Last rum session of the year


December 14, 2025

Ding ding, last rum session of the year!

Well, maybe not quite — we’ll see. In any case, next Sunday it’ll be cognacs and/or armagnacs. But first, let’s find one or two little aperitifs to get us started…

Not quite enough room for a wee rum distillery
(WF Archive, 2025)

Labourdonnais ‘XO’ (42%, OB, Mauritius, +/-2024)

Clearly, we've been doing a fair bit of strolling around the Indian Ocean these past few weeks. We've already tried a few Labourdonnais, or La Bourdonnais, from independent bottlers, but only one official version so far—their Classic Gold—which had been fairly decent (WF 72). These are from estate-grown canes and pure juice, not molasses. Colour: gold. Nose: this is more Réunion-style than Mauritian, closer to fresh cane juice, with a rather lovely toasted and grilled side, followed by forest honey, including a good dose of honeydew, and then that apricot liqueur that's terribly fashionable these days. Mouth: a touch like something from Martinique, only rounder and sweeter, with notes of honey, fudge, rock sugar and galabé… The apricot liqueur keeps singing along, as does the fresh cane, which is rather charming and just slightly grassy. Finish: medium in length, slightly grilled again, with a hint of coffee and a little sweetness. Comments: very pleasant, and not one of those overly sugary Mauritians one often encounters.
SGP:541 - 82 points.

About La Réunion…

Rivière du Mât 'Cuvée 1886' (42%, La Réunion, +/-2025)

This is traditional rum, so molasses-based, a blend of the 2003, 2004 and 2006 vintages. Colour: full gold. Nose: a little glue and varnish to start with, then mint and eucalyptus, showing a much drier profile overall than the Mauritian, though there are resemblances, particularly that toasted note. Mouth: again rather dry, with honey biscuits, orange zest, a hint of mango, echoes of incense and even rose-flavoured Turkish delights, then pipe tobacco and mentholated liquorice. Finish: medium in length, with no major development. Comments: the overall quality feels very similar to the Mauritian, not really worth scoring differently. Just a tad fresher, and a notch more minty.
SGP:551 - 82 points.

Dictador 23 yo 1999/2022 ‘Parrafo I’ (43%, OB, Colombia, Borbon, 310 bottles)

There were also sherried versions in this range, which seems to have taken rather a lot of inspiration from malt whiskies. We’d already tried a cask from 2004, which had been a bit too sweet for our tastes (WF 72). That’s putting it mildly. Colour: amber. Nose: rather pleasant on the nose, all praline and caramel, dark turrón, molasses, toffee, Nutella… Quite regressive, but not unpleasant. Mouth: this is basically coffee liqueur—they could have called it ‘Starbucksio’. Far too much in terms of sugar for me, so let’s spare ourselves further torment. Finish: as previously indicated. Comments: I believe the 2004/2022 was far better.
SGP:830 - 40 points.

Desperate times call for drastic measures…

Uitvlugt 26 yo 1998/2024 (51.6%, Silver Seal, Demerara, 200 bottles)

A vintage from the original distillery, closed in 2000, with its stills—including the ones from Port Mourant—relocated to Diamond. One must love the pink parrot in disguise on the label! Colour: gold. Nose: this is a fairly delicate Uitvlugt, almost vanilla-led, close to banana and pineapple, with notes of tarte Tatin and island herbal teas. The esters are singing in the background, but it’s more a gentle love song than a wild calypso. With water: a few touches of varnish. Mouth (neat): punchier and sharper now, more saline and citrusy, rootier, more ‘mezcal-like’, but never over the top. With water: it remains charming, civilised, and in the end rather close to sugarcane. Finish: medium in length, with a light touch of tar. Comments: a kind of Uitvlugt Light, really, very approachable, and probably the perfect dram to convert our Dictador-loving friends during a little missionary outing.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Neisson 8 yo ‘L’Empyreumatique’ (50.8%, OB, for LMDW Itinéraires, Martinique, 2025)

Few people truly know what ‘empyreumatique’ means—well, it simply means empyreumatic (thank you very much, S.), in other words, marked by burnt or grilled aromas. Colour: deep gold. Nose: not exactly Port Ellen packed with burnt tyres, but I find this rather magnificent, starting on coffee-Cointreau before heading off towards slightly earthy candied oranges, loads of green Earl Grey and bergamot. Very tight structure. With water: splendid, as orange blossom and acacia flower appear, even a touch of courgette flower. Mouth (neat): perfect, concentrated, beginning with a medley of small citrus fruits seasoned with camphor and eucalyptus, before opening onto gingerbread covered in glaze and filled with orange—what we call nonettes. With water: a gentle green woody touch that only brings added freshness. Most welcome, then. Finish: fairly long, like a proper liquid bergamot sweet. Aftertaste perfectly lemony and minty, lifting everything like a coda in a well-written sonata. Comments: a superb example of a spirit that may not be complex yet achieves near-perfection through sheer coherence and compactness. The wood has been handled with exceptional care.
SGP:641 - 90 points.

Vieux Sajous 5 yo 2020/2025 (59.5%, La Maison & Velier, Haiti, clairin)

Clairin—especially pure pot still, cane juice clairin—is a marvellous thing. When you open a bottle, it feels like opening a box of brand-new Nikes, only far better. Colour: gold. Nose: for something aged, it’s kept all the vibrancy of young white clairin, with a maelstrom of pickled gherkins, lime, smoked salmon, wood glue and fir ash. And let’s not forget the fresh tar. I don’t know why, but every time I nose a clairin, I think of Islay… With water: back to those new Nikes. Mouth (neat): absolutely superb, taut as a bowstring, wonderfully earthy and bursting with a riot of pickles leading inevitably to little green olives with chilli. With water: very ripe mangoes creep in quietly and find a place among the riot of olives, brine and tar. Finish: just the same, fresh, nicely acidic and acetic, with tiny green limes (not lime) laying down the law in the aftertaste. Comments: a stunning clairin, with a maturation that feels as if it were conducted by the steady hand of a very seasoned concert pianist.
SGP:363 - 90 points.

The only way forward now: switch to Jamaica…

New Yarmouth 2014 (69%, Bedford Park, Jamaica, cask #8, 240 bottles)

This baby at lethal strength (I tried to call my solicitor, but he’s probably out golfing again) comes straight from Thurso. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: we’re back to our new Nikes, but there’s also heaps of fresh tar and a good measure of paraffin oil. And above all, a bloody big hit of ethanol… With water: actually, this one’s a fairly gentle Jamaican on the ester front (NYE?), yet it gives off some absolutely gorgeous earthy notes—moss, ferns, old tree stumps, and a bit of lemon. Mouth (neat): crikey, at this strength I shouldn’t really enjoy this mix of lemon juice, seawater, olive oil and ashes. And yet… With water: utterly clean-lined, flawless, ultra-precise, more on citrus now (candied peels, liqueurs), with very restrained salinity. Finish: long, focused, ultra-concentrated. That famous lemony tar-and-olive duo makes a comeback in the aftertaste. Comments: this whole Jamaican dichotomy between brutal power and surprisingly elegant aromatic finesse is always a treat. You see where I’m going with this—it’s basically a ready-made Jamaican martini.
SGP:552 - 89 points.

Vale Royal 2006 (65%, Velier, Jamaica, cask #17, 180 bottles)

Vale Royal 2006 (65%, Velier, Jamaica, cask #17, 180 bottles)
This is Long Pond, done in the style of the old Vale Royal distillery. Let’s be honest—as a malt enthusiast, that doesn’t mean much to us, but I’m quite sure our rum freak friends were as giddy as a New Yorker at a hot dog fair when news of this venerable bottle dropped. Apparently, it’s more likely to be TEC marque Long Pond (A, B, C), so very high ester count. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: 65%? And my solicitor still won’t pick up… But it’s really lovely and, just between us, it rather smells like a high strength agricole from Martinique. For now… With water: wood varnish, dried ceps, touches of balsamic, a carpenter’s workshop in full swing, and a bit of pineapple liqueur in a TDL style. Mouth (neat): absolutely magnificent in terms of precision and fresh woodiness, though it’ll knock you flat if you’re not paying attention. Still just between us, it doesn’t feel that high-ester for the moment. But it’s no fool, this one. With water: I still don’t quite find the ester bomb, but there are definitely oranges, lemons, olives and glue. Finish: very long, though also fairly woody, a rather peppery woodiness that dominates a bit. Comments: I must humbly admit I struggled a little with this one. A bit of a beast.
SGP:462 - 84 points.

Let’s give it another go…

Long Pond 6 yo 2019/2025 ‘STCE’ (60%, Velier, Art Series, Anedu Edozie, bourbon cask, cask #124, Jamaica, 204 bottles)

Art will save the world. Well, perhaps not the White House, judging by what we see on telly—always a reason to reach for the sunglasses. Colour: deep gold. Nose: eucalyptus wood, ointments, clams, fresh rubber. Now this is different. And really quite lovely. With water: resinous woods and sauna oils. Mouth (neat): rather brilliant so far, full of embrocations, resinous oils, thyme, and tiny, super-acidic lemons (finger limes) … With water: yes, this is spot on now, very concentrated, with that slightly ‘stuffy’ character you get from tropical ageing—even at just 6 years—but everything holds together beautifully. Finish: very long, tense, varnishy, lemony and resinous. Comments: a very fine bottle. As for the label’s artist, you may check out Anedu Edozie.
SGP:462 - 88 points.

You're right, there's something missing…

Hampden 1 yo ‘<>H’ (52%, OB, La Maison & Velier, The 8 Marks Collection, Jamaica, ex-bourbon, 20cl, 2024)

That’s right, ‘Diamond H’, so roughly a kilo of esters per hectolitre of pure alcohol. We’ve still a few more from this marvellous series to try, and we’re already looking forward to them, even if, as usual, we’re terribly behind. Colour: white wine. Nose: taut and chiselled like a Riesling from Hunawihr or Ribeauvillé, and just as mineral, even petroly. With water: wild stuff. Like a walk through a tropical forest after a violent downpour—watch out for the snakes and spiders. Mouth (neat): a brilliant display of lemony and carbonaceous perfection. Feels a bit like drinking a blend of paint and eau de cologne, but oddly enough, it works. With water: immense salinity, really feels like seawater. Truly. Finish: same again, only even bolder. Comments: it delivers exactly what was promised—bye-bye. But these Hampdens are as mad as… well, let’s say Salvador Dalí. Just saying.
SGP:363 - 90 points.

Check the index of all rums we've tasted