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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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April 21, 2019 |
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Today let’s try to slalom between the nasty sugar-doped ones, if you don't mind. But let’s see, after all they exist and we cannot only taste the good ones. That would make the whole idea of a whisky/spirit blog rather shaky, no? |
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Los Valientes 15 yo ‘Anejo Especial’ (40%, OB, Mexico, +/-2018) 
The name refers to some old heroes of some kind of revolucion, which is always very bad news with rum. Now it also seems that it’s a blend of pot-stilled cane juice and columned molasses, which sounds good. Having said that, I don’t think we could trust the age statement. Indeed, with most rums, ages are just numbers (take that, Scotchland!) And this is made by the makers of Mocambo – while I rather enjoy Mocambo. Colour: amber/brown. Nose: yesss! Smoked chocolate, charcoal, burnt wood, espresso, black cigars (Maduro – I’m sorry), with a little pinesap and menthol in the back of the background. There’s also a growing earthiness, a bit in the style of those Madeiran agricoles. Mouth: there is a little sugar but that’s fine here, really fine. Excellent chicory, coffee, ganache, chocolate, with even a discreet maltiness somewhere. What’s not that nice is that as always, the sugar tends to come to the front and wreck a bit the whole experience. But no worries, we’re far from any, say Zacapa levels. Finish: medium, earthy and chocolaty. Quite a lot of muscovado sugar in the aftertaste. Comments: really good, even if we do not quite reach the high levels of the Mocambos ‘barrica unica’. Those are fantastic. Oh and build no walls!
SGP:652 - 81 points. |
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Depaz ‘Rhum Vieux Agricole’ (45%, OB, Martinique, +/-2018) 
It is well from some plantation (Montagne Pelée), that’s not just ‘a word’ here. These rhums are usually 3 years old or a little more. Colour: gold. Nose: quite a lot of liquorice-y oak, then this typical agricole side, hard to describe, as well as some fresh and overripe bananas and pineapples. What I enjoy is that there was a lot of coconut in earlier batches (old livery), while this one seems to be straighter. Mouth: fine, cane-y, a tad chocolaty and a little too oaky/soapy for me, with notes of hand cream and toothpaste. In short, some unexpected perfumy touches, no ideas about where they come from. Geranium. Finish: medium, with the same slightly strange flowery/perfumy side. Hibiscus? Comments: still some good, solid, honest agricole rum IMHO.
SGP:641 - 78 points. |
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Rhum J.M ‘Multimillésime 2003-2004-2005’ (42.5%, OB, Martinique, agricole, 13,000 bottles, +/-2016?) 
You got that, this is a vatting of three vintages. As you may know, fresh cane juice is distilled very quickly, so vintages make as much sense as with wine brandies, for example. That’s not quite the case with grains that are usually dried and often not used in the year of harvesting. Colour: deep gold. Nose: fantastique. Makes you speak French. Exceptional honeys, beeswax, chocolate, raisins, cane juice, turmeric and ginger (lightly), ground mocha, tobacco, metal (old copper coins), roots (fresh carrots), mint, sage… Oh wow! Mouth: very high class, oaky but in a perfect way, with a very specific combination of liquorice and fresh walnuts (works a treat), more honey, touches of blood oranges, cinnamon, liquorice allsorts, almond cake… IT is perfect rhum, really. Finish: medium, honeyed, smoother. Marmalade and liquorice, then roasted pecans and cashews, with something oriental. Korma sauce. Comments: loved this one, I think it’s very impressive. It’s just that they should rather bottle these batches at 45 or 46% vol., to make them total hits beyond the friendly rum folks.
SGP:552 - 89 points. |
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Hampden Estate 2014/2018 ‘Secret Cask’ (44%, Ramseyer’s, Jamaica, batch #L01062018) 
This one was matured in new American oak. The price is very fair, I think (49 Swiss francs, gruezi!). Colour: pale gold. Nose: once you’ve been infected and this style runs through your veins, you cannot fight anymore. It’s like with old Ardbeg. Amazing brine, seawater, olives, new plastic, ink, kippers, Barbour wax, shoe polish, and ‘stuff’… Mouth: at first you’re a bit surprised by the relative lack of power in the arrival, but that’s a mistake because the wave is coming. Seawater and olive brine plus ink and polishes and all that, with just a touch of apricoty vanilla (and why not?) from the fairly sweet oak. Excellent. Finish: long, very coastal. Olives, lemons, seawater, oysters, old tarry ropes. Yeah, and ‘stuff’. Comments: Hampden = my desert island rum. Perhaps even my desert island spirit – but do they do double magnums? And at 44% vol. you don’t even have to toy with your pipette and your bottle of Vittel.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
Water and a pipette? Let’s try that… |
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Hampden Estate 17 yo 2001/2018 ‘Secret Cask’ (61.3%, Ramseyer’s, Jamaica, 380 bottles)
I totally love it that the very honourable bottlers would mention that this old Hampden at this crazy strength was racked in some ‘Ex North British Grain Distillery Bourbon Hogshead’. As if that would change anything ;-). Colour: straw. Nose: millimetric, ultra-precise, diesely, tarry, hugely brine-y and very cane-y. Utter perfection so far. With water: same. No problems, on the contrary. Actually, you do feel North British’s influence and… Of course I’m joking. Mouth (neat): very high esters, sharp Spanish olive oil (try the one that Clos Mogador are making in Priorat, it’s stunning but hard to find), the most mineral Austrian rieslings, the saltiest Dutch liquorice, and the most wonderful Breton belon oysters. Oh and the best German Spargel/asparagus from Baden. Viva Europa and just s***w any inward-looking, mentally defective forms of nationalisms! (S., please, I know it’s your blog but this is not the place!) With water: great, but extremely varnishy. Love that in this context, but some friends may find this a tad extreme. Not yours truly. Finish: very long, on airplane model cement and fallen olives. That’s right. Comments: one of the very few Grands Crus of rum in my opinion. Crazy stuff. What’s more, and I know this is controversial, but I do appreciate the fact that some (probable) European ageing prevented it from becoming pure oak juice, even if that part is a little less romantic, and less impeccable as far as Facebooked marketing stories go. But as always, the truth lies in the glass. I wanna marry this rum, but North British grain (probably maize!), pfff…
SGP:373 - 93 points. |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted so far
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