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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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November 8, 2015 |
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Sunday Malternatives, more rum at random |
Really at random, so we might come across ugly sugar bombs… or fabulous stars from Jamaica, Guadeloupe or Trinidad! Let’s see… (yeah, really, totally at random)… Eeny, meeny, miny, moe… |
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Espero 'Reserva Exclusiva' (40%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2015)  Ouch, the Dom Rep… I’ve had one with a different label (orange instead of green). That one wasn’t bad. Colour: gold. Nose: not much. Smells sweet, with bananas, corn syrup, light honey, tinned fruits, sweet mouthwash for kids, strawberry jam… Mouth: a liqueurish rum. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that anyone will notice that this isn’t a straight spirit. Very syrupy, full of sugar, with notes of Fanta and Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit. Dissolved jelly babies. Now, I find it better than Don Papa (which ain’t that hard to do if you ask me). Finish: medium, extremely sweet and syrupy. Feels flavoured, but there are flavours of sugarcane. I know, that’s the i. Comments: there’s much worse, but as a possible malternative, it’s very lousy. And unbalanced. SGP:720 - 68 points. |
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St Lucia 11 yo 2002/2013 (52.6%, Duncan Taylor, cask #5)  Ouch, this is genuine pot still rum from St Lucia Distillers, not some sweetened/flavoured ethanol. Tell me about contrasts… Colour: pale gold. Nose: total cane-ness, phenolic, olive-y, rubbery in a good way, herbal, mineral, with some eucalyptus and plenty of aniseed and liquorice… What’s not to like? We’ve tried an official one called ‘1931 Second Edition’ which was really nice, but not this nice. Mouth: indeed, great work by Duncan Taylor. Very salty, extremely salmiaky, quite huge, and actually more on salted liquorice than the most extreme Trinidadians or Jamaicans. Perhaps not for beginners – but I am a beginner. Love the saltiness. Finish: extremely long. Touches of rose jelly and Turkish delights, otherwise it’s totally on salted liquorice. Comments: doesn’t go in for subtleties. Beastly! SGP:651 - 83 points. |
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Guyanan Rum 10 yo (46%, Cadenhead, Green Label, +/-2014)  A shame that we wouldn’t know which ‘style’ of Demerara rum this is, but on the other hand, the official El Dorados are sweetened so a more natural one is welcome. Colour: straw. Nose: it’s rather light style Demerara, close to the cane, without much salty/phenolic things. In fact it’s almost Cuban. Sunflower oil, a little sugar, cut grass, fresh walnuts… In fact it’s rather delicate. Most probably column. Mouth: indeed, it’s sweet and light, with rather unusual notes of barley sugar, plain Demerara sugar, orgeat, confectionary, marshmallows… The lightest side of Demerara. Finish: rather short, with touch of paint/putty. Nougat and sweet nuts. Comments: the lighter side of Demerara indeed. Not the most interesting to malt drinkers, I’d say. SGP:540 - 76 points. |
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St. Lucia Distillers '1931 First Edition' (43%, OB, St. Lucia, 80st Anniversary, 2011)  This is funny, we just had another St Lucia – and we already tried the second edition, bottled in 2012 (WF 80). Colour: dark amber. Nose: very rich, full of sugar liqueur, caramel, and maple syrup, but this kind of works. Dried bananas, molasses, a touch of plastic, perhaps. Toasted pastries. The jury’s still out… Mouth: thick, rather oaky, but quite nice, with fairly complex flavours, chocolate, bananas, liquorice, honey… I’m reading my notes for Edition 2 and that one was a little lighter and more herbal, perhaps. This one’s really rich. Some liquorice and mint. Finish: medium, saltier. Liquorice and honey, apricot jam… Comments: not my favourite style, but should I intellectualise this baby (yeah right), I’d say it’s probably excellent. Probably not sweetened. SGP:652 - 82 points. |
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Worthy Park 8 yo (43%, Bristol Spirits, Jamaica, 2015)  Oh, a Worthy Park! We’ve recently had some by Rum Nation – Wilson & Morgan that were superb. Colour: gold. Nose: extraordinary nose! Rocks, oils, salt, gherkins, olives, tar, Barbour grease, fermenting hay, fennel, menthol… Let’s only hope it won’t be a little thin on the palate, because of the low strength. Mouth: what a spirit. Earthy and sooty, with dust and gravel, ashes, a feeling of coal or pencil lead, black olives, salted liquorice, seawater, perhaps mussels… The spirit is just perfect, and at 50% vol., it would be even more perfect. Finish: long despite the strength. Salty, almost vinegary aftertaste. Comments: what a distillery! What a distillate! SGP:462 - 86 points. |
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Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…
Angostura 12 yo '1824' (40%, OB, Trinidad, +/-2014) Crikey, not much luck this time. Column still rum from molasses. Colour: deep amber. Nose: hello? Is there somebody? Very light, honey sauce, caramel… ‘Ideas’ of PX. Perhaps herbal teas. Raisins and vanilla. Mouth: sweet and light. Goes down well. Raisins. Light. Perhaps a little boring and weak. Finish: short, sweet, easy, raisiny. Orange syrup. Burnt sugar and maple syrup in the aftertaste. Comments: did we just have some rum? Not unpleasant, just very unnoticeable. For mad mixologists, I imagine. Hello? SGP:530 - 71 points. |
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Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…
Deadhead 6 yo (40%, Mexico, +/-2014) A funny bottle. It’s a blend of pot still and column rum, not too sure about the origins. Not too sure it’s about the content anyway. Colour: pale gold. Nose: sugar, herbal tea, honey, a touch of maple syrup. Sweet stuff, it seems. Quick… Mouth: not too sweet, good news. Teas, ashes, a tad dusty, notes of overripe apples. A rather good blend, it just lacks body. Peaches, perhaps. Finish: short, a little sugary. Mint and apple juice. Comments: we’ve seen much worse. The bottle’s funny. Let’s move on. SGP:540 - 70 points. |
A last one. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe… |
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Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…
Zacapa ‘Solera 23 Etiqueta Negra' (43%, OB, Guatemala, +/-2014)  Ouch. The successor to the Black Label, discontinued in 2004, which I did not like, which was a fake 23 years old, but that’s kind of legendary. Colour: dark red amber. Nose: not much. Molasses, coffee, dried bananas, a little cardboard. Mouth: thick, cloying, ridden with sugar. Caramel and corn syrup. Thin body. Finish: short, dusty, sweet. Papaya jam and marmalade in the aftertaste. Banana purée. Comments: extremely weak, needs ice. Totally unbalanced. Not worth of our time. Bwaah… SGP:720 - 40 points. |
 Check the index of all Rums I've tasted so far
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