
August 18, 2019

Random rums from the stash

As it says, starting with… oh, crikey!…

Ron Cortez ‘Oro’ (40%, OB, Panama, +/-2018)

We tried an anejo last year, it was very mundane, yet acceptable (WF 65). Some say these rums are the same as the Abuelos. I think we will survive. Colour: white wine. Nose: hey hey, this is pretty fine! Rather on grasses than on sugary fruits and liqueurs, with no signs of excessive coconut or vanilla, and a rather complex development on small green vegetables and tiny fermentary notes, rather similar to what you may find in the finest Cubans (Santiago). The sugar cane is also easily detectable, which is always nice. So far, it’s rather oro indeed, despite the lightness. Mouth: it was a dream, this is too light, too uncertain, too much on coffee liqueur and molasses, and simply too weak. You cannot sip this like that, unless you’ve got a stupid blog you feel you should keep feeding up on a regular basis. Finish: almost none. No complains either. Comments: huge disappointment and a dream that lasted three minutes.
SGP:330 - 50 points.

Let’s get serious, if you don’t mind…

Guadeloupe 2014 (43%, Transcontinental Rum Line, +/-2018)

This baby by La Maison du Whisky. If they bottled this young lad at 3, there was a reason, let’s try to find it… Perhaps is it a Bellevue? Colour: straw. Nose: it is gewurztraminer. Rose petals, litchis, apricots, mirabelles, quinces, and then raisins, sugar cane, asparagus, leak, and just more rose petals, Turkish delights, and yeah, gewurz’. It is extremely aromatic, almost heady. Mouth: almost some LOL rum. Tinned apricots and peaches all over the room, more Turkish delights, and a double-magnum of Alsatian gewurz. Indeed, per glass, while that would include a can of preserved litchis. Finish: rather long, really sweet. More… tinned litchis, in their syrup. Comments: fun stuff, good stuff. But someone did something to this baby… Wait, viognier?
SGP:730 - 83 points.

Let’s take the next boat to Barbados…

W.I.R.D. 17 yo 2000/2017 (56%, Cave Guildive, Barbados, 177 bottles)

W.I.R.D. 17 yo 2000/2017 (56%, Cave Guildive, Barbados, 177 bottles)
A name that’s at the centre of all concerns these days, but we shall not elaborate. No added sugar in my rum, please. Colour: pale gold. Nose: rather mineral, rather unusual, pretty nice. Some wood smoke, chalk, pine cones, charcoal, concrete, pot ale, ink, and many tinier nice things. Especially pu-erh tea, and big time, while it gets earthier by the minute. This, I like mucho. With water: a little sawdust and oak essences coming out, but they would come with various high-end green teas. Faint smokiness (wood). Mouth (neat): it’s very good. These guys at Cave Guildive know their rum, for sure. Firm, spicy, phenolic and tarry, with some bitter oils and some wood extracts that should feel ‘too much’, while they do not. Notes of pastis too. With water: gets subtler, coastal, almost Islayian. Really very very good, surprisingly so. Finish: rather long, with touches of pineapples underneath all these tarry/phenolic elements. Citrons in the aftertaste. Comments: super-excellent, I hope no one will ever wreck this wonderful spirit.
SGP:462 - 88 points.

That called for more…

Barbados 18 yo 2000/2018 ‘1st Confidential Cask’ (55.6%, Kintra and The Rum Mercenary, Barbados, cask #36, 132 bottles)

Could be that this would be W.I.R.D. too, let’s see. Colour: gold. Nose: what’s sure is that there’s more floral/fruity oak influence, with more mangos and dandelions (nutshell). That gives it a more whisky-y profile, which is pretty spectacular. We’re wandering around the borders of each category here. Softer and gentler than the Guildive. With water: fine! Mushrooms, soft spices, earth, a touch of spearmint, and Elmex toothpaste, which is WF’s official brand of toothpaste. And so you’re wondering whether we’re joking? Serious? Mouth (neat): well, we’re much closer to the Guilidve now, while this spicy earthiness juts works. Clove cake, cinnamon cake, bananas, aniseed… Only the middle is a tad weaker, with a wee dent towards vanilla and varnish. With water: much softer than the Guidlive now. No Islayness, rather some cakes and roasted nuts. Pecans, perhaps. Finish: rather long, rather cane-y. Comments: very good, now it’s like if the proportions of column rum were higher here.
SGP:451 - 84 points.

So W.I.R.D. or Foursquare? Only one way to try to find out…

Update: it's Mount Gay! Thanks Thomas.

Foursquare 13 yo 2005/2018 (59.4%, Valinch & Mallet, Barbados, cask #19-1301R, 293 bottles)

One of their single blends, very good but lighter and thinner than those W.I.R.Ds. Many have displayed a high proportion of column in the glass (vs. pot still). Colour: very deep gold. Nose: gentle, cake-y, almost ‘grainy’, with notes of pink bananas, butterscotch, croissants and shortbread. This is almost Invergordon or Cameronbridge, if I may. With water: oak coming out, more sweet varnish, plywood, coconut… The spirit is almost evanescent. Mouth (neat): there are ideas of Scottish grain indeed here, indeed. A touch of varnish, orange squash, coconut, rose jelly… It’s unusually light this far. With water: better, more on orange cake and fruit wine. Perhaps redcurrants? Finish: medium, sour and sweet, fruity. Pencil shavings. Comments: the lightest Foursquare ever? Did the Distillery ever fill their pure pot still for the brokers or have they always internally blended everything? Because this is very very good, but pretty lightish. Arrivals perfect, weaker middles. Typically ex-columns.
SGP:541 - 82 points.

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