
January 4, 2026

The Rum Sessions,
The rums are back on the table as 2026 begins

It’s true that cognacs and armagnacs stole the show at the very end of last year, so it’s time to return to the finest expression of sugarcane — starting with a suitable aperitif… We’d love to go with the new Hampden 15-year-old, which we do have on the table, but it might just overshadow the rest of our tasting session, so we’ll save it for later in the lineup. So then, an aperitif…

Havana Club ‘Iconica Seleccion de Maestros’ (45%, OB, Cuba, triple barrel aged, +/-2025)

A seemingly boosted version of the famous Seleccion de Maestros, of which we had greatly enjoyed an earlier edition bottled at 45% vol., back in 2013 (WF 85). But I’m not quite sure what sets this ‘Iconica’ version apart from the others, it still comes at a very modest price. Colour: full gold. Nose: a very Cuban style, as also seen at Santiago’s, built on toffee and roasted peanuts lightly scented with aniseed. A few glimmers of copper (old coins) then a mix of toasted wood and liquorice which suits it rather well. It’s really more vivid than your typical Havana Club bottlings, in my humble view. Mouth: the palate mirrors the nose, though it’s a little sweeter and more coated, the one part that’s a tad off-putting to me. This moderate sweetness persists throughout, with notes of liquorice, orange zest, dark nougat, English chocolate... Finish: fairly long though the candied sugar ends up taking the lead. Comments: a bit of a shame, it was shaping up very, very nicely but that liqueur-like aspect on the palate feels a little too much for me.
SGP:740 - 79 points.

Seeing as we’re going sweet…

Dos Maderas ‘Atlantic’ (37.5%, Williams & Humbert, blend, +/-2025)

A blend of very young Guyanese and Barbadian rums, finished in PX sherry casks in Jerez. Several Dos Maderas expressions had struck us as far too sweet in the past. That’s perhaps why we hadn’t gone near them for the past twelve years. I’ll also point out that the bottling strength of 37.5%, the legal minimum, is always a little frightening. Colour: deep gold. Nose: very light, on cane syrup, roasted nuts and hand-rolling blond tobacco. A very prominent ‘high-column’ profile. Mouth: light and far too sweet for me. I believe this sort of baby is meant to be enjoyed over ice, and do remember that lowering the temperature also dials down the sweetness. As they say, it’s designed for that. Finish: short, very light. Molasses, caramel and two raisins. Comments: clearly not a ‘sipping rum’, as they say in the reference books.
SGP:620 - 50 points.

As we're into blends now…

Rh05 (65.4%, Zero Nine Spirits, Cyberpunk series, Jamaica and Belize, 200 bottles, +/-2024)

We hadn’t yet summoned the courage to taste this blend of 60% Jamaican and 40% Belizean, due to the rather unusual combination of an unaged-sounding blend notion and a near-lethal bottling strength. I ask you, where does one even place this in a lineup? Colour: full gold. Nose: would you be surprised if I said the Jamaican part seems to dominate? A very curious mix of loads of ethanol, tar with menthol and aniseed, then a touch of burnt pecan pie. But let’s quickly add some water… With water: fresh cane juice suddenly rises to the top, with a surprising balance. I’d guess this came from a ‘light’ marque Jamaican, more low-ester. Mouth (neat): very strong, drying, packed with ashes, tar and some extreme salmiak. Let’s not push our luck further… With water: more esters on the palate than on the nose, still that tarry liquorice side, then a lovely pepper and lemon combo. Finish: long, fairly fresh, more earthy, with a few drops of rougail sauce. The Jamaican keeps the upper hand. Comments: not the easiest ride, and every drop of water you add shifts the balance of the blend. But it’s huge fun and very good indeed – oh yes, this baby makes you work.
SGP:553 - 86 points.

Fiji Islands 15 yo 2009/2025 (55.1%, Planteray for The Whisky Exchange, Kilchoman cask)

Well, one can hardly complain about the crazy ‘cask bill’ here (9 years bourbon + 2 years Ferrand cognac + 4 years Kilchoman), since we’ve often noticed connections between certain Jamaicans and some Islays, and Fiji—presumably South Pacific—is no doubt the most Jamaican of the Pacific rums. Right, are you still with me? Colour: gold. Nose: now this is something else. A cucumber salad with olive oil and pink pepper, salted and smoked anchovies, a Bellini (champagne and peach purée), then a few old papers and discarded cardboard boxes on… Islay. In any case, it’s all of a piece, not some incongruous mash-up of conflicting profiles. With water: a lovely blend of varnish, paint, sea water and smoked oysters. Mouth (neat): let’s say it—the Islay takes control and never lets go. It’s packed with ashes and smoky things. As for the tarry notes, impossible to tell whether they hail from Fiji or from Scotland. With water: more rooty. Powdered ginseng. Finish: long, with ashes returning in force, along with olives. Comments: twenty years ago they’d have called this an ‘experimental spirit’. I think it’s a rather lovely cross-category blend, and it does make sense, if you overlook the 19,000km between Fiji and Islay (by boat). Ah, and if only we had the time, we’d be enjoying a Kilchoman Rum Cask right now, for comparison. Alas, we don’t have the HSE Kilchoman finish to hand.
SGP:366 - 86 points.

Haiti 50 yo 2004/2024 (58.6%, Malt, Grain & Cane for 20th anniversary Bar Lamp Ginza, 159 bottles)

Lovely dragon-serpent on the label – we’re in Singapore. This secret Haitian could be a clairin, though I very much doubt it, it’s probably Barbancourt, though what style exactly is anyone’s guess, as that famous house has changed considerably over the decades. At its core, it’s cane juice, though distilled in tall columns rather than the Creole stills used in Martinique or Guadeloupe (for the agricoles). Colour: gold. Nose: fresh and light cane, rather aromatic, which might bring some Cubans to mind, with plenty of vanilla and candied orange. With water: lighter still, with loads of finesse. Light honeyed notes. Mouth (neat): again that very light profile, reminiscent of some Scottish grains, yet there’s still texture and above all a good deal of elegance, around citrus and caramelised cane. With water: some small spices arrive, aniseed, paprika, pink pepper. The aftertaste is very gentle. Finish: not that short actually, fresh, on candied citrus and cane, then some heather honey. Comments: it’s rare to find such a light rum from an indie bottler – bravo! Above all, it has remained natural, while so many brands tend to boost this kind of rum with assorted additives for texture and flavour.
SGP:530 - 85 points.

SVN 2003/2025 (61.3%, Vagabond Spirit, Silva Collection, La Réunion, 240 bottles)

SVN is rather like HMPDN, you can more or less guess what it is. In this case, the ageing took place mostly on the island, followed by a few years on the continent. Amusingly, when rum folks speak of ‘continental ageing’, they often count the United Kingdom as part of said continent. Someone should ask Mr Farage. Colour: amber. Nose: superb, on incense, mint, varnish, pink bananas, toasted macadamia nuts and hairspray. Hints of cedarwood and humidor, though no cigars at this point. Doesn’t really smell like a ‘Grand Arôme’. With water: oh that’s lovely, some top-notch soy sauce and even notes of Marmite, in any case plenty of glutamate. Controversial as an additive, but we do like it in our spirits. It’s rather like gunpowder in a way. Mouth (neat): rich, ample, fairly bourbony, peppery, slightly astringent at this stage but in the prettiest of ways. With water: water does it a world of good. Pineapple jam, resinous woods, dark chocolate, oysters, liquorice… Finish: very long, saltier still, with generous amounts of liquorice and a touch of ash and Chartreuse. We are talking green Chartreuse indeed here. Juniper in the aftertaste. Comments: what complexity, what an adventure!
SGP:562 - 90 points.

We were just talking about it…

Hampden 15 yo (50%, OB, Jamaica, 2025)

Pure pot still of course, fully aged on site, with 75% angel’s share. We won’t go insulting the angels now, will we—you never know... Worth noting, on-site ageing only really began in 2010, so fifteen years ago. It’s still something rather new, not quite as traditional as one might like to believe. Right then, shall we? Colour: amber. Nose: there’s less zestiness and tension than in continentally aged versions, but more breadth and, above all, more jams made from exotic fruits, tamarind, banana, guava, always with a faintly fermentary edge. Lovely cedarwood above it all. With water: and here come the varnishes, tars, paints and carbon. Mouth (neat): superb, on mint dark chocolate, mango and salt. The influence of the cask is much more pronounced than in most indie versions, but it works beautifully. Dark tobacco, a faint ‘pliers-on-the-tongue’ effect. We’re masochists anyway. With water: once again the primary elements stage a coup, on pepper, glue and salted tar. Finish: returns to something more rounded, chocolate, coffee, orange cream, then a fino-like note in the after-finish. Comments: well, we love it, and this new 15 is going straight on the same shelf as Springbank 10, Talisker 10 and Ardbeg 10. There, job done. No ten no deal, fifteen I’m keen.
SGP:562 - 91 points.

Go on, shall we treat ourselves to a bit more Hampden? It is the new year, after all…

HD 1997/2025 ‘C<>H’ (59.6%, The Whisky Jury, The Many Faces of Rum, Jamaica, refill barrel, cask #1, 195 bottles)

I suppose the label is meant to suggest this is an unicorn of a rum. This marque clocks in at 1,300 to 1,400 grams of esters per HLPA. That’s a lot. Colour: full gold. Nose: more ‘aggressive’, in the best sense, a sort of mix between UHU and Pattex glues, with litres of spicy olive brine and a good three litres of two-stroke fuel mix—you know, for the lawnmower… With water: plastic model glue and a big parcel from Temu, phthalates, PFAS and formaldehyde included. Sounds frightening, but I adore these aromas, no doubt tied to childhood, as often. Mouth (neat): you already know it’s going to be on par with the official 15, despite a rather different style—sharper, almost more violent, saltier, more ‘chemical’ (whatever that means—of course it’s just organic chemistry), almost vinegary. With water: softer and saltier, closer to olives and brined lupins. Finish: very long, very saline. Comments: all these petroly notes might be off-putting, but I find them utterly magnificent. Is it serious, doctor?
SGP:563 - 91 points.

Right, let’s finish with a rum that’s likely lethal. We tried calling our lawyer again, but once more, he was out playing golf. As long as he’s not at Mar-a-Lago or Turnberry — absolute sanctuaries of good taste and elegance, right — I’d say it’s fine, nothing that warrants an immediate dismissal, guns blazing…

Hampden 2023/2025 ‘HLCF’ (83.4%, The Colours of Rum, Pure Rum, 60 bottles)

HLCF means 500 to 700 grams of esters. The label ‘pure rum’ coupled with a bottling strength of 83.4% ABV feels even funnier than a classic Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis piece. There sure is little water. Colour: very, very pale white wine. Nose: almost nothing, I mean ethanol, kerosene and apple juice. Really, apple juice. With water: damp earth and glue emerge around the 45% mark, at which point the (relatively) moderate ester count lets the fruits speak. Apples, pears… Mouth (neat): right, let’s dare... Zut alors, it’s excellent! Can it be at this strength? Of course, as long as you avoid sipping this near open flames, or any electronics ordered from that earlier-mentioned source (Temu, ha). Otherwise, this mix of lime, Williams pear, fuel and seawater is rather glorious. In small sips, obviously... With water: perfect, salty, petroly, acidic, lemony, maritime. No prisoners, even at 45%. Finish: very long, more medicinal, though it’s not quite old-school Laphroaig either. Bright lemon, salt, pepper, ideas of camphor. Comments: that’s the thing, everyone talks about maturation, the influence of location and so on, but for a distillate like Hampden, which is already perfect after just a few months, all that sounds a bit superfluous.
SGP:553 - 90 points.

Hold on, looks like we can squeeze in one final drop…

Jamaica 5 yo 2018/2024 ‘LROK’ (67.5%, Flensburg Rum Company for Kirsch Import and Sea Shepherd, first fill oloroso hogshead, 311 bottles)

LROK is a fairly light ester marque for Hampden, though one always remembers nothing’s linear in this game. Right then, to the health of Paul Watson, honorary citizen of the City of Paris and holder of a French residency permit since November 2025. For once we’ve done something sensible in this bloody country… Colour: full gold. Nose: the impact of the oloroso seems marginal, there, that’s said. The rest unfolds over new Ikea wood (thank goodness not the meatballs), olive oil, seawater, neoprene glue and carbolineum. With water: green walnut! That’ll be the oloroso… And menthol tobacco. Mouth (neat): magnificent, balanced, saline and rich on lemon coffee cream. Though mind you, these very high strengths can hit hard… With water: perfect, everything nicely poised, like a premium car just back from servicing. Lemon, ashes, tar, seawater, olives, chervil, praline. Finish: perhaps a little less biting than expected, but joyfully salty. Comments: perhaps not the grandest Hampden ever bottled in the end, but it’s still extremely good. Cheers Sea Shepherd and Paul Watson!
SGP:452 - 88 points.

Check the index of all rums we've tasted

The Rum Sessions, The rums are back on the table as 2026 begins

The Rum Sessions,
The rums are back on the table as 2026 begins