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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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August 30, 2026 |
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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! |
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The Rum Sessions,
today thirteen rums in wildly varied styles |
Most of the time, rums put us in a good mood, and that’s not the effect of ethanol of course, which is in any case consumed in very carefully controlled quantities. But between us, what made me laugh most recently was this T-shirt unearthed at a festival, with ‘Drum & Bass’ written across it in huge letters, the first letters of both words having been crossed out in red. Thank goodness they didn’t have my size, which spared me the indignity of being refused entry to WF Towers by the family authorities… Right, let’s find ourselves a little aperitif… |
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Planteray ‘Xaymaca Special Dry’ (43%, Planteray, Jamaica, +/-2024) 
By Special Dry I imagine they mean that this expression hasn’t been ‘dosed-up’. Colour: gold. Nose: this is a fairly typical Jamaican, only lighter than the classic ‘funky ones’, while still displaying some lovely notes of diesel, turmeric, brine, nutmeg, fresh paint… Mouth: indeed, it is dry, saline, more characterful than on the nose, with shoe polish and lemon zest, as well as a touch of gherkin, then some very ripe exotic fruits, such as bananas whose skins have almost turned black. Well, you see what we mean. Finish: long and saline, with more pepper too. Comments: not ‘sweet’ at all, very good, very ‘pot still’. And those 43% are rather restful...
SGP:462 - 85 points. |
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Spain Rum 17 yo (60.6%, Roaming Road Spirits, Spain, ex-bourbon, 2025) 
With a finish in a whisky cask from Cotswolds in England. Is this rum from the Canary Islands? We’ve already tasted some very good ones, fairly firmly in the style of Madeira rums rather than the usual very light style, but here it is specified that this is made from molasses, not cane juice. Colour: full gold. Nose: rather oily, malty, vanilla-led, woody, very much on pastries. Raisin rolls, streusel, orange syrup and assorted candied fruits. With water: coconut comes to the fore. Mouth (neat): once again very much on pastries, with orange liqueur and quince paste taking centre stage. A little maple syrup. With water: coconut, vanilla, orange syrup. The texture is light. Finish: medium in length, gentle, with orange blossom and cinnamon. Comments: not exactly my preferred style, but this is good and easy-going, certainly in the upper tier of Spanish rums.
SGP:631 - 82 points. |
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Hispaniola 18 yo ‘n°6’ (57.4%, les Frères de la Côte, Dominican Republic, oloroso, 900 bottles) 
After ageing on Hispaniola (that used to be the future the DomRep + Haiti, if I’m not mistaken) this baby then aged in the holds of the sailing ship Tres Hombres in 2021-2022, before arriving in France. They call that dynamic ageing, which makes perfect sense… Colour: full gold. Nose: rather lively, earthy, with fallen fruits, citrus, grapefruit, spices, ras-el-hanout, allspice… This is lovely and doesn’t smell ‘sweet’ at all. With water: oops, caramel comes rushing in. Mouth (neat): this time it is sweet, beyond the spices, you could almost believe this was a sweet pepper-infused rum, or rather some kind of pepper liqueur. Perhaps one of those Dominican rums that are dosed when filled into cask, as El Dorado did, or perhaps still does, in Guyana. Rather a pity… With water: same feelings. Finish: medium in length, bursting with triple sec. Figuratively speaking… Comments: this had started so well, rather a pity indeed.
SGP:630 - 77 points. |
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Black Tot ‘Historic Solera’ (46.2%, Elixir Distillers, blend, 2025) 
I don’t think this is a solera as they have in Jerez, it’s probably a perpetual blending vat, typical of what they do in Scotland, but I’m not certain. I’ll ask them. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: but this is really lovely, with damson tart, currants, old PX, a few touches of tar (and new tyres), prunes in Armagnac, Malvasia… In short, we like this so far. What’s more, it shouldn’t be overly sweet on the palate, let’s check that… Mouth: there must be some fairly high-ester Jamaican or Guyanese in there, it’s earthier, saltier, with plenty of salmiak beyond the raisins. Very lovely notes of tobacco. Finish: long, even more saline. Touches of black tapenade. Comments: the unlikely balance between PX and the funky side (we’ll have to find a better term for that one day) works perfectly here. In short, someone knew exactly where to set the dial, I really like this a lot. And if you ask me, that was by no means a foregone conclusion…
SGP:652 - 88 points. |
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Rainforest 2024/2025 (58%, Habitation Velier, Philippines, 1500 bottles)
Fear not, this has nothing to do with Don Papa, it’s from one of those young distilleries that are springing up all over Asia. That said, I don’t know whether they have anything to do with the very good Tarlac/Luisita. Colour: gold. Nose: lovely smoke, oil lamp, plasticine, then mild curry, masala, bitter orange… With water: garden soil, seaweed, cedarwood and sandalwood… Mouth (neat): rich and simply excellent, I really like these notes of angelica, absinthe, liquorice, black pepper… With water: really very much to my taste. Some superb fresh turmeric. Finish: long, more on citrus fruits in brine. Hardly surprising, Velier is Italian, ha! I also learn that the ageing took place in chardonnay casks. Well, I didn’t really notice that… Comments: a lovely surprise!
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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Heavy Rum Espagne 18 yo 2006/2026 (59%, Landier & Vingtier, Spain, Thai cask finish)
To be honest, I don’t understand much of what’s going on here, but I trust the house. One of their Galions had been magnificent. Colour: gold. Nose: this is funny! You can really sense the fight between the esters and the orange liqueur, each dominating the other in turn, Ali vs Frazier style. Pink peppercorn is refereeing the bout… With water: but who had the mad idea of smoking a crème brûlée over beechwood? Mouth (neat): really excellent, once again with this creative dichotomy, custard, tobacco, pepper, samphire, crema Catalana, ginger liqueur, Chartreuse… With water: totally Brownian, buttercream, Paris-Brest, ashes, mirabelle liqueur, earth… Excuse me, but what a glorious mess! Finish: long, same story. Comments: not your average Spanish rum, that’s for sure. Very long fermentation, we imagine.
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
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Mhoba ‘Satara Horizon’ (64.6%, OB for LMDW, Itinéraires, South Africa, bourbon cask, 2025) 
I think I’ve already expressed, probably in fairly glowing terms, what I think of Mhoba. One sign never lies: quite a few top-tier indies have already got their hands on the brand/the distillate. Colour: gold. Nose: the sheer clarity of a great distillate wrapped in the gentle vanilla of a quality bourbon cask. Olive oil, carbon paper, brine, banana cake, custard. With water: notes of brand-new trainers straight out of the box, choose your brand and your size. Mouth (neat): but this is so good! Acetone, varnish, olives, lime… With water: it heads towards brine, the sea, the ocean, oysters, concentrated lime… Finish: same. Very tarry aftertaste. Comments: all that remains is to make a South African daiquiri with it and sip it while listening to Abdullah Ibrahim solo (RIP). But who on earth is this Mr ‘Satara Horizon’?
SGP:563 - 90 points. |
Since we’re in the Southern Hemisphere… |
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Fiji Rum 16 yo 2009/2025 (58.9%, The Antelope, cask #R789)
Pure pot still from the South Pacific Distillery, of course. When is the next Rugby World Cup again? Colour: gold. Nose: this is a fairly gentle SP, not exactly explosive in terms of esters, but very lovely, with this feeling of smoked banana sprinkled with seawater and olive oil. Or something along those lines. With water: that petroly Riesling side, plus the first thunderstorm rain hitting earth baked by a heatwave. Mouth (neat): superb precision, olive oil with basil and lemon, plus tar and seawater. With water: lovely brine, olives, little lemons… Finish: careful, add the water sparingly, it can weaken a little quickly. Comments: excellent, lively, precise, saline, for lovers of the style, among whom we most certainly count ourselves.
SGP:362 - 88 points. |
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Le Galion 2023/2026 (59.1%, The Whisky Jury, The Ester Hunter, catch 8, Martinique, refill barrel, cask #101205, 255 bottles)
Le Galion really is the Dua Lipa of the moment when it comes to funky rums. Just six months ago, hardly anyone was talking about it. Careful, I’m talking about their grand arômes, and this is grand arôme… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: ultra-acetic, packed with ammonia, acetone, UHU and Loctite glues, and medicinal alcohol. Since it’s just us here, few people understand why we like this stuff, do bear that in mind at your dinner parties… With water: dried starfish, samphire and goose barnacles. Mouth (neat): barbecue lighter fluid mixed with cucumber juice, lemon juice, and oysters that are almost dead. This is extremely extreme, let’s admit it. With water: saved by salted liquorice! Finish: very long, utterly magnificent, provided you belong to the 0.00001% of the population who deeply enjoy this style. Comments: very loco rum, that’s all, but this would wake a pirate who’s been dead for ages. What’s more, I reckon it’s unusable in cocktails, it’s just too extreme.
SGP:264 - 89 points. |
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New Yarmouth 2009/2025 (59.7%, The Whisky Jury, Jamaica, refill barrel, cask #04, 221 bottles)
Colour: chardonnay. Nose: the kinship with the Martinican is obvious, but this is cleaner, less ‘chemical’, less dystopian in fact, closer to rubber tree sap and small green olives. With water: more on wet cardboard, papier-mâché, lawn grass, green olives… Mouth (neat): it’s still very sharp, salty, acidic, lemony, briny… That said, I haven’t checked the marque, HM? RR? With water: increasingly salty, increasingly on green olives and their brine… Finish: long, more acidic, almost cutting, but we like that. We really ought to go and see a shrink. Just like you, yes, you. Comments: it’s extreme, certainly, but in that department Le Galion rather stole its thunder. Still, this is a very fine young New Yarmouth, that’s for sure.
SGP:363 - 87 points. |
Come on, just one last one, we’re not going to swallow twelve kilograms of esters in a single session, are we? |
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Enmore 37 yo 1988/2026 (49.6%, Gourmet Pool, Guyana, bourbon barrel, cask #35)
Some old wooden still stuff, romanticised to the extreme by all the rum chatterati. And rightly so, just look at the colour… Colour: bright reddish amber. Right. Nose: wonderfully delicate (quite a change after the Jamaicans and their relatives we’ve just tasted), with precious woods, rosewood, also sandalwood, incense, cedar, pepper and cherry cream (an absolute killer), porcini cream, parsley cream, Italian sage sauce… The whole thing starts going fractal, it’s extremely impressive, we’re almost more in the territory of Michelin high cuisine than that of spirits. In short, a magnificent nose. Mouth: let’s answer the obvious question straight away: too woody? Rather peppery and on very black tea, certainly, but too woody, no. Orange soup, hoisin sauce, Peking duck, fermented plum sauce, pepper sauce… We’re really staying firmly in culinary territory. We’re not going to tell that little joke again about the chef who always cooks with booze and, occasionally, even adds some to his dishes, are we? Too late, done. Finish: long, on black cherry jam with pepper, and loads of other little flavours, including some grand black teas. Comments: these old spirits are a little like parabolic flights in an Airbus or a 737 (forget the 737s), it’s just before they start nosediving that they’re at their most beautiful. Provided everything is under control, obviously…
SGP:562 - 92 points. |
Well, since we were talking about planes, how about attempting a soft landing? It’s tricky, as lighter rums tend to suffer after the heavy hitters, but let’s see how it goes anyway… |
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Foursquare 19 yo 2006/2025 (50.6%, The Wealth Spirit x Milroy’s, Barbados, 175 bottles)
We have very little contact with the official Foursquares, but I’m sure they’re doing very well. On the other hand, we have tons of independent Foursquares, which is more than enough for our happiness… Colour: full gold. Nose: this is much gentler, of course, lighter, rounder, more pastry-like, with little herbs and little spices, all revolving around oranges of several kinds and at various stages of ripeness. With water: cedarwood and incense, a well-stocked humidor... Mouth (neat): soft landing indeed, but there are some very lovely woods, some smoky, fir, oak, spruce, even a little touch of briar (new pipe, oh forget it, how many people still remember what it feels like when you’ve just bought a new pipe and take your very first puff on it while it’s still empty?) … With water: some very lovely liqueurs, somewhere between fir buds and orange. Quite an oily texture too. Finish: long and spicier. Pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg. Comments: a very fine independent Foursquare that negotiated this little impromptu trap like a pro.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
Come on, we’ll try to squeeze in one last one, but we’ll need something seriously weird… |
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Thailandais 12 yo (59.3%, Landier & Vingtier, Thailand, 1st fill bourbon, 2026)
Well, the bottle says 59.8%, the Web says 59.3%, such are the joys of craftsmanship, you see. And when the AIs get involved (they already are, S.), it’ll just become one glorious mess, and the actual truth won’t matter much anymore. Colour: red amber. Nose: raw chocolate and Ethiopian mocha, toffee, raspberry ganache, and increasingly some top-notch chocolate. We’re not talking about industrial rubbish here, are we. With water: fruity varnish. Peach, plums, hairspray… Mouth (neat): very singular, heavily marked by spruce, thuja, black pepper, varnish… Frankly, it’s not easy, the wood is very dominant. We imagine this is Chalong or Issan, both very fine distillates, but here they’re getting rather clobbered by their containers, to be honest. With water: caramelised and ultra-toasted wood… Finish: long and massively oak-driven. Comments: the limits of the exercise, as they say in the US Navy, especially on aircraft carriers. I won’t deny that it’s quite spectacular, but it really is heavily marked by resinous wood. I should add that the Thai character rather escapes me.
SGP:362 - 82 points. |
Come on, rum lovers, we’ll see each other again here next Sunday, if the God of spirits grants us life. That must be Bacchus, right? |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted
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