Rum, and yet more rum


June 29, 2025


Rum, and yet more rum…
As usual, some oddities to start with as an aperitif, then more classic, tried-and-tested options. Does that work for you?

A.H. Riise ‘Non Plus Ultra Ambre d’Or Excellence’ (43%, OB, Virgin Islands, +/-2023)

Just the name is enough to make one chuckle, so much so that there's really no need to bother with vintages or age statements. Colour: gold. Nose: no trace of rum whatsoever, it's all orange liqueur, mirabelle plums and apricots, with a guest appearance from syrupy white wine. Mouth: same again, exactly the same. Sugary Easter eggs, bubblegum, sugar syrup, it's edging towards the unpleasant. Finish: rather short, which is frankly the good news. There’s a cloying edge that must be acknowledged. Comments: the issue lies in its classification as rum. As a liqueur, naturally, why not, ‘chacun son goût’ and all that, but it ought to be served at, say, 5°C. On the other hand, the brand’s founder was apparently a pharmacist, specialising in remedies for stomach ailments and other illnesses. Right.
SGP:910 - 30 points.

Quick, a saviour…

J. Bally 1999-2006-2007 ‘Cuvée Art Déco’ (43.5%, OB, Conquête, batch #2, Martinique, agricole, 6,000 bottles, +/-2023)

The Martiniquais are rather fond of assembling multi-vintage cuvées, and one gets the impression this may have inspired certain young Scots too... Colour: deep gold. Nose: lovely spices, cumin, ginger, poppy seeds, fennel, jasmine, nougat, butter caramel, figs, thyme honey, liquorice... A beautifully complex bouquet, perhaps owing to the vintage blend. Mouth: quite unusual, very peppery and rather drying (ground coffee, dark chocolate, cracked pepper), before the citrus and herbs take control. But there's a great deal of liquorice wood, walnut husk, and still more dark chocolate... Finish: long, oaky, with a great deal of bitter almond and pine resin on the aftertaste. Comments: a rather wood-driven cuvée, quite extreme in that regard, but following a hearty meal, it could easily stand in for a double espresso. Joking aside, we quite like this very original style, even if we tend to prefer the regular 7.
SGP:371 - 84 points.

Well, the contrast with poor AH Riise, which tasted well and truly dolled up like a stolen lorry, couldn’t have been greater!

Foursquare 12 yo 2008/2021 (60.8%, The Colours of Rum, Barbados, No.12, bourbon cask, cask #26, 244 bottles)

This fiery youngster spent two-thirds of its life in the tropics. Colour: gold. Nose: very clean, the column still clearly in charge, with oranges, orgeat syrup and molasses honey. With water: orange liqueur, amaretti, maple syrup. It’s soft on the nose. Mouth (neat): very classic, again lots of orgeat, quite obvious, then triple sec and a tray of assorted cakes and biscuits. Including shortbread, would you believe. With water: light earthiness and sweet spices. Faint salty and tarry touches. Finish: medium length, now a little more herbal. Notes of lovage in the aftertaste. Comments: less personality than the Bally, but more balance overall. Very good, of course.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Beenleigh 8 yo 2015/2023 (60%, Velier, Australia, Alex Webb Edition, Magnum Series #2, bourbon)

Ah, it’s a magnum! So, I shall double the score… only joking. Worth noting, Beenleigh employs unusual double distillation, column then pot still, which strikes me as rather unusual. It’s not a column-and-pot blend à la Foursquare, for instance. Colour: gold. Nose: the mix of varnish and strawberry is always a peculiar one, occasionally found in some Islays, actually. Then comes a wave of honeysuckle and jasmine, all very charming. But at 60%, things can shift drastically with water... With water: a sudden storm of cumin and pink pepper. Mouth (neat): excellent, unusual, let’s say along the lines of lemon, orange and mandarin liqueurs, with a wild streak of celery stalk. With water: it calms down, but remains wonderfully herbal and, above all, very original. Finish: long, on fruit peels, quince, muesli, peppercorns, and once again cumin... Comments: a style you won’t find elsewhere, and that alone is a mark of quality. We’re fans of Beenleigh.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

Since we’re in the Pacific…

Fiji 2006/2024 (72.5%, Dos Deliquentes, FRC & WDC, bourbon, 256 bottles)

I do love that they clearly state it’s cask strength, not that one would have doubted it, mind you. Let’s hope both FRC and WDC have solid insurance cover... That said, we’re fond of South Pacific juice. Colour: pale gold. Nose: almost nothing, nada, niente, nichts, rien at all, and that’s clearly down to the ABV, I tell you. With water: we’re nearly adding more water than there is rum! In fact, this is a much lighter Fijian than usual, with apparently low ester levels. Cane syrup, peanut oil, white chocolate, cereals, light honey… Mouth (neat): yes, well, alright, let’s move on… With water: even with few esters, or almost none, this remains a very pretty rum, on orange and pear liqueur, nougat, preserved lemon, tinned pineapple… Finish: same again. Comments: the lighter side of Fijians, more of a winger than a prop, rugby-wise.
SGP:541 - 83 points.

Diamond 13 yo 2011/2024 ‘PM’ (59.7%, Swell de Spirits, for V&B, Guyana, Arcade series, bourbon, 348 bottles)

So, the double wooden pot still from Port Mourant. Colour: golden amber. Nose: stop it right there! A sublime and razor-sharp combo of acetone, ink and old papers. With water: perfection. Amontillado from the afterlife, dried seaweed, wood glue, new tyres. Mouth (neat): extraordinary salinity, with tarred lemons, peat-smoked olives, or something of that ilk. With water: sea water and varnish, mellowed with lemon juice and olive oil. Finish: very long, intensely saline, on ashes—superb. Comments: I wasn’t surprised, but still, yes, just a bit.
SGP:463 - 91 points.

When putting together a line-up, surprises like this are always a bit of a headache, now we have to find something that can hold its own after that legendary young PM. Perhaps an old Enmore…

Enmore 30 yo 1994/2024 (46.2%, The Whisky Blues, Guyana, barrel, cask #70, 171 bottles)

Enmore 30 yo 1994/2024 (46.2%, The Whisky Blues, Guyana, barrel, cask #70, 171 bottles)
The very young lady on the label looks a bit forlorn, she could certainly use a dram of this Enmore. Is she a character from the Brothers Grimm or from Andersen, by any chance? Colour: mahogany. Nose: please call the Anti-Rumporn Brigade. I love it when the wood takes the lead, yet balance is preserved, dwelling in that in-between world where all the molecules converse and compare feelings (you alright, S.?). Rosewood, cedar, hibiscus, wild strawberries, Timut pepper, meadow caraway… In truth, it’s all subtle and of great beauty. Magnificent aromatics. Mouth: I feared it might have tipped into over-oaked territory, and indeed there’s plenty of liquorice, pine and fir sap doing most of the heavy lifting, but minty flashes come in to balance it all out, and the end result is nothing short of magical. Finish: long, with little lemons arriving late to bring everyone round. Comments: the person who chose to bottle this cask without waiting another day is a sheer genius and deserves a statue. And what stunning liquorice—if you love liquorice as much as I do, that is.
SGP:363 - 92 points.

We’ll finish in Jamaica, at this point, almost only Jamaica can rise to the occasion…

Hampden 13 yo (61.6%, Secret Cask, Ramseyer’s, 2025)

A fine run of independent Hampdens from this house in recent years, and here comes the latest instalment. Colour: gold. Nose: of course it’s fairly explosive, with great wafts of brake pads after a Stelvio descent, followed by sauna oils and, naturally, olives of every persuasion, yet it’s all well balanced, elegant, with notes of very saline, maritime manzanilla and a faint touch of game, rather unusual. This little Hampden is most pleasing, though we rather expected as much. With water: quite the surprise, it tones down into sunflower oil, hay, paraffin, Italian white olives, even smoked salmon. Mouth (neat): immediate, obvious. Sea water, black olives this time, acetone, tar, pine resin, lemon. And yet, it remains fairly elegant. I'm very curious at this stage... With water: never mind, it’s textbook Hampden, which is very good news indeed. Salted liquorice, olives, glue, sea water, a touch of fresh plastic. Finish: continues in the same direction for quite a long while. Comments: it held up beautifully after those sublime Guyanese bottlings.
SGP:463 - 90 points.

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