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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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January 20, 2019 |
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Some unaged, some aged in inert containers for a few months or even years. Let’s see what we can find… |
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Savanna ‘Intense’ (40%, OB, La Réunion, +/-2017) 
Colour: white. Nose: love most of what Savanna are doing, but I find this pretty low-profile, not very intense in fact, with rather notes of mild cane syrup, pears, and only touches of grapefruits and leaves. I had expected something, well, something a little more intense, precisely. Mouth: again, rather all on cane syrup (this is molasses-based rum), with touches of lime and a very moderate chalkiness. A touch of quetsche eau-de-vie, perhaps. Finish: short, with a little sugar, and a grassier aftertaste. Comments: a bit surprising. Not one that would sip without any additional ingredients, although you would understand what they were aiming for when they created this cuvée. I liked their molasses-based Lontan way better (WF 82).
SGP:341 - 72 points. |
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Savanna ‘Créol’ (45%, OB, La Réunion, +/-2017) 
This is pure cane juice, not molasses. Should be interesting… Colour: white. Nose: oh yes, there’s more profoundness, overripe fruits (pink bananas), more obvious sugarcane, touches of aniseed, verbena, dried tangerine peel (Chen pi), lime… I like this one thousand times better! At least… It’s also a little cachaça-y, I would say. Mouth: excellent, green and grassy as it should be, then more secondary, with some liquorice roots, touches of olives, cumin seeds, a discreet tarry side, and simply sugar cane juice. This one you could sip! Finish: rather long, rather on grass and liquorice, plus lime again in the aftertaste. Lovely. Comments: some excellent full-bodied white rum, and Savanna’s real place in my book.
SGP:362 - 85 points. |
Didn’t we just mention cachaça? |
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Abelha ‘Organic Silver’ (39%, OB, cachaça, Brazil, +/-2017) 
This one’s said to be kept for months in open containers to help create more esters, let’s see if that worked… Colour: white. Nose: a wonderful earthy and brine-y cachaça indeed. There are more olives and anchovies than in the most extreme mezcals (well, quite), and more benzine than in a young Ardbeg. Also stewed peas and green bananas, this is all rather splendid despite the low strength. Now as they say, Pétrus is bottled at an even lower strength. Ha. Mouth: nah, a few extra degrees would have been welcome, as I’m finding this a little watery and weak. A crying shame because all the rest is pretty perfect, beans, lime, olives, walnuts, chestnut honey, ashy earth, maple syrup… Finish: yes, really, a shame, this shouldn’t be this short. Lovely touches of salted tequila in the aftertaste, indeed, a crying shame. Comments: super juice, this, but please, 42 or 43% vol. would work much better. Taxes? Wat taxes?
SGP:462 - 83 points. |
Since we’re in Brazil just now… |
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Lundu (38%, OB, cachaça, Brazil, +/-2017) 
A white cachaça that’s aged in oak and balsa wood, all pretty inactive I’d wager. Unless this got discolored, having said that. Colour: white. Nose: a different cachaça, rather more on caraway and cloves, fennel seeds, lime, and a touch of green oak. It’s very fresh, perhaps a tad simple after the much deeper Abelha? Mouth: a little drier and more on lemon than the Abelha, with some grass, a touch of pineapple, and a rather moderate cane-iness. Once again, the low strength is rather a handicap on the palate. Finish: medium, perhaps not totally clean enough? Grass. Comments: it’s rather a good cachaça, actually, but it’s a little weak, I would say.
SGP:451 - 79 points. |
Oh well, more cachaça, why not? |
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Copacaïba (38%, OB, cachaça, Brazil, +/-2017)
Colour: white. Nose: not much, this one being light as a feather, but there are pleasant, albeit rather distant whiffs of lime juice and angelica. It’s also rather tequila-y, as if it was rather made out of agave. Mouth: it’s okay but frankly, there isn’t much happening. A soft, grassy and lemony spirit, with a little ethanol in the background. Now don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t got any obvious flaws, but it’s probably not designed with us malt enthusiasts in mind (seriously, good for them – why would they have done that?). Finish: short, a little absent. Alcohol and a little lime. Comments: it’s okay. Where have I put the lime juice?
SGP:340 - 70 points. |
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Cabana (40%, OB, cachaça, Brazil, +/-2015) 
This one double-distilled in the Sao Paulo area and aged for a few months in tropical wood. They’re talking about high purity and veganism, mind you. Colour: white. Nose: I had hoped there would be more happening because of the (marginally) higher strength, but I would guess they ‘purified’ it too much. A little aniseed, apple juice, and mint. Perhaps. Hello? Mouth: sweet and a little earthier, a little too rounded, and lacking precision. A curious meaty/burnt side and quite some saccharin, so I shall pass. Finish: medium, unfocussed, grassy and slightly burnt. Comments: a lovely bottle, but the song was not worth the plumage, I would say.
SGP:440 - 65 points. |
Back to white rum, perhaps, looks like we were on a slippery slope… |
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La Mauny 'Flower Edition' (50%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2017) 
I thought their white ‘Ter Rouj’ was pretty good (WF 80). This bottle has something of… Kenzo? Colour: white. Nose: pure grassy, slightly ‘rotten and hot’ white agricole, in short exactly what we were expecting. Fermenting hay, vesou, damp earth and clay, overripe bananas, a touch of varnish and these very elusive hints of acetone that aren’t unpleasant at all… In short, all good and nice so far, this has ‘guts’. Mouth: it’s a little gentler than expected and just a tad sugary, otherwise all is fine, even if some tasters could have thought this was ex-molasses rather than cane juice. Bananas, pink grapefruits, sugar. Finish: long, a tad grassier, which is welcome. Hay and orange skins, a touch of litchi. Comments: I would say this one would benefit from a little lime juice and a lot of crushed ice, but indeed one can sip it just like this.
SGP:551 - 80 points. |
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Bielle ‘Blanc’ (59%, OB, Marie-Galante, +/-2017) 
This baby may need water. Well, I know we will. In my book, Bielle is a Grand Cru or rum, mind you. Oh and you may remember that the little island of Marie-Galante is located close to La Guadeloupe. Colour: white. Nose: indeed, there is something happening. Crushed oyster shells, citron juice, olives, French beans, bandages, chalk, camphor, liquorice, even iodine… Indeed, we’re a bit on Islay. With water: really, an old fisherman’s old boat. Tarry ropes, fish, engine oil, forgotten langoustines, a drop of cologne, pipe juice… Mouth (neat): so very bizarre! Between older crabs, anchovies, oysters, with indeed a wee feeling of ammonia, and cane juice, lemons, and olives. Not too sure, but at almost 60% vol., a lot of things could happen. So… With water: do you just like me, have a fondness for seafood? Finish: long, really on oysters and lemons, plus chalk and aspirin (powder). Comments: of course it is a little mad and really extreme. Ah, glorious micro-organisms at work, I suppose…
SGP:463 - 89 points. |
Oh common, we need a benchmark! |
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Wray & Nephew ‘White Overproof’ (63%, OB, Jamaica, +/-2017)
LOL, overproof indeed. This is going to be some fight against the Bielle! Hope this baby won’t make my spectacles opaque… Colour: white. Nose: just what the doctor ordered, that is to say rotting bananas and lemons, diesel oil, brine, ink, coal tar, plastic, and metal polish. With water: perfect brine plus lemon juice mix. Mouth (neat): more on cane juice, traditional rum, liquorice, lemon juice, and more liquorice. But it’s hard to, cough, cough, sip it like that. Burns your throat, don’t have foie gras after this (yeah yeah, I know). With water: gets a tad rounder, sweeter, more sugary, but that’s some kind of decoy as the salty oils and the big lemons are soon to fight back. Finish: long, simple, perfect. Comments: splendid spirit at a fantastic price. Superb value for money, not to be found in whisky anymore (please insert crying violins and long sobs here…). I’m afraid I like it even more than both Hampden’s Rum Fire and Worthy Park’s Rum Bar, while wondering if this Wray & Nephew really stems from Appleton Estate? I agree, I should ask a proper rum expert…
SGP:464 - 89 points. |
Good, it was a tie between Marie-Galante and Jamaica, wasn’t it. Both thundering spirits! |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted so far
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