
June 26, 2016

More rums, still looking for malternatives

It’s often that while I’m aiming for a freewheeling, totally randomised session, I fail miserably and actually taste similar boozes, one spirit leading to a similar spirit. Maybe am I too French, too Cartesian. But this time, I’ll resist my Frenchness and try to act like an unpredictable English citizen… By jove!

La Bourdonnais 5 yo (43%, Bristol Spirits, Mauritius, rhum agricole, 2015)

French style rhum agricole from l’Île Maurice. The distillery’s also called ‘Rhumerie des Mascareignes’. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s a rather warm and hot rum, with lovely liquorice and, perhaps kirsch. Notes of prunes, toasted pastries, French toast, kugelhopf… Mouth: rather sweet, but with a grassy background, quite hot again. A little harsh. Same feeling of kirsch and leather, orange zests, even marc de Bourgogne… This rustic rawness is rather pleasant. Finish: medium, with a touch more muscovado sugar, caraway, and ginger. Cinnamon mints. Comments: other rums from Mauritius I could try have been much sweeter and rounder. This, in a way, is more ‘honest’. SGP:461 - 77 points.

Nicaragua 1999/2014 (45%, Samaroli, casks #1, 19, 23, 440 bottles, +/-2015)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: fresh but a little ethanoly. Leaves, grass, a little nail polish… I don’t think there’s much happening, this is most probably high-column (or multiple-column) rum. Yeah, ala Flor de Cana. Mouth: same feeling. Eaux de vie, apple juice, grass, leaves, leather… And that’s pretty all. Finish: rather short, but this time I’m finding oranges and lemons, which is better. Comments: some pretty simple rum, we’ve tasted many much better rums (and whiskies) by the very distinguished Samaroli. SGP:341 - 70 points.

Virgin Gorda (40%, OB, blend, +/-2015)

The name refers to the Virgin islands, but it’s actually a blend of rums from Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica. Colour: straw. Nose: it’s not that it’s huge, but the Jamaican part does power it up. I really like this blend of orange juice with a rather cane-y, petroly Jamaicanness. A zesty blend, appropriately light but not characterless. Mouth: a little less entrancing this time, and the 40% vol. are not quite enough, but it’s fresh, nicely zesty, with a mentholated grassiness that just works well. Finish: short to medium, fresh, zesty, cane-y. Comments: very well composed by ‘The Poshmakers’. You just cannot make that up, that’s their name. London, baby. SGP:452 - 80 points.

Santa Teresa ‘Claro’ (40%, OB, Venezuela, +/-2015)

Hope it’s not claro que no. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: funny! Geraniums, lovage (or Maggi), smoked ham and fish, grass, fermenting hay, crushed sugar cane, grenadine, Fanta… I had feared this would be boneless, but not at all. Mouth: let’s not dream, what was in the nose is nowhere to be seen on the palate. Grassy, vegetal, a little spirity, sugary and ethanoly… Now there are also pleasant notes of juniper and lemon, but those remain in the background. Finish: short, spirity, a little uncertain. Comments: probably for cocktails only, but the nose had something, for sure. SGP:331 - 73 points.

Epris 16 yo 1999/2016 (42%, Compagnie des Indes, Brazil, cask #BR48, 252 bottles)

Epris is a very large distillery that makes rum for Bacardi. It’s column rum, not cachaça! (BTW, some cachaças soon on WF). But let’s not jump to conclusions… Colour: pale gold. Nose: fun fun fun! I’ve never found this much aniseed, fennel, dill, wormwood, or any other ‘pastissy’ aromas in any rum. Add lime and coriander, and you’ve got something really unique. Mouth: really unusual. Some kind of earthy aniseed plus lime combination, very fresh and clean, then more peaches and melons, while the sugar canes keep it, well, rum-my. Finish: quite long, on pretty much the same flavours, plus, maybe, some white cherries. Or maraschino. A funny tequilaness in the aftertaste. Comments: very funny indeed, and good. What’s more, it takes ice like a champ. Really worth trying. SGP:451 - 83 points.

Guatemalan Rum 8 yo (46%, Cadenhead, Green Label, +/-2016)

A new batch. Perhaps an un-fiddled-with Zacapa? Or a Botran? Colour: gold. Nose: it’ typically South-American, so ultra-sweet and rounded, but it’s not stuffy, although it is very molassy. Raisins, maple syrup, honey, cane syrup, all that… But it’s balanced! Mouth: I find this quite good! Oranges, honey, and cane syrup are leading the pack, while tangerines and sugar syrup (wee Easter eggs, if you like) are playing second fiddles. Not much body, though, but ‘it goes down well’. Finish: short and sugary, but the sweet oranges save it. Comments: I think this is the best you can do with the very humble Guatemalan molasses-based thin rums. SGP:530 - 75 points.

Cadenhead may deserve another chance…

South Pacific Distillery 12 yo 2003/2015 (60.7%, Cadenhead, Fiji, 2015)

Pot still rum from Fiji! Sounds unlikely, but all for the better… Colour: pale gold. Nose: oh, it reminds me an ‘Indonesian’ rum by Compagnie des Indes. Super-phenolic, tarry, dundery (read Jamaican) style, smoky, ‘tooly’, lapsang-souchongy (that’ll do, S.), metallic rum. I think I like this mucho. With water: we’re going toward these two newish Thai rums, Chalong and Issan. No bad news. Perfect zesty and smoky, both light and deep style. Mouth (neat): exceptional. Fiji? Those fine people aren’t only good at rugby, it seems. Superb liquorice and tar and orange combo, both bright and deep, fresh and fat. With water: and it swims well. Oily, on smoked oranges and tarry tangerines. Finish: perhaps a notch less impressive, but long and limy. Tends to lose focus, with an odd grassiness, but we just don’t care. Comments: very impressed. Fiji, you say? SGP:463 - 88 points.

We found a winner, session over.

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