
March 31, 2019

Heavy rum in action

Indeed, this is Sunday. Let’s see what we have on the table… This and that, really…

Diplomatico ‘Anejo’ (40%, OB, Venezuela, +/-2018)

Diplomatico ‘Anejo’ (40%, OB, Venezuela, +/-2018)
This one got Gold at San Francisco’s World Spirit Competition, so we’re safe here. I suppose. Well, probably not. Some say that the best spirits are the ones that never get any medals, because as anyone can get one so easily, that suggests that they do not need any. It’s just a theory. Oh, and unless we’re talking about uncommercial awards, naturally. Colour: pale gold (hey, congratulations!) Nose: pleasant! Orange squash, hay, banana juice, very soft cinnamon cake, soft herbal teas… It whispers and simpers, this one. I rather like the freshness. Mouth: humble and light, not a sugar bomb, no extraordinary flavours, and a profile that’s a little too unprecise. Other than that, it’s not bad at all! Finish: short, a little sweeter, but not fruity. The plain sugar comes out in the aftertaste, sadly. Comments: it’s all-right-ish, I would say.
SGP:430 - 69 points.

Pour Venezuela, stuck between Scylla and Charybdis… Let’s further support the country!

C.A.D.C. 12 yo 2006/2018 (58%, Compagnie des Indes, cask #VCA5, 252 bottles)

C.A.D.C. 12 yo 2006/2018 (58%, Compagnie des Indes, cask #VCA5, 252 bottles)
This baby from the Corporacion Alcoholes Del Caribe, where they make the famous Cacique. Which, incidentally, I think I’ve never tried. Colour: pure gold. Nose: okay, acetone, nail polish remover, fresh paint (say, blue), then cellulose, at IKEA’s, strawberries, bananas, even pears… That’s a lot of molecules, I agree. With water: similar. Perhaps hemicellulose. Joking. Mouth (neat): very creamy, but that’s probably the high strength. Coconut ice-cream covered with banana liqueur and custard. Something nicely estery in the background. Let’s call this ‘the best you could do within this style’, if you like. With water: very nice, gets more cake-y, with more oranges yet, and a little fudge. It’s molasses based but you do feel the cane. Finish: medium, rather clean, on some kind of tropical cassata. Comments: all good and easy. No complains whatsoever (but naturally, this is not Worthy Park!)
SGP:530 - 80 points.

Back to bad rum… (I have that feeling…)

Presidente Marti 19 yo ‘Solera’ (40%, OB, Dominican Republic, +/-2018)

Only bad signals here. First, the use of unrelated History. Presidents, emperors, revolutionaries, slaves, etc. Then the word solera. Then an age statement that’s most probably fake, and a colour that’s not any less fake. Then loud statements, such as ‘El Gran Ron Del Caribe’. And then a kind of packaging that reeks of ‘brand building’ and that just any new brand’s using these days. Innovation is not imitation, is it? Anyway, rant over, let’s try this baby… Colour: orange amber. Orange hues = caramel. Nose: fair, easy, soft, caramelly. Nothing bad to say, nothing good either. Cointreau or Grand-Marnier. Mouth: Toplexil, sweetened Don Papa, kid’s mouthwash, molasses honey (so not honey). Terrible. Finish: short,, best news of the day. Comments: this would go well with a peanut butter and mayo sandwich. It’s liquid sugar, really. The ‘23’ was bad (WF 65) and the ‘Anejo’ was badder (WF 60). This one comes in between, I would say. Another sugar bomb from these makers.
SGP:810 - 62 points.

We have to rinse our mouth out… Seems to me we have the solution at hand:

Stroh ‘80’ (80%, OB, Austria, +/-2018)

This is ‘inländer’ rum, that is to say rum that’s distilled in non-producing countries out of imported ingredients (molasses). Stroh 80 is pretty famous on the Austrian ski slopes, it’s said that it would repair any broken bones in a flash. Broken hearts too. I’ve known Stroh 80 since I’ve turned 18 – or perhaps a little before, but please don’t tell my mother. Oh, and it’s now made out of sugarcane molasses, thanks to EU laws. Rumor has it that they would have distilled just anything before that. Even tourists. Colour: red. Crushed strawberries. Some partnership with Red Bull, I suppose. Nose: but I like! Ham, burnt molasses, tyres, acrylic, roasted nuts, barbecued herbs. And it’s not even strong! With water: yeah, pleasant, estery, meaty, petroly as it should be, this is proper rum! Nothing bad to say, really, we’re on a solid 78 points at this stage. Mouth (neat): not too bad, but very anaesthetic. Quick… With water: really gets the colour of Red Bull. Other than that, it’s fine, too bad there is some sugar coming out. Love this very rustic side, makes you want to do the Streif when you should not. Finish: very long, cane-y, pleasantly sour. Comments: of course it’s probably not totally natural, but I’m sure it’s legal, that’s something. More legal than many rums that are just imported to the EU. Anyway, good surprise, better than older bottlings, I think. It’s hard to remember the old bottlings, for obvious reasons (they used to knock you down, yeah!)
SGP:622 - 78 points.

Yeah well, what to have after that Stroh? Let’s rummage around… Oh perhaps this?

Sunset ‘Very Strong Rum’ (84.5%, OB, St. Vincent, +/-2018)

You got to read the websites for a good laugh. The Whisky Exchange: ‘Please note this is a high-strength product and we recommend not drinking neat.’ Or Ministry of Rum: ‘this rum is generally drunk straight and chased with a glass of water or soda.’ Or Rum Ratings: ‘it has limited uses other than to get people where they need to go, fast.’ Or our friend the Lone Caner: ‘the most powerful commercial rum ever made, a gurgling frisson of hot-snot turbo-charged proofage.’ Have we been warned or not? Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed...... Colour: white. So far, so good. Nose: light vanilla and sugar syrup. Piece of cake, really. What’s on TV tonight? With water: nada. Ethanol and grasses. Fruit peels. Very light and narrow, not ugly in fact. Mouth (neat): provided you only take half a drop and had prepared a lot of saliva in your mouth, you’re safe. Otherwise, run and do not come back! With water: it is not bad, at all. Not all flavours have been killed by the columns, it seems, but it’s also a little soapy. Finish: medium, narrow, ethanoly, but again, there are pleasant touches of cane juice and pears. Or am I dreaming? Where am I? Who are you? What day are we today? Did Obama win the elections?... Comments: a funny bottle to play tricks on your future ex-friends, but it’ll cost you a fortune in water or soda. The juice is not bad at all, I think. So, did Obama win indeed?
SGP:430 – 70 points.

And now, Don Papa at 40%... I’m joking. Good night.

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