
October 8, 2017

Five very funky rums

For your enjoyment and probably mine. Well, we’ll see, and try to find very funky ones. What's more, all are new bottlings, shall we find some proper malternatives?

J. Bally 1999/2017 ‘Brut de Fût’ (54.5%, Martinique, agricole, for La Maison du Whisky)

Fasten your seat belts, this baby’s almost black in its famous pyramidal bottle… Colour: espresso. Nose: my, this is heavy! Some kind of wood decoction, with crushed old walnuts, walnut stain, heavy herbal liqueur (Underberg, Unicum), artichokes, ristretto coffee, the blackest chocolate… This would make the heaviest sherry monster from Speyside smell like some five years old ex-refill Glenkinchie! With water: herbs, embrocations, menthol, eucalyptus… This is very spectacular, provided you enjoy this very heavy style. Mouth (neat): perhaps not quite as extreme as expected, and above everything, extremely liquoricy. Take a bottle of high-strength vodka, throw two packs of Dutch liquorice into it, keep for six months, and there. With water: and a miracle happens, it does not become overoaky, which I had thought would happen. Liquorice, pu-erh, tar liqueur, that’s what’s inside. Finish: long, with prunes and always a lot of liquorice and coffee. Comments: extremely spectacular and certainly very fun. So, what was the cask? SGP:472 - 87 points.

Velier Royal Navy (57.18%, Velier, blend, 2017)

So this is Velier’s new navy-style blend (that would be the British navy, naturally), which shelters – only hearsay - Enmore 1990, Caroni 1996, Worthy Park 2005, and some Hampden. If that’s all true, please keep your seatbelts fastened… Colour: full gold. Nose: it’s a whole. Castor oil and coal tar, black olives, the funkiest fermenting bananas, a wee hint of turnip, new leatherette, fresh cigars, garden bonfire, one sardine. That’s about it. With water: oh yes, ashes, brand new Korean car (what?), carbon paper, a leather souk somewhere in Turkey… Mouth (neat): heavy, not thick, invading, massive, olive-y, very liquoricy, salty, carbony, extreme. For thrill-seekers, almost exclusively. With water: more brine, more olives, more pleasure for me. Finish: very long, liquoricy, salty, brine-y. Comments: not sure the Enmore had much to say, but Caroni and the Jamaicans, that’s almost like, wait, Connors vs. McEnroe. Bad boyz, great game. SGP:363 - 91 points (and I hate blends!).

Speaking of Enmore…

Enmore 1997/2017 (56.4%, Rum Nation, Guyana, whisky cask finish, cask #805142)

The whisky people are doing rum finishes, and the rum guys are doing whisky finishes (see also HSE). Is that normal? Isn’t there something pataphysical in all this? Colour: gold. Nose: oh! UHU glue, nail polish remover, brake fluid, turpentine, new plastic, pine resin, acetone. Anyone should just hate this, and yet, I find it brilliant, if a little perverse. With water: but what is this? Old garage, wild boar, ink (new magazine – remember magazines?), tyre sealer, wood glue… Mouth (neat): what-the-hell-is-this? The turpentine is back, and gherkin brine, and some kind of smoked crème de menthe (Ricqlès), cellulosic varnish, lemon concentrate… This is really very loco-loco, I can tell you. With water: aaahhh, civilisation! Some kind of Thai sauce, or is it Indian? Chinese? But the glue-ish notes remain there. Finish: very long, and rather more vegetal. You’ve just chewed pine needles. Comments: they’re totally mad in Italy. Ex-Laphroaig cask? Ardbeg? Brora? SGP:473 - 89 points.

After Velier and Rum Nation (AKA Wilson & Morgan), let’s stay in Italy while trying to calm things down, with…

Uitvlugt 19 yo 1998/2017 (52.1%, Silver Seal, Guyana)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: it is Uitvlugt, but it is much gentler at first nosing, with some kind of smoked custard, bananas, guavas, and a little fresh coriander. It’s only after two minutes that wackier notes do spring out, with some carbon pepper, cardamom, burnt praline, and mocha. Notes of office coffee too (around 7pm). With water: indeed, some burnt coffee. Mouth (neat): high aldehydes in this one, cherries, grapefruits, bubblegum, some cane juice (phew!), some kind of sweet pepper (Szechuan, Timut), notes of pink grapefruit… With water: gets grassier, as usual. Olives (yeah), samphires, sardines on a buttered tartine, a little custard… Finish: long and saltier. Salted butterscotch, these kinds of things. The grapefruits are striking back in the aftertaste. Comments: not 100% sure about this one. Very good for sure, but maybe did it have a death seat after the utter monsters by Bally, Velier and Rum Nation. My bad. SGP:562 - 84 points.

How about an official now, before we call this a proper tasting session?

Worthy Park (45%, OB, Jamaica, +/-2017)

We’re expecting some simple pleasures here, and perhaps something a little Rastafarian… Rasta pot stills, how does that sound? Colour: gold. Nose: take a bunch of sardines, crush. Add a cup of lemon juice. Add two teaspoons of olive oil. Add some ink, diesel oil, and perhaps two drops of rosewater. There. Mouth: totally in love with this wee official NAS that won’t cost you an arm. So smart, so millimetric, so authentic, so smoky/briny, so full of olives and lemons… I’ve heard some folks are using this as an ingredient in cocktails, well, let them dance on a rope's end! Finish: long, salty, smoky, perhaps just a tad too sweet(ish) for me. Some vanilla coming out, not something that I always enjoy, but I don't mean to nitpick here, this is a brilliant young Jamaican. Comments: a good tip when a finish doesn’t quite please you - which happens with many spirit - just take another shot before the beginning of the finish! Isn’t hat smart? (albeit a little dangerous?) SGP:464 - 87 points.

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