An Interview with Mads Heitmann – Romhatten.dk

Bythefatrumpirate

MADS1The Danish Speaking world has one of the better Rum websites to boast about.  With reviews, articles and its own forum Romhatten is impressive and its design is sleek and modern.

A lot of websites could take a lot of pointers from the site.  Unfortunately for English speakers such as myself the site doesn’t automatically translate too well from Danish into English.  However, with a bit of persistence it is possible to pick up on the meaning of most of Mads’ pieces especially his reviews.

Rum is very popular in Denmark and Mads is an individual who is very active in spreading the word in his home country, organising rum tastings and other events.

Curious about the popularity of rum in Denmark and always keen to hear from other “rummies” I decided to ask Mads a few questions which he very kindly answered for me.  Enjoy, there are some cracking answers here and I’m sure a lot of you will nod in agreement.

1.  What inspired you to set up the Romhatten Group?

The “Romhatten Forum” group on Facebook is an offspring of Romhatten.dk. Romhatten.dk is a Danish website that I formed in 2010. The website only deals with rum and is based on the rum reviews that I make. I also write articles on rum for the web page

I set up the Facebook group in 2012 in order to gather all the users of romhatten.dk. On this platform, the Danish rum lovers can meet and talk rum. It’s a great forum where we all can learn more about rum – information is what it’s all about.

In 2015, the website has so far received over 80,000 hits and some of these users are looking to the forum on facebook. The forum has almost  2,000 members. Romhatten.dk also has a facebook page which so far has over 5,500 likes.

FYI: The word “Romhatten” is a Danish word that I have made up. The word covers a person who is crazy about rum. An English version could for example be “Rum Loony”.

2.  How popular is rum in Denmark?

Rum is very popular in Denmark. My interest of rum began in 2007 and since that time I have seen a huge development in rum in Denmark. Rum was in 2007, something that people in the general public did not consider to be something you could drink neat as with cognac and whisky, but that is no longer the case. Today, when I travel around in Denmark I see that people have accepted rum as a sipping spirit.

Rum has found a foothold in Denmark. In the Danish wine and liquor stores, rum takes up more and more space on the shelves and many of these shops rely more and more on selling rum – they follow the increasing demand. Many shops are experiencing that sales of rum have long overtaken whiskey, cognac and gin. I have spoken with several owners of liquor stores who say that when they sell ten bottles of spirits then seven of them are rum where cognac, whiskey, gin, vodka and tequila are share the last three bottles. It is very impressive!

However, the sweeter rum are the most popular rum in Denmark. The bestsellers are Ron Zacapa and Ron Diplomatico but also Oliver & Oliver’s products (Puntacana Club, Opthimus and Quorhum) sell very well.

3.  How expensive is alcohol in Denmark? Prices here in the UK are pretty high compared to other EU countries especially France and Spain but Scandinavia is notorious for its high alcohol prices and strict alcohol legislation. Is this the case in Denmark as well?

It is not the case in Denmark. Denmark is an alcohol friendly country when compared to Norway and Sweden. In Denmark, we don’t have the same state-owned alcohol monopoly as Sweden – in Sweden it’s called “Systembolaget”. In Denmark, we have a free trade in beer, wine and spirits. The prices are a little high, but is overall in line with those seen in England, I believe. Due to the high prices we unfortunately see that many Danes go to Germany to buy wine, spirits and beer. On the other hand, we also see that many Swedes buying their alcohol in Denmark.

4.  What are the aims of the Romhatten group? Do you have any views which members are expected to be in agreement on?ROMHATTEN

Maybe some more events for the members. We have already held a series of events in Denmark with Skotlander Spirits, where all the users of Romhatten were invited to a free tasting event. All over Denmark (in Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense and Copenhagen) rum lovers showed up to select Skotlander Spirits next rum. All fully booked events and all in all 500 participants. Five different blends were showcased and the result of the votes was this Skotlander Cask Rum. It’s the users of Romhatten.dk who selected the blend for this rum – I am very proud of that.

5.  Have you organised any events etc under the Romhatten name? (I note what looks like a rum tasting event on the site)

I started making rum tastings in connection with Romhatten.dk in 2012 and since then I have hosted about 100 tastings around Denmark. On Romhatten.dk I offer rum tastings for private gatherings and businesses and since 2012 I have held tastings for both large and small crowds – it’s has so far ranged between 4 and 120 persons.

Besides the rum tastings where one can book me to come and talk about rum, I arrange events to which people can buy tickets. These events include both tastings where I myself do the tasting, but also tastings in cooperation with rum brands. This year I have among other things, held tastings in collaboration with Ron Zacapa and later this year there will also be tastings in collaboration with Sprit & Co. who represents Ron Diplomatico in Denmark. Back in 2013, I also had the honor of arranging a master class with John Georges from Angostura, who was visiting Denmark. The attendance of these tastings are good – the events are usually sold out.

6.   On a more personal level how did your own Rum Journey begin?

I had my first sip of “premium rum” back in 2007. At the time I was drinking Bacardi Black with cola at the high school parties, but decided to try two bottles in the more high end category. Without knowing anything about rum I chose a bottle of Matusalem 15 Solera and a bottle of El Dorado 12 Years Old Rum and I was immediately hooked.

This year I publish a book on rum. The book will be called “Rombogen” (The Rum Book) and is put out by Politikens Forlag. As I drank my first glass El Dorado Rum in 2007, I had probably never dreamed that I would go and write a book on rum. It’s a little crazy to think about actually!

MADS27.  What rums do you find yourself going back to time and time again? What rums can’t you be without?

My first rum love was El Dorado Rum from Guyana, and what is it they say about first loves? However, I am becoming more and more nerdy over the years. Currently, I am very interested in the independent bottlers. Bottlers like Bristol Spirits, Silver Seal, Velier and Berry’s Own Selection are just some of the bottlers that I think is very exciting. The other day I bought a Bristol Classic Rum distilled in 1985 at the old Versailles Still. When I find something like this in a liquor store it’s like finding an old treasure. I just have to have it!

That said, my rum collection (which now counts well over 150 bottles) always holds a few editions of El Dorado Rum – the 15 and 21 expressions are very nice Demerara rums. El Dorado’s 25-year vintage edition of 1980 and 1986 stands out for me as the ultimate rum – a rum which I unfortunately only have tasted three times… so far.

8.  And on another notes are there any rums or producers/bottlers you actively avoid buying from? Any reasons?

There is products on the market that I think is less interesting than others, of course. And there are also rum products, which I not consider to be “real rum” but more as a result of a consumers market which demands certain things. You will find these products that I refer to in the category of rum because of lack of regulation. These products should perhaps rather be found in other spirit categories and not in the rum category as such.

9.  Do you have a signature drink or cocktail you could share with us?

I love cocktails and I want to be able to taste the liquor used in my cocktail. I am especially fond of the Rum Sour made with El Dorado 15 Years Old Rum. It’s a simple cocktail that always impresses guests – I usually use this recipe:

You need the following:

50 mL El Dorado 15 Years Old Rum

50 mL lime juice

1,5 tsp sugar

1 egg white

Angostura Bitters

1. Put all the ingredients except the angostura into a shaker with LOTS of ice. Shake enthusiastically. Pour it into an old-fashioned glass.

2. Add a couple of drops of Angostura bitter on top. A mouthwatering cocktail!

10.  And finally where do you see the Rum Category going in the 5 years? Where would you like to see it going?

Of course I hope that the popularity of rum continues to rise and with it, I also hope that the market is developing in the right direction. I would like to see more independent bottlers in the future, such as the newly established Compagnie Des Indes, which for the Danish market has made a series of single cask bottlings – delicious stuff. Bottlers sending rum on the market where the distillery, year of distillation, year of bottling, etc. is known is always exciting and it is not at least something that I feel that the rum category currently are missing. More products with more transparency.

And there you have it a very interesting and informative interview with a very interesting and driven individual.  Cheers Mads!

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  • Rum of the Year 2018 – Winner

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Rum of the Year Review by the fat rum pirateRum of the Year 2018 – Winner

    It was quite a surprise when compiling the contenders for Rum of the Year, to see which rums didn’t make the grade.

    As I only pick one rum from the 100 or so I review in a year, it comes down to the very best of the best. So a lot of excellent (and highly recommended) rums fall by the wayside.

    One of the reasons why I use a ten point scoring system is that it keeps things simple. A five-star rum doesn’t mean I’m giving it 100/100. It’s more like 95 and above. I could have adopted a 0-100 or 50-100 scoring system. I’ve nothing against these systems but I find most reviewers don’t use the bottom end of the scale. I use, with regularity the full ten points in my scale. So I think it makes things very clear and straight forward for the reader. Whether a rum scores 81 or 82 points make little difference in my way of thinking.

    I was a little surprised to find I had only given ten rums a five-star rating in 2018. Though I feel that further validates my reviews. It’s not all mega high scores. I am at times a little stingy.

    What didn’t surprise me was to be left with a clutch of Foursquare and Jamaican rums in my final thinking. The likes of Hampden and Appleton have produced some exceptional rums over the past couple of years. Hampden rum has been enjoyed mostly via Independent bottlings, like the Whisky Barrel/Kill Devil bottling in my original ten. Hampden did finally get around to releasing their own “brand” aged rum in 2018. I was very fortunate to be invited to the launch evening in London. A night that will live long in the memory. Thank you very much to all those that made such a wonderful evening.

    Foursquare have continued their recent Exceptional Cask Series, to great acclaim. In the end deciding which Foursquare rum was my favourite this year was virtually impossible. Depending on mood, it could be any of the four I gave the five stars. I could easily have given Foursquare the gong again this year.

    As my rum journey continues I have found myself enjoying more Cane Juice r(h)um in the shape of Rhum Agricole, Clairin and Cachaca. Two exceptional examples of this came in the form of Havana (Cachaca) and Rhum J.M XO (Agricole). I ruled these out of the running, as they have been around a long time. I just took too long getting to them!

    In the end the Rum of the Year did come from Jamaica. Alas, the Compagnie des Indes New Yarmouth had to be discounted – Florent made it available only to the Danes. Shame on you! It also was very limited, even in its lower proof European guise.

    This left us with a distillery which has been growing in stature over the past few years. I’ve been championing the rums from this very worthy winner for some time. Well before many cottoned on. For many the Rum Bar rums weren’t good enough for their snobby ideals.

    Taking all things into consideration, I felt it would be unfair for me not to fully acknowledge the great strides this relatively new estate has made in such a short space of time. Despite a long heritage the current distillery has only been active since 2005.

    Their Single Estate Reserve and Special Cask Releases are all excellent rums. The 2005 WP Forsyths came close to getting five stars. A whole host of Independent bottlings also showed just how good this producer could be.

    Finally I cracked. Upon trying the latest release in conjunction with Velier I was blown away.

    Habitation Velier Worthy Park 2007 WPL Rum Review by the fat rum pirateRum of the Year 2018 goes to Habitation Velier Worthy Park 2007 WPL

    As close to perfect as you are likely to find in a rum. I have been told by others, that the 2006 WPM is actually better. For some reason I didn’t pick that one up. I do have a sample though so we will see in a future review.

    This award is very much deserved and a great credit to Zan Kong and the team behind Worthy Park. Zan has worked very hard and connected with all the right people over the past few years to help grow the Worthy Park brand. I often get thanks for writing positive reviews. I always return the thanks – I don’t produced the wonderful rum, I just drink and enjoy it.

    They are now very much one of the real big players in the “pure rum” movement.

    Keep fighting the good fight. There are surely more prestigious awards coming your way.

  • Karukera Silver

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Karukera are an Agricole Rhum producer from Guadeloupe. Karukera is the original
    Arawak (Caribbean Indan) name for Guadeloupe. Despite the very slick presentation (which caused me to overlook this brand) Karukera have been distilling and producing rhum since 189Karukera Silver Rum Review by the fat rum pirate5.

    The Esperence distillery in Sainte Marie – “Certain Origins do not Deceive” is the companies tag line.  Karukera have a very nice website unfortunately for me its all in French and resists translation.  There is a lot of information there and I can pick out bits but not a lot unfortunately! In all honesty the relatively modern presentation of all the Karukera rhums make me wonder if all this history is entirely correct.

    Digging around the internet I can find little information on the brand.  How long has the Karukera brand really been around?  In the end I contacted Cyril Weglarz of DuRhum.com who gave me the following information “Karukera is a brand created in 2006, they mainly age and buy rums from other distilleries (from Guadeloupe and Martinique), and the white rhum from Longueteau. They just have an ageing facility, no distillery” Cyril is one of the Rum Reviewers who like me is not afraid to scratch the surface rather than rely on being spoon fed by Rum and Brand Ambassadors.

    If you can find a bottle of Karukera Gold and Silver – their entry level rhums they will set you back around £30
    here in the UK.  They are bottled at 40% ABV and both tested 0-5 on the Hydrometer Tests.  As a Rhum Agricole it should be made from Cane Juice rather than molasses.  Beyond this I’m afraid I have little more information to offer. White usually unaged Agricole Rhum is very popular in France as it Ti Punch – a simple mix of sugar syrup, lime and white Agricole rhum.

    As part of the reviewing process I’ll be testing out the Karukera Silver in a Ti Punch as well as on its own and in mi
    xed drinks.
    In the glass (as you have probably guessed) the rhum is entirely transparent – no signs of any ageing etc.  It is likely it has been filtered to achieve this. The nose is quite typical of White Agricole.

    Grassy, vegetal with some stronger notes of varnish and shoe polish. At 40% ABV the shoe polish and varnish notes are much more subdued than with some white agricoles which are bottled at higher ABV’s.  The nose is quite nicely balanced and it reminds me very much of Wray and Nephew White Overproof or Rum Bar Overproof.  It has that element of funk.  Though maybe just slightly more refined and understated.

    Sipped the rum it is surprisingly quite smooth and easy to drink.  The “funk” is more subdued than the nose.  You get some nice notes of vanilla, peach and maybe even some red wine notes.  The overall sipping experience is fairly short – the flavours are quite short lived and are replaced quickly with vegetal Cachaca like notes – which also disappear quickly leaving only really a little spice on the finish.  It’s sort of okay but beyond this review I doubt I’ll be sipping it again.

    Karukera Silver works surprisingly well in a variety of mixed drinks – even with cola it seems to rub along quite well.  Something I definitely wasn’t expecting.  For a Ti Punch it is perhaps a little to light and easy going to really make it to the top but its not at all bad. Cocktails such as Mojitos work particularly well with this rum.  It’s light yet quite punchy (if brief) flavour profile mean that the drinks are well balanced but not overloaded with strong funk or vegetal notes.

    This might well be a good entry into White Agricole a way of feeling your way but it is not the “good stuff” that many people enjoy. In the UK it is also worryingly expensive at around £30 per bottle. It’s not bad but not great either.

    2.5 stars

  • Havana Club Maximo

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Havana Club Maximo Rum Review by the fat rum pirateHavana Club Maximo.  Not a rum I ever envisaged reviewing on the site.  Please note the image to the left is taken from the Whisky Exchange blog and is not my photograph.  It is purely for illustrative purposes.

    I recently got involved in a Twitter Tasting with Havana Club rum.  As part of this process I was sent 50ml samples of the four more exclusive/expensive rums in the brands portfolio.  Seleccion de Maestros, 15 Year Old, Union and this, the Maximo.

    As you can see from the photo the Maximo is high end stuff.  Top of the line.  It comes in a beautiful silk lined wooden box and is housed in a hand blown individually labelled glass decanter.  The reason that this would never have been reviewed on the site – the price tag.  This rum costs over £1000 for a 50cl bottle bottled at 40% ABV.  Out of my price range and in reality out of a price I would even contemplate paying for rum.

    The Twitter Tasting was quite hectic and on a school night. I made tasting notes at the time and I was able to squirrel away a small sample of the rum(s) to re-visit.  My usual practice is to review full bottles or at least 20cl bottles.  Still I figured a review of this rum from someone independent would be of interest.  Whilst this is a sample it wasn’t given to me by Havana Club direct in return for a glowing “freebie” review.

    Havana Club Maximo Rum Review by the fat rum pirateAs you can see from the picture to the right the sample I received wasn’t quite in the same league presentation wise as the retail bottle!

    Still it was a nicely put together little package and I’ll always be grateful to Peter from TheFloatingRumShack for getting me involved.  I owe that man a drink (well actually 4 doubles!).

    I can’t really assess the presentation of the Maximo as I don’t physically have access to a full size bottle.  At the price though the presentation should be excellent.  Reading around it is noted that Maximo is limited to only 1,000 bottles worldwide.  I don’t know if that is it or if that was the first batch etc.  It’s unclear.  I suspect it is per year or per release.  Either way bottles of the Maximo are still available from a few online sellers here in the UK.

    Also unclear is the exact age of the rums in the blend.  All I can find that it is a blend of the oldest and rarest rums in the companies reserves.  It is crafted by Maestro Ronero Don Jose Navarro.

    So on with the review of the most expensive rum I’m ever likely to try……….

    In the glass the rum is a nice rich copper colour with flashes of red and orange.  On the nose Maximo exhibits that familiar petrol/tobacco Havana Club nose. It is unmistakably a Havana Club product.  However, it has complexity beyond this.  It is deep and rich.  There is a lot intensity and fruit in the nose.  The nose is full to bursting with aromas.  Despite this it is still balanced, not overpowering or cloying.  No one note dominates.  This is very much a nosing rum as well as a sipping rum.  Chocolate, coffee and a little citrus.  Well aged oak and spice comes through clearly as well.  This rum certainly smells like it has a lot going on.

    Havana Club MaximoTaken neat (there is no way this should be mixed) the rum is initially sweet, once again very intense.  It is citrusy. The mouth feel is rich and smooth.  The rum can be left in the mouth and swirled around.  It coats the taste buds beautifully.  There is minimal burn on the finish.  The finish is very long and very intense.  It is spicy but is layered with tropical fruits and rich dark cocoa notes.

    Without question this is an outstanding rum and one which if you get the chance you definitely should try.  Whether it is “worth” over £1000 depends on your viewpoint and being honest, how much money you have!

    In my world I couldn’t justify paying this much for a rum but someone will and they will thoroughly enjoy every drop of this excellent rum.  It’s certainly up there with the very best rums I have tried but I cannot give it a perfect score as it is still not the perfect rum I am seeking……..

    You see, despite how good this rum is it is off the radar in terms of a price I could ever justify a lottery win aside and sadly it also shows added sugar when put to the Hydrometer Test at 12 g/L.  Sadly, this will be smoothing out the rum out and I would have preferred to have tried it with a bit more of a kick in the finish.

    4.5 stars

     

  • Golden Rum Barrel Awards – Winners 2016

    Bythefatrumpirate

    The Golden Rum Barrel Awards are a celebration of 10 years of the London UKGolden Rum Barrel Awards 2016 by the fat rum pirate Rumfest, ran by Global Rum Ambassador Ian A V Burrell.

    The Golden Rum Barrel Awards celebrated the stars of the rum industry with a 3 course rum dinner at the Kensington Crowne Plaza Hotel last night (23rd October 2016

    sponsored by Green Engineering srl

    We were nominated in the category of Best UK Rum Website.  Unfortunately it wasn’t our year with the judges.  Below is a list of all the winners from last night.

     

    1. Most influential Rum Blender over the last 10 years
    Joy Spence (Appleton Estate, Jamaica)
    2. Distillery Ambassador over past 10 years

    John Georges (Angostura Rums, Trinidad)
    3. Most influential Rum bar in the UK over past 10 years
    Trailer Happiness (London)trailerhappiness

    4. International Rum Brand Ambassador 2016
    Alexx Mouzouris (Don Q Rum)

    5. UK Rum Brand Ambassador 2016

    George Frost (Duppy Share)

    6. Rum Bar Team of the year 2016
    Mahiki, London

    7. Best UK Rum Web Site 2016
    Rum@Charlosa

    8. Best New Rum Brand in the UK 2016
    Foursquare Rum Distillery 11 year Zinfandel Cask

    luca9. Rum Influencer of the Year 2016
    Luca Ruruki Gargano (Velier Rums, and Ambassador of Pure rums)

    10. Rum Menu of the Year 2016
    Cubana Tapas Bar Sheffield (Sheffield)

     

  • Ninefold Distillery Nith Inshore Rescue Pure Single Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Ninefold Distillery Nith Inshore Rescue Pure Single Rum review by the fat rum pirate Ninefold Distillery Nith Inshore Rescue Pure Single Rum. The unusual name of this rum is due to the fact it is a Charity bottling. The distillery – Ninefold should be familiar with readers of this blog as we have been keeping a close eye on their “Scottish Pure Single Rum” since they began production. Indeed we have both reviewed their products and interviewed owner/distiller Kit Carruthers.

    This is their second “barrel aged release” following on from last years 1 year old rum. In all honesty I know very little about “Nith Inshore Rescue” and Kit has put together a very comprehensive run down on the charity and this bottling. So for once I am actually just going to pretty much cut and paste the “marketing” gumpfh as I honestly don’t think I can offer anything different. The tasting notes etc will be my own work as will the final score. Kit won’t be influencing that!

    So here we go…..

    Ninefold Distillery has collaborated with Nith Inshore Rescue to release a limited charity edition of just 100 bottles of their Scottish barrel aged rum to support the charity and help celebrate 40 years of lifeboat service.

    Nith Inshore Rescue is an independent lifeboat service serving the Upper Solway and surrounding area rooted in the community of Glencaple, Dumfries, Scotland. Ninefold’s partnership with them was inspired by the long history between rum and the sea, including the history of navy sailors being given a daily tot of rum from 1655 until the ration was abolished in 1970.

    Their mission is: “To protect and save lives, and when life is lost do everything we can to recover loved ones for those who are experiencing loss”.

    Following the repeated tragic loss of life in the fast tides of the Upper Solway the community of Glencaple responded by founding their own independent lifeboat in 1982.

    Ninefold Distillery Nith Inshore Rescue Pure Single Rum review by the fat rum pirateThe lifeboat crew today are the custodians of a proud legacy of extensive knowledge, experience and history gained over four decades of service. Nith Inshore Rescue is committed to ensuring future generations are both protected and serve in the volunteer community rooted service that is their Lifeboat.

    This charity release is a one-off Scottish Pot distilled cask aged rum, made from sugar cane molasses here at Ninefold Distillery.

    Twelve experimental rums were distilled in Spring 2019 at the outset of the distillery, using 4-8 day fermentations and a variety of configurations of our 500 litre copper pot still. These rums were blended, casked at 60.9% and laid down at the distillery in September 2019, in a virgin American white oak barrel, barrel #04.

    21 months later, in June 2021, the rum was re-racked into two ex-oloroso sherry octaves used to finish Speyside and Islay single malts, and finished for three months at the distillery.

    The two octaves were blended back together in September 2021 at a ratio of 60:40 in favour of the Islay cask, to retain hints of smokiness in the final rum. Just 100 bottles are available, at cask strength of 59.2% ABV.

    As part of the sales process some bottles will be auctioned.

    Auction – Bottles 1-5
    Bottle numbers 1 to 5 will be auctioned, and are the only bottles to each come with a presentation box made from local driftwood. Each box is made from a different wood: Sycamore, Yew, Ash, Douglas Fir and Holly. Bidding is via the following form, beginning immediately and ending 10pm Sunday 7th November.

    Auction form link

    The five highest bids submitted will be allocated the first five bottles in order of highest to lowest bids. You will be notified before the general sale starts so that you can still get a chance to buy a bottle if you didn’t obtain one in the auction.

    General sale – Bottles 6-100
    Pre-orders will begin via our online shop at 9am on Tuesday 9th November for 95 of the 100 bottles available. Each bottle will be £100, limited to one per person/household, with all profits being donated to the Nith Inshore Rescue. All bottles will be numbered.

    NB – I will be updating the review with a link to purchase on Monday when the link is released by Kit.

    Well this has been one of my easiest review to write so far. Now I’m just left with the fun part (hopefully) so lets crack on and see what this rum tastes like.

    In the glass we are presented with a golden amber coloured liquid with a slight haze to it. Which suggest no chill filtering – which we like as it means all the flavour compounds remain. Hurrah!

    Ninefold Distillery Nith Inshore Rescue Pure Single Rum review by the fat rum pirateThe nose will be familiar to those that have tried any of Ninefold’s output. It’s has a very creamy toffee nose with lots of butterscotch and with this particular rum I’m getting a really fruity note of bananas and some indulgent Cornish style Vanilla Ice Cream.

    It’s a really nice toffee/molasses heavy nose which I really like. Beneath the sweetness and creaminess you get a slight smokiness and a touch of peat. Bit of camp fire perhaps.

    Sipped the rum shows much more of the whisky character which will be coming from finish as detailed above. Fortunately for me the Islay “peaty” side of things whilst very apparent is not completely taking over the spirit. I’ve got to be honest I’m not a huge fan of Scotch Whisky in general. Speyside is really about as far as my tastes tend to take me so I’m pleased that this component and the heavy molasses flavour of the rum is standing up to the smoky/peaty Islay influence.

    I’m noticing a trend of “peated” rums appearing and rums being finished in Scotch Whisky casks. I’ll be honest I’m not a huge fan as essentially I feel you just end up with a Spirit that no longer really tastes likes rum. That I must stress in not the case with this offering.

    On the sip you initially get a lot of honey, some molasses, toffee and a little hint of licorice. The entry is quite sweet but the mid palate cuts in quite quickly (not sure if it can even be called the mid palate as the change is very swift).

    Ninefold Distillery Nith Inshore Rescue Pure Single Rum does quickly take on a lot of character from the casks it was finished in. So it becomes quite smoky and peaty. However as I take a few more sips I’m noticing my palate adjusting to this smokiness and I’m finding more of the “rummy” notes return as the mid palate develops into the finish.

    Ninefold Distillery Nith Inshore Rescue Pure Single Rum review by the fat rum pirateThis rum kind of goes sweet, gently smoky and then sweet again with a hint of smoke. It’s a really interesting rum to sip on. I dare say I would likely preferred this rum without the Whisky/Sherry finish but it is defnitely adding something unique to the mix.

    I feel this is a very good sipper for this time of year. The smokiness of the rum really suits the cold Northern climate.

    Finish wise the rum has a nice length to it and the peat and smokiness linger for quite a long time. The sweeter notes return a little more in the finish as well with the banana and toffee sticking around for a while between sips.

    A really great rum and a really great cause. Great stuff

     

     

     

  • Walter Hicks 125 Navy Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Walter Hicks 125 Navy rum review by the fat rum pirateWalter Hicks 125 Navy Rum hails from St Austell, Cornwall.  Produced by St Austell Brewery who are perhaps better known for producing Tribute Cornish Pale Ale, Korev Cornish Lager alongside Bad Habit and Cardinal Syn real ales.

    Products from the St Austell brewery are not only to be found in the South of England.  The Nicholson pub chain operated by Mitchell and Butler stock a number of their ales and have exclusivity on a couple.

    It is very likely that you have not come across this rum before.  The crazy tax laws of the UK it makes it pretty pricy to try and market “overproof” rum such as Walter Hicks 125 Navy Rum.  As a result commercial domestic bottlers tend to stick to 37.5% or 40% with a few notable exceptions.

    The proof of this rum is also likely to be quite puzzling.  Nowadays we use the more standard US “double proofing” if you like.  So if something is 50% ABV is it 100 proof, 40% ABV is 80 proof and so on.  Walter Hicks 125 Navy Rum is actually a fearsome 71.4% which would equate to around 142 proof.  I presume when the rum was named it was “proofed” using the then UK measure (we have since gone down the ABV route only rather than proof) of 1.75 of ABV so 71.4% ABV x 1.75 = 124.95 proof giving us Walter Hicks 125 Navy Rum.

    The rum is a 7 year old Demerara blend. Matured in the UK.  It retails at £40 per bottle (multi buy gets you discount as well).  It is likely quite readily available in Cornwall in independent off licenses but I’ve certainly never seen a bottle of it for sale up North anywhere. Despite the very retro appearance (similar to the Rum Story’s Jefferson’s 1785 Dark Rum) it is still in production and if you do grow fond of this it is easily obtainable online direct from St Austell Brewery Shop.

    Another thing which is probably puzzling you is how light this Demerara rum appears.  Well if ever a rum shows just how much caramel is added to Demerara rums this is it.  Reminiscent of the Jamaican and Guyanese rums from Mezan.  I would say without doubt this this has very little colouring and only light filtration. In terms of looks it is a million miles away from all other Navy rums I can think of.Walter Hicks 125 Navy Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    Unlike other Navy rums Walter Hicks 125 does not purport to be a “Royal Navy” rum.  There is no back story on how this was once drunk by sailors in the Royal Navy.  It is named very simply after the founder of St Austell Brewery and is really a Navy style rum.

    So what do we have then? Well in the glass as mentioned already it is a very natural looking colour its very pale and for many may be slightly unexciting.

    The nose is surprisingly very sweet – very intense sweet molasses and caramel carried along with a slightly nose tingling hit of boozy fumes. Reminiscent in many ways to Lemon Hart 151 but not quite as raisined or fruity.  Even at such a high ABV it is almost sickly sweet on the nose.  Beneath this though is a slightly funky almost Jamaican Pot Still/Overproof funkiness.  I like the “booze” on the nose.

    Sipped at full ABV is not really the greatest of ideas.  It leads very quickly on the sweet caramel and chocolate notes. This quickly disappears into a very hot and difficult to manage alcohol burn. Which leaves your tongue tingling and will numb it if you take too big a sip.  A drop of water should determine whether I want to persist with sipping this rum.

    A drop does little really. I add a splash and using my hydrometer I bring it down to around 46% ABV.  The water certainly helps with the sweeter almost cloying notes of the rum.  Surprisingly it does little to eradicate the “boozy” elements of this rum.  Which I don’t mind at all.

    Walter Hick 125 Navy Rum Review by the fat rum pirateIt’s not a massively unpleasant sipper with a little water but it lacks any real complexity. Walter Hicks is full of “menace” and is quite spicy but it doesn’t really have a great deal of definition or individual flavours.  Hot, sweet and very boozy.

    When I bought this I figured I would use it a similar manner to Pussers Gunpowder Proof and Lemon Hart 151.  As a mixer with cola.  I didn’t expect much sipping wise (I was surprised to learn it was a 7 year old blend).  As a sipper it is average and a bit of a mood sipper (for when you want to imagine you’re a shipwrecked one legged pirate).

    Mixed is where Walter Hicks shows its teeth.  It’s not as complex as Pussers Gunpowder nor is it is rich and fruity as Woods 100 Navy Rum.  However, it overs a less complicated more straightforward mix of menacingly strong grog and a nice sweet overlay.

    It’s not classic Demerara – it is far too boozy, almost taking it to Pot Still Jamaican funk levels at times.  It’s not a rum I would wholeheartedly recommend to everyone.

    It is good though.  It works great mixed with cola.  The strong alcohol and boozy flavours really shine and contrast against the cola.  Sweeter caramel and toffee notes meld nicely in the mix giving an all too easy to drink rum and coke.

    This is well worth a try but beware of what it is.  Refined it is not.

    4 stars