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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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August 16, 2015 |
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It’s Sunday, let’s have
more rhum rum ron… |
We might be approaching very average knowledge w.r.t. rum. We’ve still got quite a few ‘commercial’ ones yet to try (including junk blends for junk mojitos), but we’re getting there. And once we’re done, we’ll try to focus on the good juices. That may happen around Christmas, but meanwhile, back at the ranch… |
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Dictador '100 months Cafe' (40%, OB, Columbia, +/-2015)  It’s hard not to burst out laughing. This rum from Columbia spent 100 months (how very scientific) with coffee inside, macerated. I hope that was Columbian coffee, at least, like if our Alsatians would have let choucroute/sauerkraut macerate in their own whiskies. Sometimes, some ideas are either too good, or too ‘binary’… Colour: amber. Nose: not un-nice, but boringly thick and sweet and liqueury. Some kind of sweet smokiness, perhaps. This is extremely simple, I’m sure we would come up with better results by carefully blending cheaper rum with Tia Maria or Kahlua coffee liqueurs. Mouth: no, never, ever. Sweet, dull, lazy, and sluggish. You feel the coffee, and I do love coffee, but this is a liqueur for tourists. Finish: short, almost abrupt. The aftertaste is a notch better, perhaps (not only because you know it’s almost over ;-)). Kind-of-nice touches of coffee-flavoured chocolate. Comments: no way, this kind of premix just reeks of cheap marketing. Now, it’s kind of drinkable, but you’ll need ice. I also kind of enjoy the fact that they’ve managed to make a premix rum without making it too sugary. Only my opinion (remember, always only from a whisky enthusiast’s point of view). SGP:620 - 25 points. |
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Nine Leaves 'Almost Spring' (48%, OB, Japan, +/-2015) This Japanese rum was matured for a few months in Californian cabernet casks, which imparted a pinkish colour, which may have reminded someone of pre-cherry blossom times (sakura). The human brain works in mysterious ways indeed. Nine Leaves have got a great reputation for sure, but this, to me, sounds like coffee and mustard, or salmon and litchis. Doesn’t feel right, does it? But let’s see… Colour: apricot. So much for Japanese spring. Nose: no no no no no. Cherry stem (there) tea with yoghurt and cheap French rosé wine. Brad and Angelina’s, for example (it’s called Miraval). Nothing that would hint at rum. Pass… Mouth: a bit better, but we’re still having this feeling of grassy, raw rosé. Hard to swallow, both literally and effectively. No comprendo. Finish: no comprendo either. Rough, oddly grassy, totally unbalanced, with a lot of over-infused herbal teas (cherry stem, peach leaves, and all that). Comments: a shame that I came across this odd thing before I got a chance to try a more regular Nine Leaves. Because some say it’s great, and I’m sure it is. SGP:270 - 20 points. |
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Beach House Spiced (40%, OB, Mauritius, +/-2015) Why anyone would take something called ‘beach house’ seriously, I don’t know. But you never know, some rums from Mauritius have been to my liking… Colour: white wine (hurray!) Nose: no, wait. As a grapefruit liqueur, it seems to be fine. I do enjoy ginger too, and even caraway’s rather to my liking. But this simply is no rum. Dear readers, let me issue an official apology, this lousy website is supposed to talk about whiskies and malternatives, while this is rather some sort of tropical limoncello. It doesn’t fit here, again, apologies. Mouth: seriously, why would anyone call this ‘rum’? Or even ‘spiced rum’? Its no bad liqueur, mind you, it’s simply got strictly nothing to do with rum, and I doubt it’ll keep entering the EU with a ‘rum’ label in the future. Now, as a liqueur, its pretty fresh and nice… Finish: medium, lime-y, fresh, and sugary at the same time. Comments: limoncello made in the Indian Ocean. Feels like champagne made in California ;-). SGP:830 - 30 points. |
Good, let’s get serious!... |
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Jamaica 8 yo (50%, Rum Nation, oloroso sherry finish, 2015)  Quite a reputation, that’s what this baby’s already got. Colour: gold. Nose: yippee yee yah yeah! Oh excuse me, this is such a different world. Forget the sherry finish, this is high-esters Jamaican rum with all of its expected attributes, including black olives, diesel oil, fresh paint, dried porcinis, lamp oil, shoe polish, brand new sneakers, and the newspaper of the day. Say La Corriere Della Serra, since the excellent bottler is (excellently) Italian. Mouth: plain and pure Jamaican full-bodied lemony, petroly, smoky, olive-y, salty, tarry rum. I think I may have forgotten to mention pink grapefruits, which gives it a slight sour, dry-white-wine-like feeling. Finish: long, candied, thick, phenolic, salty… In short, very Jamaican. Anchovies and olives. Comments: big stuff, very lively, very entertainlng, without the more austere/too ‘masculine’ (hey?) side that other Jamaicans can have. Hey, maybe that’s the oloroso finish? (doubt that, but there…) SGP:473 - 88 points. |
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Trois Rivières 'VSOP' (40% OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2015)  VSOP’s always an impressive moniker, whether with cognac, or rhum, or even whisky. And yet it usually means ‘very average’. This one’s around five years of age. Colour: gold. Nose: very easy and very fruity, of good quality, but just not mind-boggling. There’s a little too much vanilla, and just like with whisky, vanilla’s the enemy. On the other hand, there’s a freshness that makes it most pleasant. So a sipper or a cocktailer? Perhaps are we right between both categories… Mouth: no, it’s very good, easy, topical (as far as fruits are concerned), and, yeah, easy. It’s just not very complex, but it’s got this agricole feeling, I mean this feeling of sugarcane brandy that molasses-based rums usually don’t have. Finish: medium, a tad cloying. Sweet fruits and stuff, a feeling of sugar and raisins. Comments: that rum is sweet shouldn’t be a problem, but when you’re feeling some kind of sugar, things can go awry. I do find this VSOP a little too sugary. And raisiny. And too soft and mellow for my tastes. SGP:630 - 76 points. |
This is an awkward session, I agree. And I’ll tell you what, while we’re at it, why not ‘destroy’ another strange sample by some brand-builders (where are the distillers?) so that we’re done with it? And then call this a Sunday?... |
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Hee Joy 'Spiced' (40%, OB, blend, +/-2015) I know, everything sounds whacky about this, the name, the fact that it’s supposed to be a blend of Demerara, Jamaica and Trinidad (who wouldn’t dream of a carefully composed blend of Albion, Hampden, and Caroni?) and the low strength. But you never know… Colour: deep gold. Nose: oak? Pencil shavings? Oak planks? It’s not un-nice at all, it’s just not very ‘rum’. It’s bizarre, this could be any no-soul blended malt from Scotland as well. Where are the regions? But I do like these whiffs of, say fern, or other plants and herbs. And liquorice, for sure, that must be the Trinidad part. Mouth: fine. The body’s a little weak, and there is a little too much sugar, bloody sugar, but other than that, I would imagine we could drink this on ice. No, seriously, it’s pretty dull and too sweet. Finish: kind of long, but too sweet and liqueury. Grandpa’s cheap aquavit. Comments: I believe they wrecked the idea. It may be a hit in Ibiza or in Paris, but other than that, it’s a weak, cheap, sugary and liqueury cloying composition. Do they have blenders in rum? SGP:750 - 25 points. |
That was a very difficult session. Bad mood and an urgent need of more toothpaste, that’s what will remain from this day at WF Towers, but since we’ve killed quite a few junk rums, the next sessions should be more pleasant. What’s becoming more and more obvious to me is that rum, as a whole, will never become a true malternative category, because it’s simply ridden with made-up brands, fake stories, sugar and syrups, and unavowable additives. What a disappointment! But there are superb single casks and small batches as well, more about those later. My gut feeling is that if only 20% of Scotch is either good or interesting (not only talking about malts here), that would be more like 5 or 10% with rum. But stay tuned… |
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