More rums at random, looking for malternatives


January 8, 2017

More rums at random,
looking for malternatives

We’ve had quite some old Cognacs and Armagnacs in November and December, and we’ve got many more to taste, but let’s get back to rum for a little while, if you don’t mind…

Ron Aguere Oro (37.5%, OB, Canary Islands, +/-2016)

‘A modern take on an aged rum’, how scary is that? The strength is scary too, I have to say. As is that other professional website for bartenders that is claiming that it’s ‘produced from matured sugar cane juices which makes this spirit harmonious and well-balanced’. Let’s check that… Colour: straw. Nose: some grain whiskies smell like industrial column-made rum, well this one smells of grain whisky. In fact it doesn’t smell much. A little caramel, a little toasted oak, a little vanilla. In fact we’re close to the lightest Cubans. Mouth: light, sweetened, cardboardy, sugary. There isn’t much happening, to tell you the truth, I guess ice is mandatory here. Piles of crushed ice… Finish: short, with some candy sugar and molasses. Comments: if it’s really made out of cane juice (probably cane honey in fact) that wouldn’t feel. A very humble and pretty tasteless ron. Now what’s sure is that when there are no flavours, there cannot be any flaws. SGP:610 - 50 points.

Epris 17 yo 1999/2016 (46.4%, Liquid Treasures, Brazil, barrel)

Rum from columns, from a large distillery that’s said to work a lot for Bacardi. Now I’ve already tried some very good Epris in the past. Colour: straw. Nose: well, obviously, after the shy Aguere, any other rum would feel like a tsunami. In this particular case I’m getting a lot of fresh dill, aniseed, fennel, and lime. That’s a rather unusual combination that works very well. Mouth: same feeling of having some kind of herbal liqueur, or rather oak-aged Chartreuse. Aniseed again, lime, verbena, plus a little pear liqueur, perhaps. It’s also getting more cane-y, which can’t be bad. Finish: quite long, a little sweeter. Comments: well, if it’s industrial rum indeed, it’s still quite flavourful. Stewed celery? A very peculiar profile, never seen anywhere else. I like. SGP:461 - 83 points.

Barbados 20 yo 1996/2016 (45%, Compagnie des Indes, cask #BVR5, 394 bottles)

The label claims that this is ‘multi distilleries’ rum, and yet it’s a single cask. Could it be one of Foursquare’s pot + column blends? Not too sure… Colour: straw. Nose: dusty concrete, damp garden peat, diesel oil, black olives, seawater, capers, absinth, coal tar… Indeed, what’s not to like. What’s more, it’s not as brutal as some of the Jamaicans. So far, an ace. Mouth: sure we would have enjoyed a few more watts or volts, and perhaps is it a wee tad sweetish(like), but other than that, it’s all on what I enjoy in rum, from a whisky lover’s point of view. More olives, tarry liquorice, earth, camphor, salted cough syrup… It’s really a rather Jamaican Barbadian! Finish: medium to long, a tad sweet, brine-y, tarry… Comments: right up my alley. I’m pretty sure it would have fetched 89-90 at 50% vol. SGP:553 - 88 points.

Neisson ‘Cane Bio Still Proof’ (66%, OB, Martinique, 2016)

Neisson’s rhums are all the rage these days in France, and they seem to be very successful with some new 100% terroir/variety-driven rhums, especially white ones. I shall applaud, and loudly, while admitting that either agricole or pot still rums have a huge edge over whisky, as they can be fantastic when unaged. Let’s try one of those… Colour: white. Nose: amazing. Fresh sugar cane, cut cactus, lilies, green olives, iris, elderberry (very obvious), rotting pineapples, earth… What a distillate! But of course, at 66%, you have to be careful. With water: as often, there’s a little soap appearing, and you’ll need a lot of time to get rid of it. And quite curiously, it tends to become narrower and more sugary. Mouth (neat): probably a little too strong for me. I do get pears and grapefruits, with some phenolic touches, but, ach… Oh while we’re at it, bio in French means organic, in case you didn’t know. With water: ah yes yes yes. Cane juice again, sweet liquorice, citrons, mead… It’s not as petroly/phenolic as I had thought, but it’s still quite brilliant. And there’s some gentian in there, I’d swear! Finish: long, and much grassier, with more notes of vegetables and roots. Always something that I enjoy, I hate sweetish finishes. Is it serious, doctor? Comments: immaculate work by Neisson. Now this baby is hard to control, a lot of experimenting to do with your pipette and your water. SGP:462 - 87 points.

Uitvlugt 23 yo 1992/2016 (50%, Silver Seal, Guyana, 231 bottles)

Did you know that Uitvlugt used to lie on the Atlantic coast, so almost at the mouth of the Demerara River? And Uitvlugt can be purely magical (and sometimes just above average as well). Colour: pale straw. Nose: yeah, Uitvlugt was probably the most ‘Jamaican’ of all Demerara rums. Astounding fresh tar, crushed olives, oysters, mezcal, plasticine, embrocations, engine oil… And on top of all that, a few floral notes, around roses. So well-carved, this nose! No water needed, let’s go on… Mouth: amazingly salty, briny, lemony, liquoricy, smoky… And Ardbeggian. I’m not joking. Long story short, this is superb. Amazing mouth feel, fresh and full at the same time. Like a great wine, in a way. Finish: long and very salty. You just had Scandinavian salted liquorice. Comments: great. Sadly, I had expected this would happen, whilst I love surprises. Silver Seal, booooo! Totally malternative, in any case. SGP:363 - 91 points.

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