The texture is rather narrow, yet not weak. Finish: long, more on orange liqueur and molasses honey. Liquorice returns in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s still good, shame the sweetness is so palpable on the palate.
SGP:651 - 78 points.

Burdekin 'Vintage Cane Spirit' (40%, OB, Australia, +/-2025)

Straight from the foot of Mt Elliot in the Bowling Green National Park, since 2020, this very rum was made from local canes and aged in ex-PX casks. I’ve no idea whether that PX was Australian too, though it’s quite possible given several estates seem to be cultivating it locally. Colour: pale gold. Nose: this is bursting with sugarcane, brimming with freshness, not in the least masked by the PX. Lovely herbal touches (oregano, sage), with a beautiful development on citrus fruits and the faintest tarry hints that round things out most elegantly. A light curry note too, which is absolutely charming. Mouth: it’s quite remarkable how much the richness of the whole manages to offset the modest bottling strength. Orange and fig liqueur, curry, pink pepper, exotic honeys, and a little sage once again. Very, very good. Finish: granted, not the longest, but rather oily, still fresh, with that utterly adorable sweet orange curry returning in the aftertaste. Comments: a lovely surprise, truly excellent.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

So, we're going to taste the cask strength version. By the way, as the excellent Mr Singh from London told us last weekend, British Navy rums certainly included Guyanese, Barbadian or Jamaican rums – but also Australian ones.

Burdekin 'Coral Sea Strength' (54%, OB, Australia, 600 bottles, +/-2024)

Still from northern Queensland, made from the 2024 harvest in the ‘agricole’ style. But whoops, it’s white – I’d meant to save the white rums for later. But since we’re here... Colour: white. Nose: touches of diesel fumes and rubber right at first, then pear, sugarcane juice, coriander seeds, damp earth and, above all, masses of fresh hay. Absolute hay galore. Mouth: even better on the palate, which is often the case with whites, especially agricoles, in fairness. Notes of ultra-ripe pineapple, solvent (hurray), dill, and then a few drops of brine, the kind you get from ex-olive jars. That’s a superb marker, no question. With water: no major changes, just a little more herbal, even edging towards pickled gherkins. Finish: rather long, drifting further into salinity and pickled fruit. Comments: no reason to score it differently from the previous one, it’s superb. That said, we’re quite looking forward to the next rugby match between Australia and France...
SGP:561 - 86 points.

Foursquare 11 yo 2009/2022 (64.4%, The Colours of Rum, Barbados, N°9, bourbon cask, cask #22, 282 bottles)

And who’s behind again? Whiskyfun! This familiar single blend of pot still and column spent 8 years ageing under the tropics, the rest somewhere in the wilder reaches of Western Europe. Colour: gold. Nose: well of course, at this strength, and with the London Whisky Show looming where we’ll be tasting blind, we’re not about to risk singeing the old olfactory bulb. So, with water: it’s very gentle, vanilla-led, almost a little syrupy, with a touch of grassy juice adorned with honey and coconut milk. Mouth (neat): seems excellent, dominated by the ex-column side, though perhaps that’s just the near-lethal ABV talking. With water: there we are, tamed at last, and now curiously easy-going, even lightly sweet. Most likely 75 or 80% column, and very low-ester. Finish: same story, all in softness. Though we did bring it down to around 45% vol., let’s be honest. Comments: among the lighter-profile Foursquares out there. Still classy.
SGP:541 - 87 points.

Let’s move on to some harder rock...

Monymusk 10 yo 2012/2013 'MDR' (57.20%, Rest & Be Thankful for South Africa, Navigate World Whisky, Jamaica, 2 hogsheads, 719 bottles)

These two hoggies were ex-Bruichladdich, would you believe, so perhaps we ought to expect a few melon notes. Which, in Monymusk, wouldn’t surprise anyone, agreed. I don't seem to remember what the MDR designation actually refers to, though frankly I’m not sure I ever did. In any case, Monymusk never ventures particularly high up the ester ladder. Colour: white wine. Nose: low ester or not, this smells exactly like a brand-new Nike trainer. A big size too. Then comes fresh putty and of course, overripe banana... With water: same notes, just a little more restrained. Mouth (neat): very tight, very saline. A mix of lemon juice and seawater, infused with pine ash and fresh rubber. Still no sign of melon anywhere. With water: the seawater takes over. And the brine. Finish: fairly long and even saltier. You’d almost expect to find a small crab floating in your glass. Comments: very good, of course.
SGP:552 - 88 points.

Hampden 5 yo 2019/2024 'LROK' (60.5%, Habitation Velier, ex-sherry)

Angels’ share of 34% in just 5 years, and, cough, 1,584 gr ester/hlpa. Wish me luck. Only joking – we love these extreme bottlings; that’s our masochistic side speaking. Colour: gold. Nose: three litres of oyster brine with a vanilla pod and the juice of half a lemon thrown in. In short, very delicate! Right. Perhaps the sherry is to thank for that... With water: rather odd, becomes almost gentle, on linseed oil and fresh paint. Mouth (neat): same story, less petrol-driven than expected, and more saline and citrus-led before you even add water. But it’s excellent. With water: no, still elegant and almost tame, as though the sherry had managed to subdue the little beast. Finish: long and of course, still very Hampden, though more drawing room Hampden than wild outdoor Hampden. You know what I mean... Almond syrup, orgeat and so on. Comments: maybe there was a tiny hiccup with the label as far as ester count is concerned, though I rather doubt it. In any case, it’s excellent.
SGP:552 - 89 points.

We’re finishing with a very old Trinidadian...

TDL 33 yo 1991/2025 (58.4%, Decadent Drams, Trinidad, 168 bottles)

I rather think the person who designed this quite hallucinatory label ought to seek help without delay. We’re also still awaiting an apology, since having to rotate one’s MacBook to read the label online does carry a certain amount of risk, let’s be honest. And it does make you look a bit of a prat. Colour: gold. Nose: this is truly all about softness, giving the impression of nosing an old Invergordon. Almond croissants, soft honeys, custard, streusel, mirabelle jam, coconut macaroons... You get the picture. Not a trace of esters here. With water: the tiniest touches of putty. Mouth (neat): somewhere between an old Scottish grain and a bourbon, genuinely. Very surprising. Vanilla, nougat and coconut reign supreme. With water: it just gets even softer. Finish: medium in length and full of gentleness and composure. An entire biscuit tin and a few notes of English tea. Comments: utterly unexpected – you could easily slip this delightful thing into a grain whisky session (soon on WF) and it would most likely come out on top.
SGP:541 - 89 points.

Check the index of all rums we've tasted