
April 10, 2016

Random rums (in search of malternatives)

These are the easiest sessions to do, since rums from various countries can be so wildly different. Let's see which landscapes well fly to today...

Toz 'Gold' (40%, OB, St. Lucia Distillers, +/-2015)

A rather strange one that was finished in Port (ahem) and then charcoal-filtered. St. Lucia lies just south of La Martinique. Colour: orange gold. Nose: very fruity, rather bright, and pretty fresh. I'm finding bananas and guavas, then a welcome phenolic touch, quite some sugar cane, and a liquoricy touch that works well. I don't seem to find any Port, but that's good news. And yes I love good Port. Mouth: good! No excessive sugar, rather a lovely cane-y combination, with more bananas and liquorice, and a very pleasant freshness. We're far from the lumpy sweetened South-Americans, even if I would still rank it among the 'sweet' rums. Nice tinned pineapples. Finish: medium, fresh, and fairly honeyed this time. Mango jam and acacia honey, with a drop of olive brine. Good balance. Comments: very well made, nice balance, nice fresh fruitiness. This, I could quaff. SGP:631 - 80 points.

Amrut 'Old Port' (40%, OB, India, +/-2015)

That's right, our Amrut. I have to say I enjoy Amrut's whiskies a lot, and that another Indian rum (Old Monk) has been to my liking. So, what could go wrong? Colour: amber. Nose: more molassy and rounded than the Toz, but it's not void of any freshness, quite the contrary. Some vanilla and honey, then a funny herbal side that reminds me of some Indian dishes, hard to pin down. Around aniseed, perhaps. Some papaya as well. Nice nose, not too sultry. Mouth: very fruity and quite unusual. Isn't that mango chutney? There are also roses, litchi syrup, and drops of mint liqueur. Tastes a bit like cough syrup for kids at times, but we're way above the successful uebersweet abominations seen elsewhere. No names needed, uh. Finish: medium, a little less focussed. Raisins, prunes, and oak, with something of Armenian brandy. Or something. Comments: really fair and pleasant, but I think it would take a few ice cubes. SGP:720 - 75 points.

Zacapa 'Reserva Limitada 2015' (45%, OB, Guatemala, 2015)

Crikey, I had thought we were done with Zacapa! But this is a recent one, quite expensive. And NAS, which is better than forged ages after all. An act of contrition? Colour: coffee. Nose: moderately expressive, and even rather dry. Old wood, chocolate, roasted coffee beans, brownies... Also a lot of molasses, but those would come together with a little liquorice, so we won't complain. It reminds me of the Cuban Santiagos. Whiffs of wood varnish. So, big sugar or no big sugar?... Mouth: well, it does have quite a lot of sugar, with this syrupy side, but the coconutty flavours are working pretty well. Plenty of raisins, prunes, some honey, mango jam... There's also something spicy, reminding me of Indonesian cooking. Goreng? Satay? Now the 45% vol. don't feel at all, this could well be 38 ort 40% vol. as well. That's because of the sugar... Finish: medium, with touches of sour fruits. Pineapple liqueur, cloves, limejuice. The aftertaste is a little woody, even terpenic. Comments: a good surprise given the name. Same 'level' as the Amrut for me, I like it much better than the poor '23'. Right, prices aren't the same. SGP:630 - 75 points.

Angostura 'Cask Collection N°1' (40%, OB, batch 1, Trinidad, +/-2014)

A top-of-range limited bottling, said to be around 8 years of age. Not much luck with Angostura rums so far... Colour: deep gold. Nose: various fruit syrups and juices blended together, and then mixed with maple syrup. There's a bourbony side to it, especially hints of pencil shavings and grated coconut. Milk chocolate. Mouth: sweet, but not as cloying as I would have thought. It does feel 'sweetened', with, say banana and mango syrups, but that's okay. Some American oak, with some vanilla... And perhaps pomegranates, tinned peaches... Sadly, it tends to become a little flabby, there isn't a big backbone. Let's call it ueber-smooth, but not a sugar bomb. Finish: short, a little indefinite. Lactone-y. Comments: not the style that makes my heart beat, but we've seen worse at the sugar department. SGP:720 - 73 points.

Good, I'm afraid we've already ingested a good 100g of sugar, time to put an end to this madness, with...

Cadenhead's Classic Rum (50%, Cadenhead, blend, +/-2016)

Whenever you need better rum, ask the whisky people! Yeah, or the Italians, or a few new specialised rum bottlers... And forget about the distillers themselves when they're located in unregulated countries! Colour: deep gold. Nose: well, it's got something that many don't even have, sugar cane. A wee phenolic side, some grass, a little burnt cake, bananas flambéed, a touch of fudge, some liquorice, some tobacco... Nothing bad to say about this wee baby! It feels like there's some Jamaican inside. Mouth: well composed! It hasn't got a clear style, but it does have sugar cane again, quite some liquorice, a touch of black olive, burnt syrup, pipe tobacco, oranges, guavas, bananas... All that works in sync, and, well, I find it good. Finish: rather long, and more citrusy. Oranges, liquorice, and caramel. Comments: a blend with some oomph, undoubtedly the best rum we've tried today. You're right, my favourite. But sip or mix? Both, sir! SGP:641 - 82 points.

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