
July 31, 2016

A few Dominican rums plus Bonus

It’s not often that we’ve been lucky with rums from the Dominican Republic, which have always been too sweet and even too sugary to this very whisky-soaked palate. And perhaps too ‘branded’, too ‘sexy’, too commercially appealing… In a way, pretty much the opposite of what their neighbours the Haitians make. But let’s not give up just yet, perhaps shall we find one or two that will class the place up…

Matusalem ‘Solera 7’ (40%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2015)

A very cheap bottle that costs around 15€ here in France, although prices vary a lot. As often with solera numbers, many websites advertise it as a 7 years old. Colour: straw, so surprisingly pale. Nose: I find this pretty nice, fresh, with bananas and many other crushed overripe fruits. Certainly overripe melons from Provence, late in August, also vanilla and light molasses-based ‘honey’. Mouth: indeed, extremely sweet, but not as cloying as I had thought. Sugar cane syrup, banana liqueur, honey blend, little Easter eggs in sugar (I know we’re in the middle of summer)… Finish: short, very sugary. Comments: I guess you need a few ice cubes to tame the high sugariness, but other than that, I think it’s fair sweet rum. SGP:720 - 70 points.

Cubaney 21 ‘Exquisito Grand Reserve X.O.’ (38%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2014)

What a name! We’ve already tried the 18 yo (WF 72) and the 25 yo (WF 70), both almost sugar bombs. Of course it’s advertised as a 21 years old everywhere, but the label actually says ’21 anos soleras’. Cough, cough… Colour: amber. Nose: quite pleasant, with some cedar wood and a feeling of warm molasses, Ovaltine, a little compost and other earthy notes, then more vanilla and raisins. A fine nose, for sure. But… Mouth: very sweet and liqueury, as expected. Sugar syrup, corn syrup, vanilla cream, maple syrup… That’s a lot of syrups, and at times you feel the need to brush your teeth. One the other hand and once again, on an avalanche of crushed ice, perhaps… Finish: short, very sweet, with some bitter caramel in the aftertaste. Comments: actually, I liked the humbler Matusalem a little better, for it was straighter and fresher. SGP:820 - 69 points.

Matusalem? Okay, back to Matusalem (so to speak)…

Matusalem ‘Gran Reserva 23’ (40%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2015)

Same trick, a solera number advertised everywhere as a genuine age statement. Makes the Scots look like angels, doesn’t it. Colour: golden amber. Nose: rather subtler and shyer than the Cubaney, with pretty lovely notes of orange blossom in the background. That is nice. A little cigarette tobacco as well, perhaps dandelions… I’m all for these subtle and elegant noses, do we have a wee winner? Let’s see… Mouth: super-sweet, just a tad less so than the Cubaney. Say 80g/l vs. 100 g/l, but that’s just a feeling, not some kind of measurement. Molassy, a little burnt as well. Burnt orange cake, burnt almond cake. Finish: short, a little bitter, as often with very sweet spirits. Burnt wood, coffee. Comments: certainly not a proper malternative, but there is some complexity to this brew. SGP:830 - 72 points.

This is becoming tiring already, but where there's a will there's a way…

Relicario (40%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2015)

No need to say that this is ‘superior’. Love all the handwritten details on the label, which just tell you… nothing. Like the geographic coordinates of the distillery that look so much like dates… Colour: amber. Nose: very round and sweet, caramely, latte-ish, vanilla-ed, and full of coconut. That makes it rather sexy and easy, certainly not off-putting, but this combo doesn’t bode well for what’s coming, unless I’m totally wrong again… Mouth: it’s not rum, it’s a kind of oak-flavoured coconut liqueur. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you may call this ‘rum’ where they make it, but all this coconutty sugar is a little disturbing. Not bad, actually, but disturbing… Finish: short, sweet, but curiously fresher. Comments: another one that desperately calls for ice. We’ve seen worse. SGP:820 - 68 points.

Summum ’12 Solera Reserva Especial’ (38%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2015)

And yet another ’12 years solera’. Some say 12 is the solera’s average age, but I doubt that. Colour: straw. Nose: akin to the Matusalem Solera 7. Nice cane-y freshness, plus bananas aplenty. Some almond cream and barley syrup in the background. I like this nose. Mouth: super-sugary, of course, but I’m rather in favour of what’s behind these tons of sugar, that is to say an almondy, slightly orange-y combination. Golden Grahams, vanilla, green coffee, more barley syrup, amaretti… Did they let almonds macerate? Finish: short, sugary, a little more vulgar again. Indefinite, I’d say. Comments: the top of the basket so far and today, as we say in France, but it’s a very small basket. SGP:840 - 74 points.

That Summum was intriguing, let’s try another one…

Summum ’12 Solera Finished Malt Whisky’ (43%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2015)

Summum ’12 Solera Finished in Malt Whisky’ (43%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2015)

HSE already did that in Martinique, with much success IMHO. Finishing rum in malt whisky barrels, that’s intriguing… (while bourbon barrel are much in use in rum countries, just like in Scotland). Oh and they even tell you which barrels they used, that was ex-Ben Nevis! Colour: pale gold. Nose: right, same as the previous one, with an extra-layer of vanilla, custard, and fat grass. As they say, the jury’s still out. Mouth: I quite like it! Bananas and Ben Nevis’ slightly whacky style, that’s a new style. I’d have rather used some ex-peater casks, as they did at HSE, but what’s sure is that the malt adds texture and fatness to an otherwise ueberfruity spirit. Even if some dissonances do occur. Finish: medium, rather spicy. Muesli from the Caribbean. Comments: we’re approaching malternativeness! Thank you, Ben Nevis. SGP:741 - 76 points.

Well, this is still a very difficult session. We ought to find a trick… Oh maybe this…

Dominidad 15 yo (43%, Compagnie des Indes, blend, batch #SB1, 1205 bottles)

Smart! This a blend where they poured one cask of Dominican and two casks of rum from Trinidad Distillers. Perhaps the best possible use of Dominican rum… Colour: gold. Nose: it is the story of Joël Robuchon’s mashed potatoes (purée). You easily improve your potatoes by adding an equivalent amount of fresh farm butter, don’t you… Yet this is only lightly phenolic, earthy, and petroly, but it’s there and it really lifts the whole thing. Easily defeats all the sweet bombs, especially since I’m sure they did not add any additives. Yes sugar’s an additive. Also pollen and chamomile, with whiffs of mint leaves. Mouth: very good, although it remains ‘sweetish’. Tinned pineapples, lemongrass, greengages, lime, then more spices, soft curry, caraway, plus a drop of tar liqueur. Finish: rather shorter than I had expected, and it’s even a little abrupt, but the mint and the tar remain there. Also green bananas. Perhaps were the 43% not quite enough. Comments: good, I don’t think it’s perfect, but this baby just blew all the other ones out of the water. And at least it’s balanced. SGP:551 - 83 points.

All right, I’m sure we’ve ingested at least 500g of sugar today. What shall we not do for the cause! But wait wait wait…

… We have one last minute bonus, straight from London for Black Tot Day, which is right today, since according to w(is)kipedia, ‘Black Tot Day (July 31, 1970) is the name given to the last day on which the Royal Navy issued sailors with a daily rum ration, the daily tot.’ So we’ll try a rum with quite an extraordinary story, even if since Trafalgar, anything related to the British Navy might be a little less appealing to us Frenchmen. Of course I’m joking. Anyway, this is a blend of rums from the British ex-colonies (Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad…) that’s been aged in a solera exclusively for the British Navy.

The solera was closed in 1970, when the ‘tot’ was abolished, and transferred into flagons, while it is believed that the solera was from 50 to 70 years old. The good people at Specialty Drinks/The Whisky Exchange managed to source and buy several of these old flagons, and married them together, before bottling the end result as ‘Black Tot Last Consignment’ in 2010.

Black Tot ‘Last Consignment’ (54.3%, Specialty Drinks, British Royal Naval Rum, 2010)

Colour: coffee. Nose: oh! Very ‘British rum’ indeed, so partly Jamaican, with the appropriate amount of tar, coal smoke, black olives, brine, chicken soup (must be the dunder pits), liquorice, heavy molasses, juicy prunes, moist cigars… But as we all know, very old spirits tend to converge, and indeed, we’re slowly getting closer to some old sherried Speysider, perhaps via the Demerara River. Soy sauce, Corinth raisins, more prunes, parsley, pipe tobacco… I was even about to mention old armagnac, but I guess that would be a little too French for the British Navy ;-). With water: the fine herbs and oils from the wood come to the front (pinesap, menthol) but the liquorice never gives up. There’s also a medicinal side, rather ala old Ardbeg than Laphroaig.

Mouth (neat): exceptional arrival, very tarry and extremely liquorice-y, thick yet dry, a little smoky, and ridden with all sorts of pipe tobaccos, from the most ‘golden’ to the blackest oriental blends. Very heavy, it reminds me of some old Wedderburns. Not exactly lace as we say here, but who needs lace when on board one of his/her majesty’s warships? With water: it’s the sugar cane that comes out, and it would come together with coffee and cassis eau-de-vie. BTW, great cassis eau-de-vie – not talking about liqueurs or creams - is not easy to find, but you may check Capovilla’s works (hint, hint). Finish: long, perhaps a notch drying but no surprises here, and with bags of oranges. I don’t know why, but it reminds me of some old Dalmores now, but I guess Dalmore was rather for the naval officers. Strong coffee in the aftertaste, ristretto style. Comments: heavy and thick rum, but there is a lightness to it and many subtleties, it just needs quite a lot of your time. But it’s worth it. And now, à l’abordage! SGP:563 - 89 points. (thanks Ollie!)

Check the index of all rums I've tasted so far