The rums are back on WF, from Colombia to Jamaica


April 13, 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!

The rums are back on WF, from Colombia to Jamaica

You've got the pattern by now: cognac, armagnac, rum, rum, rum, cognac, armagnac, rum, rum, rum… But all of that can be interrupted at any moment by mezcal, genever, or other more or less devilish spirits. In any case, today, it’s rum.

Chamarel (Chamarel)

Dictador ‘Aurum’ (40%, OB, Colombia, +/-2024)

Aurum ? Yet another name seemingly nicked straight from Wikipedia or ChatGPT, although Wikipedia does feel marginally more credible, even if it’s a nest of lefties (just kidding). Anyway, a Dictador that’s been no doubt premiumised in a hurry, though the ABV says it all: 40% = likely j*nk. Colour: orange amber. Nose: burnt caramel, Catalan cream, molasses honey and that café liqueur you pick up at €12 a bottle. Not much hope… Mouth: my word this is dreadful, sickly sweet, over-caramelised, very much in the Starbucks camp. Deathly sweet instant coffee, lukewarm Coca-Cola at 25°C, burnt caramel… It’s just about drinkable. Finish: short, which is THE good news of the day. Comments: ugh. I briefly considered a horizontal tasting of Dictador Aurum, Platinum, Insolent and Perpetual but wisely gave up. Sometimes, we’re proud of our choices. That said, it’s no doubt far better over a heap of crushed ice or in a misuwari. Just a reminder that lower temperatures tend to dull sweetness. At any rate, €100 for this poor thing is pushing it. Worst of all, the bottle looks terribly ‘D.J.T’.
SGP:830 - 49 points.

Good heavens, quickly, some agricole…

Trois Rivières ‘X.O’ (43%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2024)

This baby’s said to be six years old, which is a fine age. Colour: gold. Nose: ripe strawberries from twelve metres away, truly. Then as one gets closer, it’s jasmine and lavender that come marching in, assertively and without negotiation. A touch of cedarwood and thuja as well; all in all it’s ultra-aromatic. Mouth: rather more unruly, with cedar, lavender, ginger and bitter oranges locked in a proper scrap, but it’s the sort of brawl we quite enjoy, with lavender ultimately taking the crown. Truth be told, there’s quite a lot of wood, as often when the ABV is on the lower side. Finish: fairly long, oaky, with pink pepper and some orange stepping in to restore order. As we always say, in any spirit, the citrus rules. Comments: certainly miles better than the Colombian Dictador, especially at a third of the price, though we’re not quite at the pinnacle of agricole here, in my humble view.
SGP:562 - 79 points.

Agricole gets another shot…

Depaz ‘Hors d’Âge XO’ (45%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2024)

A good feeling here… Colour: full gold. Nose: but of course, maple syrup, honey, Sichuan pepper, cigars and cedarwood (think Romeo & Julieta ‘Cedros’, more or less), damp earth, a few floral touches of geranium, and ultra-ripe bananas… Mouth: how could one not enjoy this creamy, even delicately liqueur-like profile? Pink grapefruit liqueurs, rose, Brazil nuts, exotic hardwoods, orange zest… Finish: fairly long, still very much on those precious woods, incense, jasmine, fresh ginger and spiced honey. Comments: undoubtedly ideal with dim sum, perhaps those beloved ha-kao (sp?).
SGP:651 - 85 points.

Chamarel 2014 (53.77%, Navigate World Whisky, Mauritius, Highveld Aging Series, South African market exclusive, ex-Islay cask, 247 bottles, +/-2024)

A blend of column and pot still rums from the distillery, further aged in ex-Laphroaig wood. One couldn’t make it more ‘world’ than this, could one? Colour: gold. Nose: forget any reference to Laphroaig, you barely get a whiff, save for a suggestion of yellow peaches and guavas. A few notes of flint and lighter stone do make a cameo, mind you… With water: carries on with peach skin, nectarine, papaya, and still those bursts of flint (and indeed spent match). Mouth (neat): most improbable yet it works. Imagine peach liqueur smoked over beechwood, then laced with cigar ash. With water: swims like a champion, no question, growing peatier the more water you add. But wait, it’s still rum… Finish: we end up on Islay, this journey’s a real hoot. Comments: that said, we reached Port Askaig more than Port Ellen.
SGP:653 - 85 points.

Foursquare 15 yo 2006/2022 (61%, The Colours of Rum, Barbados, ex-bourbon, No.16, 264 bottles)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: highly aromatic, with notes of Swiss cheese, alpine flowers, varnish and hairspray, then toasted sesame oil. Altogether, it works a treat. With water: still very much ‘column’, but rather lovely, gentle without being weak, now leaning more towards vanilla and the coconutty side of the wood. Mouth (neat): glue and varnish, classic column still, then bananas in all guises, from liqueurs to marshmallows, with a dash of corn syrup thrown in. With water: the varnishy side turns saltier, which is quite the little miracle, even if the texture remains fairly light. Finish: not overly long, but more herbal and leaning towards… apples. Comments: it’s the wood that seems to be bringing the texture, one might even mistake it for pure column. In any case, it’s very good.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Rum Blend Jamaica/Belize (65.4%, Zn09, Cyberpunk series, 200 bottles)

It’s reassuring to learn, at over 65% vol., that the rums used here weren’t reduced. We’re talking Worthy Park 2012 for 60% and a Belize 2007—surely a Travellers—for the remaining 40%. We’re right on the edge of an anti-taster assault here, but let it be said, we’re standing tall, fearless and faultless. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this isn’t exactly reasonable, but WP takes charge at once, with vanilla, shoe polish and nail varnish remover. Amen. With water: Belize strikes back with softer notes of banana cake, the whole thing ending in a rather cheerful fiesta. Mouth (neat): this is now proper Jamaican rum, loaded with acetone, barely rounded off by a splash of banana juice and a dash of pancake syrup. With water: the Jamaican retains control, especially as a bold salinity starts to emerge. Finish: long, salty, with a hint of olives, or perhaps even that famous Tupperware olive cake that conquered the globe. Comments: of course it’s very good, even if it’s a bit odd. Punk indeed (by the way, did you know the Stranglers are still touring?)
SGP:563 - 86 points.

Hampden ‘1753’ (46%, OB, Jamaica, 2025)

A very handsome bottle with a crowded, rather over-the-top baroque label, quite in the Italian taste. Frankly, we’re not entirely sure what this is, but one surrenders to it with delight and a satisfied purr or two. Colour: gold. Nose: ultra-ripe bananas, even riper pineapples, ammoniac touches, brine, olives, wood glue, solvents and seawater. We bow our heads. Mouth: it’s exhausting how good this is. Olives, liquorice, barbecued sardines and varnish. The 46% suits it perfectly, sparing us the trauma of a dodgy reduction. Thank you! Finish: long, all on essences and oils, though we’ll avoid name-dropping brands lest we incur unjust and unfounded tariffs from the planet’s head polluters. Right, deep breath… Comments: this new bottle is quite the stunner. Thank you for bottling it at ‘drinking strength’, and hats off for the reduction technique employed, whichever it was.
SGP:563 - 90 points.

Trelawny 9 yo ‘<>H’ (55.7%, Valinch & Mallet, Jamaica, 2024)

Right then, another Hampden, in other words the Ardbeg of rum—minus the pushes, the storytelling, and those wildly implausible finishings that could make a mortgaged brick weep. Colour: gold. Nose: good heavens! Puncture repair glue, wine vinegar, olives, acetone, carbon dust, tart apples and ancient brine. One couldn’t possibly resist such an olfactory assault. With water: come on, this is one of the greatest spirits on earth, the rest is just prose. Mouth (neat): astonishing how close this gets to the official bottling we’ve just tasted. Liquorice, barbecue, varnish, brine, the whole lot. With water: in come essential oils, tar, and olive oil chocolate (you know the stuff? Look up Espérantine de Marseille)… Finish: vinegar and the ultimate weapon—white nougat with bits of black olives inside; on the palate, it’s somewhere between Caravaggio and Rembrandt. Comments: shamelessly good, another Achilles Last Stand of rum.
SGP:563 - 91 points.

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