Alnwick Rum Golden Spiced

Bythefatrumpirate February 23, 2018March 26, 2018

Alnwick Rum Golden Spiced. Alnwick Rum is a bit of an icon up here in the North East. I reviewed the original Alnwick rum a couple of years back (a re-review if forthcoming as I do feel I got the original review wrong).

This is their Golden Spiced expression which was released in late 2015. Golden Spiced is a blend of the original Alnwick rum with a mixture of spices and flavours such as Black Pepper and Ginger. At the time of release they deliberately stated they were staying away from the vanilla flavour profile preferred by many other producers.

The original Alnwick Rum is a blend of rum from Jamaica and Guyana aged upto 5 years. So that is a more than solid base for me for a Spiced Rum.

I’m not sure how far the reach of Alnwick Rum is but in the UK a bottle of the Golden Spiced will set you back around £30 for a 70cl bottle. Unlike many Spiced Rums it is bottled at a respectable 40% ABV.

Alnwick Rum Spiced Gold contains mixed spices, citrus and exotic fruits. It is mixed and bottled in house up in Northumberland, England.

In the glass unsurprisingly we have nice golden brown coloured spirit.

Nosed the rum is very citrusy and has a really nice spicy ginger note. Marmalade and lime zest mingle together alongside the ginger and a nice but not overpowering note of cloves and cinnamon. It’s quite sweet even by Spiced Rum standards and does have a slightly overly sweet almost saccharin like note on the nose.

It is as still aimed at the younger end of the market who perhaps have the sweetest tooth. Sipped its surprisingly agreeable even with the slight saccharin aftertaste. Certainly much better than most spiced rums!

It’s quite a complex after dinner kind of drink maybe with a cube of ice to temper the sweetness just a touch.

To be honest when it comes to Spiced Rums I’m not really expecting a great deal “sip-wise”. What I do expect though if for them to mix nicely. I also prefer a flavour profile beyond sugar and artificial vanilla essence. Which is definitely something Alnwick Rum Golden Spiced does offer.

Mixing Golden Spiced with cola (ice and slice of lime as well if you wish) you really do get a nice drink.

Notes of ginger, black pepper. cinnamon and a touch of clove are enveloped by some nice sweet notes of toffee and caramel. The Golden Spiced is not over-awed in the mix at all and really stands out in the drink. It’s a better class of Spiced Rum almost in the same bracket as Elements Eight, St Abbs Spiced and my favourite Bristol Black Spiced.

I also really like the full fruity zesty notes of lemon, lime and orange zest. There is a slight bitterness there as well which puts me in mind of marmalade on toast.

Alnwick Rum Golden Spiced also works well with other mixers. Its makes a great rum and Ginger Beer/Ale – though it does make it pretty heavy on the ginger. In a Bloody Mary it also does a good job adding spice and kick. Mix it with tonic or lemonade and it will also deliver a taste experience which pairs nicely with the mixer.

There’s a lot going on with this spiced rum – it is pretty complex. It might not appeal to everyone but for me its another welcome addition to the “no vanilla” camp. If they can remove the slight saccharin like bitterness it would be even better. Still way better than most Spiced rums out there though.

Well worth a try if Spiced Rum is your thing.

That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada

That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada
Bythefatrumpirate September 20, 2020

That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada. I’m not sure whether the Boutique-y Rum Company are purposefully attempting to have the longest name for a rum ever put on a bottle, but they seem to be doing a good job if they are. Catchy is not a word I would use to describe their bottlings. Though the company name is quite quirky and the designs on the bottle are very distinctive.

Luckily though, what the Boutique-y Rum Company do focus on is sourcing quality and at time quite unusual rums. Rums that perhaps other independents would shy away from bottling. They have a number of “Secret Distillery” bottlings. This is not a gimmick on behalf of Boutique-y Rum Company.

The rum world has changed over the past few years. Caribbean (in particular) distilleries are beginning to see the true value in their own distillery botttlings. No longer concentrating on satisfying just the domestic market with inexpensive, relatively young bottlings. They are now producing their own aged products, for the worldwide market. Focusing particularly on Europe and the US.

Previously Independent bottlers would buy aged products from rum brokers such as E.A Scheer and proudly display the name of the distillery. Often more boldly than their own logos etc. As a result some producers began to question the use of what they began to see as their “brand” (ie the distillery name). Whilst an outright ban on using distillery names hasn’t been legally enforced a number of distilleries have requested that Independent bottlers do not use the distillery name.

As a result and in accordance with these agreements That Boutique-y Rum Company are, when requested using “Secret Distillery” and the country of origin only to identify where the rum has come from.

This practice hasn’t translated to all distilleries so you can still hazard a guess at where a rum might have come from. Today I am reviewing “Secret Distillery” #4 Grenada.

So do I have any more information about this rum? Yes luckily I do. First up it was produced on a Traditional Coffey Column Still.That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada is from a Single Distillery. It has been aged for 20 years (I’m unaware where it was aged). It has been bottled at 52.3% ABV and their are 212 50cl bottles available of this rum priced at £98.95 over at Master of Malt.

Identifying the distillery this might come from leads me down the route of picking from 2 of the 3 distilleries on Grenada. It can’t be from Renegade Rum Distillery as it wasn’t around 20 years ago. So that leaves River Antoine Estate which produces Rivers Royal rum and Grenada Distillers who produce rums under the Clarkes Court brand.

There is of course also Westerhall Estate but they no longer distill any rum they merely blend imported caribbean rum. I suppose as this is 20 years old it could be from there?

The only further bit of information I have is the GMWE rum marque. To be honest the G in the marque makes me think this rum is likely to have come from Grenada Distillers. They are the biggest producer on the island and the style of rum they produce seems in keeping with this bottling. Trying not to pre-empt the review but my nose suggests this is a rum from Grenada Distillers.

This is one of 3 brand new releases from That Boutique-y Rum Company that I am to review over the next 3 days (as pictured).

Of course I could be wrong, it did happen once before……….

So lets see how That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada goes down.

In the glass we have a golden brown liquid – a few shades darker than straw but not quite what I would call dark. This suggests some element of continental ageing.

The nose is light, sweet and very approachable. Notes of toffee, milk chocolate and some spicy ginger. Sweet fruits such as strawberries and peaches are also in the mix. Slightly syrupy but not overly sweet. It smells sweet but not sweetened…….

This is confirmed by the Hydrometer bobbing between 52-53% ABV.

Despite its overall quite light profile it is still quite complex. Nosing is a very pleasant experience. The higher ABV than I have experience before with output from Grenada Distillers gives the nose much more depth. There is also more oak and spice on the nose from the long ageing.

As a sipper it opens up with a spicy salvo of bourbon-esque notes and spicy ginger and oak. Vanilla and honey come through once the spicy introduction begins to lead you into the mid palate. The oak and spice remain giving a spicy char. You get a real taste of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes on the mid palate. Peanut and cashew nut really come through. It’s not as sweet and fruity as the nose but you still get some strawberry and vanilla ice cream. It’s really nicely balanced this rum.

The finish on this is really nice as well. It fades out beautifully with some notes of black pepper and a spicy woody note which fades out slowly.

This is a rum which would be a good introduction to drinking something at a higher ABV. It is light but it isn’t as sweet or as straightforward as you might expect. It’s not got any “off notes” though or anything which might alienate someone feeling their way into Cask Strength offerings.

It also harks back to a simpler time as well. Many people do not realise, that historically column distilled rum in the Caribbean is just as popular (if not more so) than the heavier Pot Still rums and blends we focus more on nowadays.

Better than I was expecting a very tasty drop. I’ve also had it confirmed from a very reliable source (Boutique-y Pete) that is indeed from Grenada Distillers traditional two column set up.

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Gold of Mauritius

Gold of Mauritius – Dark Rum
Bythefatrumpirate December 10, 2015

Gold of Mauritius quite a grandiose title and one which certainly sets this rum up as one that really needs to impress! Mauritian rum has come to our attention before we have reviewed two Penny Blue expressions from the Medine Distillery.

Gold of Mauritus offers a slightly different take on rum – but lets not say too much at this point.

Gold of Mauritius is brought to the UK by the Trilogy Beverage Brand. Who also also import brands such as Schin (Brazilian lager) and O’Hara’s (Irish Ale). As well as importing Gold of Mauritius they also bring the newly released Mauritian Club Rum to our shores.

Gold of Mauritius is blended and bottled by a Frederic Bestel. Frederic buys in specific (but not named sadly) rums from various small distilleries on Mauritius such as La Bourdinaise (Bristol Classic Rum have bottled a couple of their rums). These rums are unaged, Frederic then conditions the rums in (wait for it) South African Port Casks. From what I gather the ageing process is around 12 to 15 months – so this is not a particularly long aged rum. Caramel colouring is added to give consistency to each batch and it is felt by Frederic that the rum gets 80% of its profile from the Port Cask ageing. It is noted here that Port Residue is still present in the casks.

Gold of Mauritius has picked up a couple of awards a Silver at the World Spirits Awards and a Top Rum at an Indian Ocean Rum Competition.

A bottle of Gold of Mauritius will set you back around £40-45 for a 70cl bottle with an ABV of 40%. The rum is presented simply but elegantly. I like the medium sized bottle and the presentation is classy, with a nice big cork stopper.

In the glass Gold of Mauritius is more a dark brown than gold. In the nose I’m hit by a young very sweet smelling spirit, alcohol fumes are present but not overpowering. The rum smells sweet and the Port Cask “finish” is very apparent. It also has a note which reminds me a little of English Harbour rums – a quite strong charred oak. I’m also detecting sweet Cashew nuts.

It’s really quite a nice nose all in all but not really anything (other than maybe the charred oak) that I would associate with rum. In that aspect it remind me of Mount Gay’s Black Barrel rum – it has a slightly sweet/sour kind of bourbon hint to the nose.

A tasting really does bring home the influence of the barrels used in the rums production. The taste is predominantly a very deep char which gives a sweet and sour type mouthfeel – again very similar to a Bourbon Whiskey. There is a sweetness running through it as well from the Port which gives it a slightly acidic red wine like note. There are flashes in the mouth of dark chocolate and again like the nose some nuttiness. As a sipper it is okay – it slightly rough and ready but it’s perhaps a little on the young side to really be seriously classed as a sipper.

As a mixed drink it fairs slightly better – mixed with Cola it reminds me very much of Papa’s Pilar 24 Dark rum. It has a lot of similarities to that rum in that it doesn’t really taste like rum at all! I’m told it makes a great Rum Old Fashion.

So where does this leave this rum. Well being honest as a rum it ticks no boxes whatsoever. It tastes pretty much like what it really is – a young unaged rum which has been basically masked with either wood chips or heavily charred barrels and port. A flavoured rum if you like. The sour mash Bourbon like notes I do actually quite enjoy and as a drink it isn’t bad as such. But its not rum and not £40-45 worth of Premium Sipping rum. Not by a long shot.

If I was offered this in a blind tasting I wouldn’t even guess it was rum. It’s interesting and unique (sort of) but its so far removed from rum that I can’t really score it very highly on the basis of a rum review and if I want Bourbon I can get Jim Beam for £15. It reminds me a little of the slightly synthetic doctored feel of Lost Spirits Navy Rum.

If you haven’t got aged rum don’t try and create it by nefarious methods its really quite insulting to rum drinkers. The fact that is made using rums from smaller distilleries such as La Bourdinise should gain it kudos but when its been “masked” in such a way any goodwill quickly went!

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Rum 970 Agricola de Maderia Reserva Ans 6 Anos

Rum 970 Agricola de Madeira Reserva Ans 6 Anos
Bythefatrumpirate January 28, 2019

Rum 970 Agricola de Maderia Reserva Ans 6 Anos. This Agricole style rum was produced at the Engenhos do Norte (North Milling Company) Distillery, on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Which is (unsurprisingly) more famous for being the home of Madeira wine.

Rum 970 Agricola de Madeira Reserva Ans 6 Anos is, as mentioned already, produced in an agricole style from freshly pressed cane juice. The rums at Engenhos do Norte are, from what I gather produced on both Copper Pot and a Barbet Column stills. This rum (if I have translated the rear label correctly) is produced on a Copper Pot “Alembic” Still. The rum has been aged for a minimum of 6 years on Madeira. The ABV is a respectable 40%. This rum is one of Engenhos do Nortes continuous brands. I paid £40 for a 70cl bottle. Other than Oak Casks I am unsure as to what barrels this was aged in – I suspect ex-Madeira but could be completely wrong.

Presentation wise you get a 3/4 size stubby style bottle with a synthetic cork closure. The design is fairly modern and you get a fair amount of information about Engenhos do Norte and the rum on the rear label. Unfortunately for me, it is all in Portuguese.

Engenhos do Norte are more “famous” for their Rum North bottlings, which have grown in popularity over the past couple of years. Along with William Hinton rum Portuguese/Madeira Agricole Rhum is growing a bit of a cult following. Appearances at the London Rum Fest have done its profile no harm. Awareness amongst Rum Enthusiasts is growing steadily.

With that in mind I think we will move onto the tasting of this rhum.

When poured Rum 970 Agricola de Madeira is a very dark and quite dense liquid. It’s a very dark brown with an orange hue.

The aromas on the nose are best described as fortified – huge wafts of port, sherry and tannic red wine. It’s pretty intense stuff. Despite the port and sherry notes it isn’t overly sweet. There is quite a lot of oak which combines with more familiar aged agricole notes to balance the overall experience.

I get the feeling the barrels used to produce this rum are quite well used. It has a slightly “musty” note to it which wrestles a little with the sweeter grassy agricole notes.

Sipped the rum is quite floral. It’s sweet and very rich. It’s intensely flavoured. The initial entry is very sugary but this quickly fades into an almost herbal and quite grassy taste. It has a slight bitterness to it – almost Angostura like at times.

This is quite a complex rum but it is not 100% balanced. It’s a little dry. The finish in particular. It’s very much like a red wine but with some added oak chips. The finish is long but a little strange – again you get a slightly old, musty flavour,

Flavourwise it has a briny/herbal note that I haven’t really experienced all that often. It is quite distinct even for an agricole rum.

It’s not a rum to mix – it’s just a bit to dominant to really work like that and it does work best as a sipper. Small sips are the best way with this rum. It’s very intensely flavoured.

Overall this is a decent rum at a good price. I don’t think everyone will enjoy this – some people will enjoy it a lot. Some will be left cold by its very heavy red wine notes. If you like intense fruity dry red wine then you will probably really enjoy this.

It has notes which remind me of Rhum Agricole from French-speaking islands such as Guadeloupe and Martinique but more surprisingly I also find hints of St Lucian/Fiji rumin its make up. Slightly briny, salty and herbal notes.

If you want to try an Agricolewith a bit of a twist give this a whirl.

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Mount Gilboa Triple Distilled Barbados Pot Still Rum

Mount Gilboa Triple Distilled Barbados Pot Still Rum
Bythefatrumpirate September 28, 2015September 30, 2015

Mount Gilboa is a triple distilled Pot Still rum. This in itself is fairly unusual, I think. I’ve heard little about multiple distillation in rum, unlike Vodka for example. That’s not to say it doesn’t occur just that is rarely mentioned. Mount Gilboa is a product of Barbados and from the name and product design you could be mistaken into thinking you are getting a cheaper Mount Gay product or a copycat.

In actual fact this rum is produced at the famous Mount Gay Distillery in St. Lucy, Barbados though it should be made clear that Mount Gilboa is an independent product and the operation is currently ran by Frank Ward. Frank is a descendant of Aubrey Ward who originally acquired the estate which housed the original Fairfield Factory that produced (as a by product of sugar refining) molasses which was used in rum on Barbados.

From what I can gather, although this rum is still quite readily available online production has ceased. I have a few ideas why this may have happened and I will explain as I move through this review.

First up, the presentation of the rum. Mount Gilboa comes in a fairly standard bar style bottle which is easy to handle. It has a slightly wider flared base and slightly bulbous neck. Other than that it is fairly unremarkable. The labelling and colour scheme throughout is a kind of maroon/pink with gold touches. To be honest it does look a little dated when compared to other rums released recently. The pinkish box is lighter than the maroon on the bottle (it may well have faded). The box itself is fairly sturdy and gives some nice information about the heritage of this rum etc. The information distances itself from the iconic Mount Gay rums by stating this is a product of Mount Gilboa Investments Ltd. Despite a good natural cork stopper the presentation isn’t great and old fashioned. It is to be fair, worse than Mount Gay’s presentation prior to the re-branding a few years back. I really think that this has not helped and is probably one of the biggest reasons for its demise. It won’t really jump off the shelf at you.

I also think that the whole Mount Gilboa name probably didn’t help. It probably just confused and again meant people went for other choices. This does look very much like a cheap Mount Gay knock off.

Which is a shame because this rum is not cheap. Online prices vary from just over £30 to approaching £45. I paid just over £30 and would suggest that £30-35 is about the right price for this rum. If you can find it. The rum is bottled at 40% ABV and comes in a 700ml bottle.

In actual fact production of this rum ceasing had more to do with the takeover by Remy Cointreau of Mount Gay and the sugar refinery attached.

Even Foursquare distillery do not currently produce an entirely Pot Still distilled rum. Most rums are either column or a mixture of pot and column distilled rums. As mentioned earlier a triple distilled Pot Still Rum is quite unusual. Again this might not have helped with the rums popularity. Without any fancy gimmicks a triple Pot Stilled rum will mean very little to most rum buyers. Pot Still rums in themselves can be quite divisive and for many not the kind of profile they are looking for in their rum (if indeed these people really are looking for rum).

Mount Gilboa exhibits a classic Bajan style nose. Light vanilla and gentle subtle fruity notes. However, it also has a very intense undercurrent of heavy pot stilled rum. It is almost like a Jamaican and Bajan blend. It is very ripe almost getting into Hampden like intensity. Think Smith & Cross or Hampden Gold. This is probably another issue many may have had with this rum. If you are used to softer Bajan style rums this would be a bit of a shock to the system. It’s quite boozy as well on the nose.

Mount Gilboa is a nice golden brown colour, it is slightly hazy. From what I can gather it has only been lightly filtered and no caramel has been added to alter the colour of the rum. This is very traditional old style rum.

Mount Gilboa has a very concentrated flavour profile. It’s very boozy and has a lot going on. Rich intense dried fruits such as prunes and dates. Bitter stewed apples, hints of vanilla and a little cocoa and toffee. It is four years old and reminds me very much of Smith & Cross it terms of intense concentrated flavours but unlike Smith & Cross and possibly because it is 40% ABV rather than 57% ABV, it still displays some refined Bajan lightness which adds a little balance to the rum.

As mentioned earlier this is a fairly young rum at only 4 years old. Despite that and despite its price tag it should not be dismissed. Pot Still Rum production is less economical than Column Distilling in continuous stills. This is single batch rum which means in theory each batch produced from the still will be slightly different, dependent on the molasses, weather and a whole host of other factors. Whilst batch to batch may vary I have read other reviews of this rum and all have noted just how rich and fruity this rum is.

In many ways Mount Gilboa takes you back in time to when rum could only be produced in Pot Stills. Luckily production methods in other respects have improved so although this rum is made in a traditional style it is not the Kill Devil or Fire Water that was dished out on the Plantations and Pirate ships all those years ago.

Despite the youthfulness of the rum it has quite a nice if somewhat spicy finish. It is long lasting and quite boozy but I enjoy it. This is not an after dinner liqueur kind of rum like some of the “premium” sippers. If you have no appreciation for rums such as high ester Jamaican rums then steer clear. Although this is a Bajan rum it has a lot in common with those kind of rums.

You can mix this rum but whilst it works it seems a little bit of a waste. The flavours more than stand up but it offers a lot more when sipped. Especially with a tiny drop of water to release more of the flavour and tone down the boozier aspects of the drink.

This is a rum which will offer the serious rum aficionado a real taste and feel for rum as it was (and how many feel should still be) back in the day before continuous still technology and premiumisation of the segment. This is with the exception of Smith & Cross or Old Salt Rum as far away from Pyrat XO or Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva as you will get.

If you can find a bottle of this I would heartily recommend it especially if you prefer the more rummy rums such as Pusser’s, Smith & Cross etc

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Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum

Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum
Bythefatrumpirate August 28, 2019August 28, 2019

Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum. La Diablesse is a character in Caribbean fokelore. More specifically the island of Grenada.

She is depicted as a demon with a cows hoof at the end of one leg. It is said that she hides her “evil” face with a huge fan and leads unsuspecting men into dark forests, where she sacrifices them to the devil.

Diablesse achieves this by disappearing, using magic to confuse the men, who then run scared around the forest until they fall to their death or are eaten by the many predators in the forest. Sounds a bit like a few of my ex girlfriends…….

Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum on the other hand is a unique blend of Demerara rum from the Diamond Distillery in Guyana, which has been flavoured naturally with Clementine, Clove, Star Anise, Cinnamon, Vanilla Pod (please, have gone steady with this part!), Ginger and Pimento.

So, it is a Spiced Rum which on the face of it appears a lot different to most of the vanilla infused concoctions we see all too often. Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum is currently available at Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange and several independent retailers. A 70cl bottle will set you back around £32. It has been bottled at a more than respectable 40% ABV. Unlike many other Spiced Rums.

You can find more information at the brands website which covers both their spiced and their Caribbean blended rum. Diablesse has already won awards for both of their rums at the recent The Spirits Business Rum and Cachaca Masters. This particular rum took home a gold.

Presentation wise, Diablesse is a very well branded rum with a very clear presentation. The stubby rounded bottles have very distinctive and very striking designs and the branding is very strong. Diablesse isn’t a word that I’ve come across before so this meant searching for information on this brand was really easy. You aren’t going to get this rum confused with any others on the shelves. There aren’t many Spiced Rums that go to the trouble of giving you a chunky cork stopper.

I think that pretty much covers everything, so lets see how I get on with this Spiced Rum. I’ve been trying recently to cover more of the “different” Spiced Rums, that have appeared on the market and avoid the numerous Sailor Jerry and Kraken copycats. This being a Clementine Spiced Rum I am seeing it more as a flavoured rum. However, I understand the spices in the mix pair with the Clementine, so its not all just about the orange citrus.

In the glass we have a very bright vibrant liquid, almost orange in appearance with a red hue. The nose is not what I was expecting. It’s rich and warming rather than full of orange/clementine. The clementine aromas are more like clementine peel. Sweet marmalade. This blends nicely with a real rich blend of spices. Christmas Cake, Ginger Cake, a touch of chilli spice. A slightly Asian feel to the aromas with the star anise.

Ginger and Orange are the most dominant spices in the mix and I really like it – it’s something different. Sipped its pretty smooth (there is a fair amount of sugar/additives in this), which were it a regular rum I might gripe about. I’ve not really quite got on the “no added sugar” Spiced Rum bandwagon which a few brands have tried to focus on.

It’s a nice pleasant almost liqueur kind of drink. A nice warming after dinner hit of Ginger Cake and marmalade. The initial entry is pretty sweet but the clementine and ginger flavours quickly add a slight bitterness which reduces the sweetness on the mid palate. The Pimento and clove come along nicely in the mid palate adding some extra complexity to the spirit. There is also a nice burn and hit of oak and a very definite rummyness to this spiced rum. The distinctive Demerara raisin notes are never far away. Which again, is refreshing.

The vanilla pod isn’t really all that apparent -it’s probably just adding a little sweetness to the mix. This is probably the type of Spiced Rum you don’t want to start drinking neat after a few more “normal” rums. I dare say a headache will undoubtedly await the next day. Alongside an empty bottle. The finish is of reasonable length and the ginger remains for quite a while in the mouth. It’s quite moreish though.

Diablesse recommend pairing this rum with Fever Tree’s Spiced Orange Ginger Ale – which sounds intriguing enough on its own. I’ll definitely seek some of that out as it will be right up my street. I’ll stick with some cola for now and see how this mixes with that.

It’s really nice and stands up well to the diet cola. The aroma remains of Ginger Cake and Clementine/Marmalade. Again its ridiculously easy to drink like this. It also works really nicely with lemonade and even with tonic. Rum and Tonic is becoming a bit of a thing. I like the fact you can still get some of the sweet raisin notes from the Demerara rum used in the blend

This is a pretty versatile Spiced Rum. It works nicely neat as a kind of after dinner drink and it mixes really well. There is enough “rum” in the mix to keep me interested when mixing the rum and I really like the balance of the spices. I also like the slight kick at the end that the Pimento offers.

If you like rum, oranges and ginger cake then you will very much enjoy this. If you don’t well you probably are best steering clear.

That said – who in their right mind doesn’t like ginger cake?

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Kill Devil Guatemala Aged 8 Years

Kill Devil Guatemala Darsa Distillery Aged 8 Years
Bythefatrumpirate May 2, 2016December 9, 2025

Kill Devil Guatemala Darsa Distillery Aged 8 Years. Kill Devil is an old fashioned term for rum but this is a very new rum brand. Coming from independent whisky bottler Hunter-Laing. I came across these distinctive bottlings for the first time on a German website 4finespirits. I was interested in trying them but importing spirits into the UK can be a bit of minefield (the German’s also have a different rate of VAT which further complicates things) so I passed over buying them straight away.

As luck would happen Master of Malt picked up some very limited stocks of these rums and I was quick enough to snag a few bottles. The rums are Single Cask Rum and they are limited to approximately 350 bottles per release. All the rums I have seen have been bottled at 46%. This might not please everyone (I’m not hugely bothered about higher ABV’s to be honest) but it keeps costs down and these offerings are very competitively priced.

The bottling I am focusing on today is slightly unusual, which is why I picked it up. This is an 8 year Guatemalan rum from the Darsa Distillery. Prior to this bottling I had no idea what or where the Darsa Distillery was. For many, Guatemalan rum begins and ends with the Ron Zacapa range of rums. Some more knowledgeable rum fans afollow the Ron Botran brand but both come out of the same distillery or group of distillers Industries Licoreras de Guatemala.

With both Zacapa and Botran much is made of the high altitude ageing and use of the “Solera” system. To be fair amongst rum fanatics Zacapa is seen as a little bit of a marketing myth and the make up of the rum is continually questioned.

In the case of this rum the “solera” ageing is certainly not an issue as this is single cask – so not a blend of old and younger rum. So that leaves the question where is it aged? At high altitude? The honest answer is I’m not that sure and the information on the Darsa Distillery is a little vague and what exists doesn’t feel me with much hope for this rum.

Darsa should really be printed as D.A.R.S.A it translates into English as the Alcohol and Rum Distillery. Further information is even more disappointing and is published here. It sounds pretty industrial. Certainly not the picture painted by Zacapa and Botran!

The reason I bought this rum was that I wanted to try a rum from Guatemala which does not have any additives. Zacapa is sugared – amongst other things and Botran has been noted as also having additives. The only other Guatemalan rum I have seen is from Planatation and again they add sugar. I basically just want to see what a Guatemalan distillate taste like – is it actually any good?

This Kill Devil offering cost me just over £40 – pretty reasonable for an 8 year old single cask. The presentation I really like. The slightly macabre “spirit” on the bottle is good instantly giving you the feel of a kind of “Kill Devil” and the labelling is uncluttered and gives you some information on the rum. Though to be honest not a great deal unfortunately – no information on still used etc. The back label has a nice story about “Kill Devil”. I like the opaque squat bottle and it has a very nice synthetic stopper. You also get a very sturdy cylinder to store your rum in and keep the Kill Devil trapped perhaps!

The back label states that these bottlings are hand selected and them imported and bottled in Scotland. Which kind of indicates they are aged at source but hey maybe not. This is one of 333 bottles.

So enough of the pre-amble lets get down to trying this mysterious spirit!

First up in the glass Kill Devil Guatemala Darsa Distillery Aged 8 Years is a fairly standard golden brown. Although no additives in terms of taste are in these rums, I’m pretty sure like most bottlings this has caramel added for colour – which is not something that overly worries me. I don’t really go with the idea that it has an impact on the flavour.

The nose is quite delicate and fragrant. A nice balance of oak and vanilla are present and a nice delicate almost floral sweetness comes to the fore. There is a slight oaky char to the rum, which I quite like and seems to open the rum upto some sweet/sour Bourbon like notes. My thoughts are how nicely balanced this rum seems. A nice example of a good well aged column distilled rum.

Sipping the rum is quite a spicy experience. Despite the ageing its pretty hot and there is quite a lot of burn. Having said that although there is a definite tingle on the tongue its not entirely unpleasant or rough. The overall hot and spicy feel leaves the sweeter notes that were on the nose almost impossible to detect. It’s not as balanced as the nose suggested and it has a lot of heat followed by lot of spice and not really a great deal else going. It leads into a very oaky and long finish with a slight bitterness.

It’s not a great sipping rum but its not without its merits. It’s certainly nice to try a Guatemalan rum sans sugar or other additives. I presume this has been aged solely in ex Bourbon casks maybe a Port or Sherry Finish may add and extra layer of complexity to this. It’s pretty one dimensional and doesn’t have a great deal of flavours beyond oak and peppery spice.

At £40 its out of my price range in terms of a mixer but I have mixed a little of this rum just to see how it works.

The result is not bad – the cola tones down the spicy pepper and the oak goes nicely with the rum. The cola however doesn’t really develop the rum in anyway – you don’t get any fruity flavours you sometimes get with rums when mixed.

An interesting rather than a good start to my experiments with the Kill Devil bottlings but I have a couple more reviews coming soon. I have high hopes for those rums as they are from distilleries which I am more familiar with – so I expect the standard to by high.

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