
December 2, 2018

And yet another bag of rums

After some kind of cane-y pause, let’s try some rum again, completely at random. Well, more or less.

Cubaney 5 yo ‘Anejo Reserva’ (38%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2017)

Yeah well, we’re not expecting much from this likely multi-column sugar bomb. I have the 18 yo at 72, the 21 at 69, and the 25 at 70, now it’s not unseen that the youngsters would be fresher, hence better. Colour: gold, but moves like syrup. Nose: we do find echoes of cane juice, as well as overripe fruits (couldn’t tell you which ones) and molasses. A little cardboard too. It’s kind of okay so far. Mouth: ethanol, molasses, tinned pineapples, cardboard, corn syrup, sugar. Rather hard when neat, ice is probably mandatory here, but that’s not in our processes, I’m afraid. Finish: very short, a little bitter and sour beyond the sugar. Bitter grass. Comments: rather soulless but as we often say, we’ve tasted worse spirits. A shame that the name would lead many people to believe it’s Cuban.
SGP:640 – 60 points.

Right, specialist rums are already asked at the table… Like, Hampden vs. Worthy Park…

Hampden 10 yo 2007/2018 (62.5%, Hunter Laing for The Whisky Barrel, Kill Devil, Jamaica, 270 bottles)

A recent one at 64.1% was rather fantastic (WF 90). Colour: white wine. Nose: kerosene, UHU glue, fermenting grass, ink, and picked capers. Assassins! With water: fermenting plums, and I mean, really that. Just fermented and distilled some damsons last week, and indeed the ‘wine’ used to smell exactly like this. Mouth (neat): huge. Concentrated lime juice, varnish, olive brine, and pipe tobacco (that’s right, chewed). Murderers! With water: extreme smoky and almost acetone-y olive brine. Finish: very long, very salty and, well, still rather acetone-y. Comments: an infernal bone-dry Hampden, on the far end of the spectrum. Crazy rum, not for your mother-in-law’s Christmas. Unless, of course…
SGP:173 - 87 points.

And so Worthy Park 12 yo 2006/2018 (57.9%, The Duchess, cask #4)

Colour: gold. Nose: gentler, less extreme than that Hampden, more complex as well, with some smoky earthiness, no acetone this time, rather a feeling of smoked banana cake, cigar ashes, a mild oliveness, and whiffs of camphor an eucalyptus wood. With water: the varnish comes out, together with more very lovely earthy tones and fermenting tropical fruits. A combo that always works very perfectly. Mouth (neat): very unusual this time, with notes of grappa and marc de Bourgogne at first (not égrappé/destemmed), and only then cane, olives, and lemon, then liquorice and a touch of tar. With water: really, marc. And then, indeed, olives and tarry liquorice. Some sides remind me of that crazy thing that Silver Seal did, called Grhum. Which is grappa finished in ex-rum wood. Finish: rather long, funnily grape-y, and then appropriately olive-y. Comments: totally up my alley – and indeed it’s fun. One to poor blind – not saying it’s a real eye-opener though (ooh that was utterly lame, S.!)
SGP:362 - 88 points.

More heavy hitters…

Diamond 2003/2018 'MDK' (61.5%, Old Brothers, 2018)

This one by these passionate wee French indie bottlers that are rather trans-spirits, and seem to prefer bazooka boozes (too late, I’ve just registered that brand name - not). Colour: pale straw (picture, a mock-up bottle). Nose: fresh sugarcane juice and genuine vanilla pods in perfect sync. That’s pretty all but that’s already a lot. Water may unleash the cavalry, let’s see… With water: indeed, the esters are showing now, with the expected olives, green tea from last week that’s starting to kind of ferment in the pot, notes of bicycle inner tubes (I’ve been told they don’t do bicycle inner tubes anymore; I’m asking you, what has the world come to?)… Mouth (neat): terrific, very punchy, on sugarcane juice, oranges, touches of hay, and banana skins. With water: once again, the esters are coming through, while they would all be of the grassier kind. Olives and lawn. Finish: long, sharp, grassy. Lime and weizenbier in the aftertaste. Comments: a rather brutal Diamond that really needs H2O – and a proper pipette.
SGP:462 - 85 points.

Fiji 2009/2018 'FSPA' (63.3%, Old Brothers, 2018)

More bazooka-y matters, I suppose… And stuff from South Pacific Distillers, most probably. Not sure there’s any other distillery in Fiji anyway, but they have great rugby players, have they not? Colour: white wine (picture of mock-up bottle). Nose: this really could be mistaken for some of the esteriest Long Ponds, really. Cucumbers, olives, glues and polish removers, seawater, new magazines and books, and fresh almonds. With water: more on lemons, which is always nice and good. Oyster juice. Mouth (neat): so good! These partially dirty Fijians could educate the Jamaicans (okay, pushing things a bit), as this is just perfectly sooty, lemony, tarry and briny. Perfect freshness. Perfect. With water: absolutely excellent, tense, lemony, salty, coastal, with just the right amount of tar and natural rubber. Finish: very long, on the same flavours. Perhaps a touch of lovage. Comments: defeats the Diamond in my book. A drop of this in your glass of Cubaney 5 yo and presto, proper rum! (indeed, I just tried that).
SGP:363 - 90 points.

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