1931 St Lucia Distillers – 1st Edition
St Lucia Distillers are famous for producing Chairman’s Reserve, Bounty (mainly for the domestic market) and Admiral Rodney.
1931 is a rum brought onto the market in 2011 to commemorate 80 years of the Dennery Distillery, St Lucia. In 1972 the Dennery and the Roseau Distilleries merged and formed the company we have now, St Lucia Distillers.
Regulars to this site will know that I am a huge fan of St Lucia Distillers. Whilst bigger producers from more prominent rum producing islands such as Jamaica and Barbados are widely applauded for producing rum the “right way” (no additives – particularly no added sugar), St Lucia Distillers are rarely given the kudos afforded to giants such as Foursquare and Appleton.
The reason for this is possibly due to St Lucia Distillers lack of presence in the US market. Despite having a distributor in the US – Team Spirits I understand that they have had difficulty especially with Admiral Rodney due to its similar name to another product widely available in the US Admiral Nelson’s. It would seem the US like to protect home grown product. Even if its quality is questionable……..
I am a little behind the times in reviewing this rum. This is the first edition which was released back in 2011. Long before I established this website. Each year a new 1931 is released to commemorate rum production at Dennery the first edition celebrated 80 years, the 2nd 81 years and so on and so forth. We are currently at the 4th edition. I’ll try and catch up I promise.
,1931 is released in limited quantities and each bottle is individually numbered. My bottle is from Batch 1 – Bottle Number 5457 and was bottled on the 17th May 2011. Each years release is a different rum to the previous years, using different distillates. It is not a case of batch variation year on year. Each year a new rum is created. It is blended under the supervision of Master Blender Evanius Harris.
1931 is bottled in a 70cl, almost decanter like bottle at 43% ABV. In the UK if you can track down a bottle of this it will cost you around £60. When released the rums cost around £55-60.
The rums in this blend are a blend of Coffey (continuous column still) and Copper Pot Still distillates. The age of the blend varies, with rums from 1999 to 2004 used. The various rums in the blend are aged in Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Buffalo Trace casks and two unnamed Port Pipes, before being blended, aged and left to marry in small Bourbon casks until maturation.
The presentation, as you can see from the photos is exceptional. The stopper is huge and gives a very satisfying pop. It has 1931 – 80 Years of St Lucia Rum Making in an metal insert on top of the huge mahogany coloured stopper. The stopper itself is natural cork. The bottle reminds me instantly of a fine Cognac bottle. The protective card box could have been a bit more sturdy however. Overall though the quality of the bottle wins out and the labelling is cleared and uncluttered.
Of course the most important thing with rum is not the background story or the fancy presentation. Many rums look premium but are anything but! From my past experiences with St Lucia Distillers my hopes are high for this rum.
In the glass the rum is a lovely shimmering golden brown. It is bright and vibrant. The nose of the rum gives you an immediate waft of Pot Still Rum. Compared to Admiral Rodney which is 100% column distilled, this is quite a big difference. The nose is more intense. It is rich and fruity. Not quite in the boundaries of a Jamaican still pot still but certainly more punchier than the lighter Bajan style. It is very much like Chairman’s Reserve’s slightly bigger brother. There is a fair bit going on in the nose. Initially it is quite zesty, limes and orange peel, but it still has an undercurrent of light vanilla and gentle oak ageing. It is both delicate and slightly punchy at the same time. There are notes on the nose that are almost vegetal. Quite reminiscent of Bourbon in many ways. Slightly grassy with an almost banana skin like note.
The nose is good and satisfyingly complex. There is little by way of the harsh alcohol notes that remain in Chairman’s Reserve. This is without doubt a big step up from that. The nose is less chocolatey than the Admiral Rodney. It has a lot more going on, for some maybe too much. I can understand why some may prefer the more comforting notes of the Admiral Rodney.
St Lucia Distillers are marketing this as a Super Premium Sipping Experience. On taking a mouthful I can understand why. There are those out there who think older more expensive rums are better than less aged rums. Whilst in theory rum should develop with age, in the Caribbean climate it can be a very difficult balancing act. It does not take a lot for a rum to be aged too long. There are many long aged rums that really should have been bottled a lot earlier. The problem is, those that have paid premium price for these products are loathe to admit they’ve bought a turkey!
The rums in this blend are between 7 and 12 years old. This probably goes some way to explaining how they can package the rum so exquisetly and still sell the rum at a price, which is affordable to most budgets. It is well within budget for those who have developed a penchant for “sipping rums”.
Sipping this rum offers a rich experience. The upfront zesty notes almost wine like notes on the nose are there when you take a sip. The mouthfeel is slightly dry and spicy. Oak and vanilla are very much present. This rum is pretty well balanced but not quite perfect. I would have preferred the citrus and zest to be parred down a little and for more cocoa notes to have been present. That is largely personal preference and is a very minor criticism. The finish is long and leaves behind notes which anyone who is familiar with St Lucia Dsitillers products will be familiar with. It is fruity, oaked and very long lasting.
Further sips reveal more sweetness and less citrus. A little honey and vanilla, the rum is smooth and goes down very nicely. It reminds me of a lot of different styles. Jamaican (but not quite punchy enough), Bajan (but not quite as mellow or as oaky as something like MGXO – more akin to a Foursquare) and in its smoothness and slightly wine like notes Barbancourt. It has that smoothness.
It’s good very good but for me I can’t help feel it is just missing something. The citrus peel notes are just a tiny bit over the top for my palate. Despite Admiral Rodney being only a column distilled rum I found slightly more enjoyment in that rum.
It’s still great though and very much a grower. A really complex rum.
Bacardi Anejo Cuatro Aged 4 Years. Every few years (or is it months?) Bacardi seems to unveil its latest “Premium” offerings. Earlier this year Bacardi once again unveiled some new “Premium” expressions in the form of a new 8 and 10 year old rum.
Mixed it doesn’t seem as punchy as the Carta Oro/Gold in terms of “boozy” notes – I don’t mind the Carta Oro as it does pack a fairly decent punch and is not expensive. It seems to have been dialled down a touch in terms of overall flavour and complexity from the Major Lazer and the Reserva releases. I can’t help feeling it has been “smoothed” out a little too much and has lost some of its character as a result.
Ultimatum Rum Selected Blend. Ultimatum Rum as I was recently informed by a very kind commentator and reader of the site is “Ultimatum rum is the rum series of the Dutch importer and independent bottler van Wees who is mainly known for it’s independent whisky releases under The Ultimate label. The Ultimatum is the rum variant of that label and stands for single cask rums from a variety of regions and styles.”
Presentation wise the Selected Blend comes in the standard modern, stubby bottle used by Ultimatum. A synthetic plastic topped cork seals the rum. I quite like the presentation. The branding is pretty decent and I would be interested in these bottlings if I found them in a “real store”.
make up of the blend beyond this.
Ron Cartavio Anejo. I picked this bottling from Peruvian rum producer Cartavio up in Mallorca. Hence the more “exotic” looking photo. This photo was definitely not taken in sunny Sunderland!
reasonably well. For the price I paid in Mallorca I wasn’t expecting anything much. However its price in the UK means it is extremely unlikely I will be buying it again. I won’t.
Wood’s Old Navy Rum. Wood’s is a Navy rum brand which is quite a staple in UK bars and Working Mens Clubs. It’s not quite as common as Lamb’s – partly due to its ABV, but it is probably the second best-selling Navy rum in the UK.
down to 57% ABV. Prior to Wood’s being re-packaged the old 100 proof was still a part of the tag line, though not as dominant as it had been previously. As the 100 referred to the old style “English Proof” it has now been removed. The more standard “double” to ABV US measurement is now used more commonly. Woods 114 isn’t as catchy.
Since my last review of Wood’s I have bought probably around 10 bottles of this. I kept meaning to review it but I kept drinking it. As we are coming towards the end of the review, I may as well reveal that I rank Wood’s as one of the best “rum and coke” rums.
Velier National Rums of Jamaica Ltd Long Pond TECC 2007. I’ve got all four of these Jamaican Rums to review, from the series issued last year by Velier. I am starting with this bottling because it is the youngest. So we’ll do them in “age order” and see how we get on.
on the varnish and shoe polish on the initial nosing. Further nosings reveal a lot more of the fruitier “funky” elements of this rum. Pineapple and Apple juice, some banana even hints of coconut and a slight note of chocolate raisin.
La Favorite hailing from Martinique will be a familiar name to those of you who enjoy French Rhum or Agricole Rhum as it is more commonly known.
It is a single cask rhum from 4 different casks – each bottle shows the cask from which the rhum was drawn. There are 1000 bottles in total. The rhum being reviewed today is taken from Cask 25 distilled in July 1995 and bottled in September 2015 the ABV is a very exact 45.2%