
January 18, 2026

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 Rum Sessions,
today a selection of assorted and varied rums

I think today we'll go from the sweetest to the saltiest of rums. Does that plan work for you?

Fortin ‘Guarani’ (40%, OB, Paraguay, +/-2025)

A rum said to be organic, with a finishing of 6 months in maté casks, though we had no idea maté could be housed and matured in oak barrels. Unless, of course, this was merely a means of aromatising this modest little rum afterwards… Anyway, so far the Fortins we've tried had been rather all right, typically scoring between 65 and 75 points on our wee scale. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s soft, a little sweet, not particularly assertive but with hints of ripe banana and indeed black tea, then a faint touch of rubber. The whole isn’t unpleasant. Mouth: alas, there’s a sugary presence that makes the whole thing curiously liqueur-like and dry at the same time. Slightly ‘budget’ orange liqueur and similarly ‘budget’ cane syrup. Finish: short, sweet. Comments: a bit like a light Don Papa, if you see what I mean. I preferred the other Fortins I’ve tasted.
SGP:620 - 50 points.

Saint James ‘Nectar du Maître de Chai’ (40%, OB, Martinique, +/-2025)

Saint James ‘Nectar du Maître de Chai’ (40%, OB, Martinique, +/-2025)
Colour: full gold. Nose: oops, this is spiced rum, with a maceration of prunes and vanilla. It’s far from unpleasant on the nose, it’s just not rum. My fault entirely, apologies for the lapse in attention. Mouth: very sweet. Cinnamon liqueur, gingerbread, heavily sweetened and spiced mulled wine. Finish: long, sticky. Comments: take this rough sketch of a score with a generous pinch of salt. Apologies again, we usually love Saint James.
SGP:820 - +/-60 points.

Let’s quickly taste a proper rum that belongs to the same excellent group, La Martiniquaise…

Yellow Snake (40%, Island Signature, Rum Terroirs, Jamaica, +/-2025)

This ‘Rum Terroirs’ series also includes releases from Mauritius, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. This one’s a blend of rather young Jamaican rums, let’s see if any esters decide to show up… Colour: pale gold. Nose: yes indeed, there are some lovely briny, metallic and tarry touches, and it’s unmistakably Jamaican, lightly so but with precision. Molasses, mentholated honey, cane juice. Mouth: this is really rather enjoyable, dry, a well-composed blend. Lemon, olives, liquorice, all in measured but well-present quantities. Would have had more punch at 45 or 46% vol. Finish: fairly long, dry, spicier. Cinnamon, curry, green walnut, a salty touch, and a wee dab of tapenade. Comments: a lovely Jamaican blend, goes down without trouble, even at room temperature.
SGP:362 - 82 points.

Neisson ‘Profil Équilibre Carole Aurore Assemblage Mizunara’ (52.5%, OB, Martinique, agricole, LMDW Itinéraires, 2025)

Half of this assemblage was matured in mizunara oak casks, that ‘very rare’ variety which, curiously enough, seems to be used by virtually every spirits brand on the planet at some point or other, even Chivas. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s true you do pick up a faint mentholy and resinous edge, layered over the usual pure cane, earthy and mineral profile. A lovely touch of lime. With water: essential oils and natural shampoo, we’re not far off a Finnish sauna. Mouth (neat): this is very good, a little unusual and ‘world’, but the combination of pu-ehr tea and pine bud liqueur, mingled with rather saline cane, works a treat. Lovely lime as well. With water: the cane, still saline and quite mineral, takes the lead again, but the pine bud and lime linger on. Finish: fairly long, with no major shifts, except a surprising aftertaste that reminds one of a cross between fino and sake. I swear. Comments: rather experimental, but I quite like it, even if I prefer my Neisson in its natural state, as with all the ‘grands crus’, for that matter.
SGP:371 - 83 points.

Foursquare 8 yo ‘Old Bajan Numéro 6’ (59.1%, Les Frères de la Côte, 950 bottles, 2025)

This youngster was aged in bourbon casks in Barbados, then shipped to France aboard a sailing boat, where it was finished in a fine de Meursault cask. In short, another playful assemblage… Colour: full gold. Nose: Foursquare takes charge from the start, and quite right too. Lovely oils (sesame, peanut) and notes of bagasse, biscuits, light honey and beeswax. With water: doesn’t budge an inch. Light linseed oil touches. Mouth (neat): once again, the fine de Bourgogne remains very discreet, letting the rum’s lemons and oranges speak for themselves, alongside that typically oily and metallic edge. Perhaps the faintest hint of kirsch. With water: Foursquare all the way, and one almost gets the impression there’s a healthy proportion of pot still in the mix. Lovely grey pepper. Finish: medium length, with a pepperiness that builds steadily. Comments: Foursquare 1 - Fine de Meursault 0. But of course we love Meursault…
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Providence 3 yo 2022/2025 (52.4%, OB, Port au Prince Distillery, La Maison & Velier, Haiti)

Let’s be honest, we greatly enjoyed the earlier official releases of Providence (2021/2024, WF 86). I find Providence fits nicely somewhere between the very gentle Barbancourts and the wild clairins (which we adore). Colour: pale gold. Nose: we’re very close to pressed cane and bagasse, with some rather striking whiffs of banana with menthol (yes, really), which are quite seductive. With water: humus, patchouli, bidis and a return of the banana, though no menthol this time. Mouth (neat): even better on the palate, the salinity is rather sublime and brings a kind of tension that whisks you straight off to the banks of the Guadalquivir. Lemon, mustard, olives, sugarcane, tequila. It’s a truly singular profile, and that’s precisely what makes it so compelling. With water: it settles and softens slightly, but the profile doesn’t shift an inch. Finish: same again. A nice arrival of liquorice, close to a handcrafted pastis. Wormwood. Comments: I get the impression this is coming along nicely…
SGP:552 - 87 points.

Let’s move on to the heavy hitters…

Clarendon 12 yo (56.8%, Dràm Mor, Jamaica, cask #1814, 307 bottles, 2025)

Clarendon Estate 12 yo (56.8%, Dràm Mor, Jamaica, cask #1814, 307 bottles, 2025)
It’s always a pleasure to see British independents taking an interest in rum, though we’ve already tasted marvels from the likes of Cadenhead and G&M. Ah, that Long Pond 1941! Though we’re not talking about the specialists here, like Bristol Spirits… Colour: full gold. Nose: this isn’t a particularly heavy Clarendon, which allows a lovely finesse to emerge—fig leaf, rubber tree, seaweed, small pink olives and quite simply pink grapefruit and passion fruit. I find it all very pretty, very elegant. With water: retreats slightly towards petrol. Mouth (neat): some funk and citrus, let’s say. The rubber tree note is more pronounced, and there’s a caipirinha-like character that’s great fun. In theory, water will sort out the molecules… With water: indeed, we reach a very fine salinity that plays beautifully with the lemon and a light tarry side. Finish: long, with consistent flavours. Comments: a very fine wee bottle, nicely representative of the high standards at Dràm Mor. And once again, apologies—I really can’t manage the accent on the o in Mor. Blame it on French keyboards.
SGP:462 - 87 points.

New Yarmouth 15 yo 2009/2025 (59.8%, Bedford Park, Jamaica, bourbon, cask #1, 221 bottles)

Cask #1, really! What an honour… Actually, the label reminds me of the first time I listened to ‘Dark Side’, quite a long time ago now. Colour: gold. Nose: boom. Ultra-precision, tar, carbon, wee lemons, sea water. Nothing more, but that’s more than enough. With water: old bicycle inner tube. Mouth (neat): elementally perfect. A mix of lemon juice, diesel fumes, liquorice juice and sea water. That’s it, one could almost call this a nudist distillate. With water: sublime in its tarry and saline purity. Finish: same story. Comments: almost a <DOK, couldn’t be more stripped back. It’s practically constructivist—Malevich and all that, The White Album etc. Not my business, but personally, I’d have gone for a completely white label. Though I agree, that wouldn’t quite resonate online—and on the Web, white kills…
SGP:363 - 90 points.

We'll finish with a Caroni, alright?

Caroni 27 yo 1998/2025 (57.6%, The Colours of Rum for Absolutely Nuts, This Time No Colours, Edition No.2, Trinidad, 91 bottles)

A Hampden finish here—it had to happen eventually, didn’t it? Of course, and the name ‘Absolutely Nuts’ suits us just fine, as one might even glimpse the spirit of the Malt Maniacs here. No limits, ad nauseam. Colour: amber gold. Nose: well, this is rather gentler than expected—it doesn’t rip the nostrils apart or rush straight up the olfactory bulb into the brain. Instead, we’re getting notes of smoked pistachio chocolate, toasted sesame oil and soft, almost childlike liquorice. Though in the background, make no mistake, there is tar, old cloth and pine sap. With water: majestic cedarwood, think Cedros de Luxe. Cigar lovers will get it. Mouth (neat): perfect salinity, with varnish, tar and extremely salty pickles. In fact, it’s not just saline, it’s downright salty. With water: perfection achieved, whatever the path. The wood is still very much present, but it’s been tamed. Still plenty of salt—indeed, pure NaCl. Finish: very long, on brined pickles and homemade kimchi. Comments: I’m rather proud of myself—this follows the New Yarmouth perfectly. But these babies… are exhausting.
SGP:363 - 90 points.

Check the index of all rums we've tasted

The Rum Sessions, today a selection of assorted and varied rums

The Rum Sessions,
today a selection of assorted and varied rums