Seven rums of various styles


October 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!

Seven rums of various styles

A little apéritif to begin with, hoping to prove that famous saying wrong: ‘We expected nothing and still end up disappointed'.

Camikara 8 yo (42.8%, India, +/-2026)

An aged Indian rum produced by the Piccadilly Distillery in the state of Haryana, in northern India, made from pure cane juice rather than molasses, as is so often the case elsewhere in India. Colour: gold. Nose: very light, but far from unpleasant (maybe as a consequence), with caramel, unexpected hints of dried parsley, nougat and a little earthiness. Laterite, slag, potting compost, then mead… Mouth: admittedly, it does bring entry-level Martinique rum to mind a little, although it is much lighter indeed. Again, a very light caramel note and that earthy side. Certainly not an unpleasant rum indeed. Finish: a little longer than expected, leaning towards orange liqueur, still with that little touch of caramel. Comments: very, very decent, even rather good. Ish.
SGP:330 - 70 points.

Papa Rouyo 2023/2026 ‘Nanm’ (58.43%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, cognac cask)

A single cask bottled at a remarkably precise strength. Those decimal places always look rather smart, don’t they? … Colour: full gold. Nose: lovely, starting with fresh oil paint, then olive oil and brine. All of this is spot on, and rather tauter than some other agricoles. With water: it softens, with a touch of good pastis and a camphory, almost medicinal side. Little aniseed biscuits. Mouth (neat): fine and precise indeed, with a slight orange vinegar note this time, then cane juice, black olives and salted liquorice. With water: don’t add too much! In any case, there is a lovely earthy salinity, a touch of bagasse, all very pretty. The cognac has kept a very low profile. Finish: quite long, still saline. Plantains, a savoury banana sauce, little mild olives… Comments: we really do like what the young Papa Rouyo distillery is doing, including this single cask. Now, I don’t think the extra 0.03% has anything to do with it.
SGP:562 - 88 points.

Since we were on cognac casks…

Neisson 11 yo 2014/2026 (51%, Artist #16 by LMDW, Les Anthologistes, Martinique, agricole, ex-cognac)

There is always something disappointing about Neisson, the complete absence of nasty surprises. The last time I tasted one that wasn’t quite to my liking was back when hens had teeth and pigs could fly (and not the other way round). Colour: full gold. Nose: mango, pink banana and, above all, vineyard peach. I couldn’t tell you whether that last aroma comes from the cognac or the rum. Or both. Then superb notes of sandalwood, incense, dried rose petals and liquorice. With water: eucalyptus and a little spearmint join in. Mouth (neat): both punchy and gentle, leaning more towards citrus fruit and oolong tea. The sandalwood is still there, joined by a little cedarwood. With water: the mint and eucalyptus return, along with a certain salinity. Finish: long, even more saline, drier, with much less fruit. Comments: superb, but yes, we did see that coming. Mind you, be sparing with your pipette here too, this is another agricole that isn’t much of a swimmer. In fact, at 51%, adding water is unnecessary.
SGP:561 - 90 points.

Chamarel 8 yo 2017/2026 (63%, Habitation Velier, Mauritius)

Mauritian rums, some of them at any rate, seem to be moving upmarket. I’m not saying they don’t deserve to, if we leave aside the versions sweetened to ‘within an inch of their lives’. Let’s see… Colour: gold. Nose: gentle, although not really sugary on the nose. A light profile, banana and pear cake, aniseed and fennel, hints of paraffin… With water: toasted buckwheat tea, hojicha, mint and pastis… Mouth (neat): a similar profile, with more citrus fruit and even more pronounced fennel. Water will be the deciding factor on the palate… With water: the same profile, plus hints of fresh wood, cinnamon… Finish: medium in length, quite delicate, with unexpected notes of rock sugar and black tea. Comments: something of a velvet hand in an iron glove, if you see what I mean. In any case, it is towards the top of the Mauritian league and doesn’t struggle too much after the agricoles.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Since we’re in the Indian Ocean…

Savanna ‘Eternal Summer 2026’ (59.2%, The Colours of Rum, Réunion)

It seems this blend/marriage contains quite a lot of Savanna HERR, so high-ester rum. The name ‘Eternal Summer’ is absolutely charming, provided it doesn’t apply to northern countries, wouldn’t you say? Colour: gold. Nose: bananas on the verge of fermenting, liquorice wood, petrol, varnish, capers and olives… All is well, then. With water: ‘Chinese’ notes, which I couldn’t describe any more precisely, except to say they remind me of a market, with dried fruits (jujubes, lychees) and dried fish. Among other things… Mouth (neat): very typical and distinctive, with that curious combination of varnish and liquorice, hints of acetone, fennel, lovage, then simply seawater. With water: we’re back at ‘the Chinese market’, and it is absolutely excellent. Dried shrimps, dried fruits and chen-pi. No, no durian. Finish: long, along the same lines, with salted liquorice returning to centre stage. Comments: simply excellent. Another distillery that remains at the top of its game.
SGP:652 - 88 points.

Uitvlugt 26 yo 1999/2026 (49.2%, Frank McHardy Signature Reserve for Planet Spirits Singapore, Guyana, 140 bottles)

When Springbank’s sprightly and vastly experienced former distillery manager turns his attention to rum, it is bound to be intriguing… Colour: gold. Nose: one of those high-ester Uitvlugts that nevertheless remain balanced, with magnificent notes of fine green tea, dandelion flowers, little ripe apples, old paint tins in the cellar (from the days when solvents were still used with abandon), and cold mint tea. This is beautiful, branching off into fractals, especially the mints. Mouth: a little brutal, as we expected, but that doesn’t last. Shellfish and seaweed, smoked butter, earths, tobaccos, teas, cigars, and more and more seawater. Finish: long and even more saline, in the style of certain Bowmores. Don’t tell me they rolled the casks down the Demerara River all the way to Georgetown? A pleasingly bone-dry aftertaste. Comments: quite a ‘boom’ to all this. Complex and superb.
SGP:462 - 91 points.

Right, I think we’ll finish with a new Hampden. Indeed, pretty much as usual…

Hampden 2 yo 2024/2026 ‘DOK’ (57%, La Maison & Velier, Jamaica, Trelawny Endemic Butterflies Series, Mangrove Buckeye, cognac cask, cask #430, 378 bottles)

There is a whole series of these new, very young Hampdens, but we might as well choose the most extreme of the lot, a DOK! A reminder that DOK means something like 1.6 kilos of esters per hectolitre of pure alcohol, not far off the legal limit, or perhaps it is. Colour: white wine. Nose: petrol (not smuggled!), seawater, black olives, acetone and ammoniacal hints, then green pear. That said, it seems almost balanced to me so far. We get used to anything… With water: no change whatsoever. You can save water and, consequently, save the planet. Right. Mouth (neat): we’re some way from attempted murder here, it is almost gentle. All right, I’m exaggerating, it is wild, but we feel we have it under control, with that very salty liquorice, that petroleum, those almost rotten fruits, that ammonia… And those surprising hints of lavender. With water: back to basics. Olives, dried fish, acetone, varnish, petrol, fermented banana, seawater. Finish: more of the same. Very salty. Comments: not quite the last word in extremity, then. We tasted a new DOK 2021 last week that was more extreme than this, and by the way, we’re only just recovering.
SGP:463 - 90 points.

In any case, I find it pretty incredible that Papa Rouyo has already earned its place among the world's finest rums. May the Force be with them! And after a DOK, nothing else stands a chance.

Check the index of all rums we've tasted