Bacardi Carta Fuego Rum Review

Bythefatrumpirate June 18, 2015July 13, 2015

Bacardi Carta Fuego – Red Spiced Rum to give it it’s full moniker. In 2011 Bacardi moved away from creating weird and wonderful Flavoured Rums and introduced their competitor in the Spiced Rum market – Bacardi Oakheart.

If things had went to plan then we would all be at least familiar with, if not drinking an Oak And Coke. As many of you will be puzzled by this, its safe to say that things didn’t go quite as planned for Bacardi as Oakheart failed to make a major dent in Captain Morgan’s Musket and The Kraken seem to have the Dark end of the Spiced rum market all sewn up. That’s not to mention Sailor Jerry and the numerous copy-cats which have sprung up in the wake of the success of the now deceased Tattoo Artist at the tail end of the “noughties” (00’s).

So here we are in 2015 and Bacardi have obviously decided to try and chip into another market. Online discussion has revealed that a Cinnamon Flavoured whisky liqueur called Fireball is particularly popular in the US. Is this Bacardi’s attempt at getting a slice of that market? It has been noted, again online that this has a distinictive Cinnamon like flavour.

Carta Fuego has been brought to market at the same time as the global re-branding of nearly all of Bacardi’s lines. As a result the slightly squared bar room style bottle has the new Bacardi logo. A 70cl bottle at 40% ABV (Oakheart is 35%)) and will se you back around £18-20 in the UK.

Bacardi’s marketing angle is that this is a Red Spiced Rum, made with rum which is aged for one year. Mixed with a blend of secrets flavours and natural spices. It is “bold and smooth capturing tropical flavours”. It is to be enjoyed either as a shot with 3 drops of Tabasco sauce(?) or mixed with cola.

I appreciate that Bacardi are trying the Spiced Rum route again but coming in at a different angle. Legally in the UK this rum can be sold as a Spiced Rum however I note Bacardi also add Spirit Drink to the front label. Different territories have different rules on what can constitute rum. In the UK all rum must be over 37.5% ABV to be legally classed as rum.

I’ve yet to read a serious review of the Carta Fuego. All I have really seen is press releases. Obviously there is little criticism of the drink to be seen in such articles.

I recently ran the Carta Fuego through the Hydrometer Test and the result of 92 g/L caused a bit of a stir amongst the Rum Community. A 330ml can of Regular Coke contains 109 g/L. So we are talking some serious sugar. Still it is a Spiced Rum and very few Spiced Rums out there come up 100% “clean” on the Hydrometer Tests. Again being fair I do not expect them to.

The Carta Fuego is quite a bright reddish brown. It is definitely not ridiculously artificial looking red like soda for example. Nosed, the spirit is very sweet. It smells like Candy Floss (Cotton Candy). It’s not hugely pungent but you do get a lot of sweet sickly toffee and sugar notes on the nose. I’m not really noticing the Cinnamon though so perhaps I have been misinformed. What I am noticing in the nose which is disappointing me is the familiar slightly oily faux oakiness of the Oakheart. It reminds me again of Bacardi Black. Not a good thing.

When poured and re-sealed you really begin to appreciate just how sweet and sticky this rum is. It’s almost liqueur territory. The metal screw cap and the top of the bottle quite quickly becomes clogged and sticky. This is not something I’m looking for!

I’m trying to keep an open mind but Bacardi have offered me little as to what flavour this rum is supposed to be taking on. This leaves me less than enthused. For those not familiar with my writing, please read my other Bacardi reviews – a Bacardi Basher I am not and when credit is due they receive it. With such wonderfully named flavoured rums I’m surprised they can’t at least put on the bottle what “flavours” are contained in this rum.

We’ll start tasting the Fuego with a shot as advised on the rear of the bottle. However, we’ll give the Tabasco a miss. When poured into a shooter glass the rum takes on a more subdued almost dull brownish colour. I’ve seen bars advertising shots of this already – so lets see how it goes.

As a shot it does what its meant to do. It gives a sweet yet slightly boozy kick. The finish isn’t particularly long and the spirit tingles on the lips just long enough to satisfy an 18-21 year old that they are getting something which will get them drunk. To be fair if they get “shots” of this straight out of the bottle then I will say they will at least be getting a drink likely to do that. Most “shots” which are usually sold by attractive young ladies to groups of drunken young men are about as alcoholic as a Foster’s Radler.

When sipped you don’t really get much more than the sweetness. There is a perhaps a hint of Cinnamon or spice but nothing to get too excited about. The “smokiness” spoke of on the bottle to me is just the same nasty base rum which is used in the Oakheart. I really don’t like the aftertaste left by this young rum. It’s rough and grainy and really not very nice at all..

Mixing this with Cola gives you a very sweet drink. Even with Diet Cola. It really just reminds me of the Oakheart only with the Vanilla and oak notes removed and replaced with vast amounts of sugar. It’s far too sweet to enjoy.

This is really nasty stuff and to try and pick out individual notes and attribute them to this rum really would be a bit of an insult to the other rums I have reviewed. It’s much like a cup of tea or coffee when you slip with the sugar and end up with a gloopy mess in the bottom and a drink which tastes solely off sugar.

This is best avoided. If you want a Spiced Rum then try Bristol, Foursquare or Pussers Spiced. If you are seeking out Bacardi products buy the Bacardi 8, the Reserva or even the White Superior.

Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend

Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend
Bythefatrumpirate April 15, 2020April 27, 2020

Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend. For once in the rum world new packaging does 100% mean a change in the blend. It is not just the work of conspiracy theorists, who can remember exactly, what a rum tasted like 20 years ago and immediately notice tiny little differences to the blend – but only I hasten to add once the bottle shape and/or label have changed……..

Perhaps one of the most iconic rums in the world MGXO for short, has been a constant and readily available companion for the Barbados rum lover since it’s launch in 1992.

Sales of Mount Gay rum have always been strong, particularly their Eclipse expressions. However, it has been felt in some rum enthusiast circles, that Mount Gay have been left behind a little recently, by Foursquare in terms of innovation and overall product portfolio. They had until fairly recently stuck stubbornly with their tried and tested rums with no Limited Edition or particularly show stopping releases.

That has definitely changed over the past 3-4 years as Mount Gay have upped their game and put out some very interesting limited edition releases. Such as a Cask Strength XO (I wonder if we see this as Cask Strength in the future?) and a Selected Blend bottling for The Whisky Exchange, amongst others.

The original blend of Mount Gay Extra Old, as it was commonly known back then, was devised by then Master Blender Jeremy Edwards. He was assisted with this blend by Allen Smith, who became Master Blender in 2010.

Towards the end of 2019 and after over 25 years with Mount Gay, Allen Smith stepped down. His replacement as Master Blender Trudiann Branker, has wasted no time in making her mark. In 2019 Mount Gay released a Pot Sill only blend. I haven’t actually bought a bottle as yet, so alas no review.

Trudiann has now turned her attention to this new blend for Mount Gay XO. She has also revised the blend for Mount Gay Black Barrel. The Eclipse blend currently remains unchanged.

The first thing that will be noticed by a lot of consumers, is the increase in price. Mount Gay XO was available typically in the UK for around £35-38. You would occasionally find it discounted at between £30-33 and if you didn’t shop around you could pay over £40 for a bottle.

This Triple Cask is currently available at Master of Malt for £53.75 or House of Malt (where I acquired my bottle) for £46.99. It came pretty swiftly as well. So they come recommended.

Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend comes in the “flat” almost flask style 3/4 stubby bottle. The little details that were there with the previous XO are all present. The Barbados flag on the seal, a good quality wooden topped artificial cork stopper and the Master Blender’s signature. Which confirms Trudiann is responsible for this blend.

Presentation wise, Mount Gay have adopted a cleaner colour scheme. More in keeping with their more recent Limited Edition bottlings. This is a good move as the previous XO’s colour scheme, did look a little washed out. Almost like camouflage!

Particularly the card sleeve. It’s worth noting that whilst the new brown and gold card sleeve looks better, its isn’t as sturdy as before. Nit picking I know but I guess you all want to know all the differences!

As before Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend is presented at 43% ABV. It is a blend of Pot and Traditional Column (not huge industrial multi columns) rums. The age of the rums in the blend has been altered from between 8 and 15 years to between 5 and 17 years. So we have a mixture of older and younger distillates. I am unsure of the exact ration of each. As Mount Gay XO is a continuously available product made to a particular flavour profile, it is highly likely the rums used in the blend will change over time.

Now the other big difference between Mount Gay XO and this new Triple Cask Blend is, errrmmm….the use of three different types of cask in ageing.

So we have some of the rums aged in ex-bourbon barrels, some in ex-whisky and finally (and perhaps unsurprisingly as Remy Cointreau own Mount Gay) ex-Cognac casks.

I think I’ve exhausted all the information I have. Most of which is provided on the very informative bottle – hats off to Mount Gay for that as well.

Now for the review and this will be in two parts. First up I am going to review Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend on it’s own. With no comparisons to it’s predecessor. Then I am going to try it alongside a glass of my freshly opened Mount Gay XO non Triple Cask Blend.

Here is a tip you can pick up both these XO’s at the minute for less than £80 for the pair. Amazon have the “old” XO for £33. I’d be keen to hear how others find these side by side.

Right okay so lets deal with Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend on it’s own to start with.

In the glass the spirit presents itself as rich dark brown with an orange hue. It’s a “traditional” dark spirits colour. Maybe a dash of E150 for consistency. Mount Gay do not do any other additives.

Nosing Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend, I am immediately reminded of just how nice the nose on MGXO always was. The signature coconut aromas burst out at you. There is nice fruity note on the nose as well as the coconut – a kind of rum and raisin like aroma going down.

It’s quite spicy with a fair amount of oak and some sweet bourbon like vanilla aromas. Notes of dark chocolate float in and out giving the nose a slightly richer overall profile. Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend has like all good well aged Barbados rums – a really nice well balanced, easy going nature to us. For many this is not “extreme” enough for me not appreciating rums such as these is almost laughable.

Sipped, the rum is much drier than the nose suggested. I have always found Mount Gay XO to be quite a dry, oak driven spirit. This has not changed. Then entry has nice sweet hit of coconut, dark chocolate and vanilla. A little toffee as well.

The mid palate moves into a more “charred” note – slightly smoky with lots of ginger and oak spices. Underneath all this is a slightly honeyed sweetness which carries the rum along into its long and punchy finish.

Finish wise Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend certainly has a lengthy very oaky finish with lots of barrel char and slight hints of smoke and smidge of tobacco.

This “new” Mount Gay XO is pretty impressive I must say. However, maybe the question on everyone’s lips is “Is it better than the Old Mount Gay XO?”

Well why don’t I do a little comparison before I hand out the scores?

Mount Gay XO Reserve Cask Rum v Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend

In the glass there is no discernible difference between the rums. They could be switched around quite easily and I wouldn’t have noticed. They are your standard aged spirit colour.

On the nose “old” Mount Gay is a touch more aggressive. Just a tiny bit more “boozy” and maybe more malty..The Triple Cask Blend seems slightly more rounded – a tiny bit sweeter. Maybe a touch better balanced. I prefer the newer incarnation though being completely honest – after a few I might not necessarily notice the difference.

In many ways the rums are very similar and very typically Mount Gay. The “old” Mount Gay is perhaps more “clean and crisp” where the “new” bottling is just a tiny bit richer and every so slightly sweeter.

If you are a hardcore regular Mount Gay XO drinker then the differences may seem more dramatic. For me the rums are still pretty similar. Overall in terms of profile length and delivery, they are pretty similar both start sweet and have a fairly spicy and dry mid palate which leads to a long dry woody finish.

The “new” Mount Gay has a slightly oilier, richer mouthfeel as well and seems to balance out a little better on the finish.

I like this. I’ve always liked Mount Gay XO and I’ve had a couple of bottles pretty much every year since. That will certainly continue.

I would say that this is a tiny bit “better” (or more to my tastes) thanthe previous Mount Gay XO. That said and as I’m sitting here really enjoying it – I’m not sure if it’s worth an extra point.

Maybe 4 1/4 stars?

We’ll stick with 4 stars. Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend is a completel

y solid rum, one which does sometimes fly under people’s radars. It is easily as good as R L Seale’s 10 Year and Doorly’s XO and to be fair thats not bad company to be in now is it?

Crikey this has been a bit of a monster review hasn’t it?

Pass me the Mount Gay XO………..either is fine by me.

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1931 St Lucia Distillers - 3rd Edition

1931 St Lucia Distillers – 3rd Edition
Bythefatrumpirate February 27, 2016April 21, 2016

1931 from St Lucia Distillers. This turquoise coloured offering is the 3rd edition in the series.

Originally released to commemorate 80 years of rum production by St Lucia Distillers this rum or to be more accurate these rums – as they are all entirely different blends have become something of a flagship rum for St Lucia Distillers.

When I’m not prattling on about Chairman’s Reserve – (all incarnations apart from the Spiced) to anyone that will listen (I promise not to mention that rum again in this review) I am also a champion of all things St Lucia Distillers.

Again I was a little slow off the mark in buying this 3rd (to celebrate 82 years of rum production in 2013). The cost was around the £55 mark and for once I bought in store rather than online in late 2015.

All 1931 releases are individually numbered this is batch 03A (the first 1931 was batch 01, the second batch 02 and so on) bottle number 11376 and it was bottled on the 28 ,July 2014. It is bottled at 43% ABV in a 70cl decanter style bottle. This release is actually the best seller (so far) in the 1931 series and 3 batches were produced.

Again like the 1st and 2nd edition the presentation is identical apart from the change of year number on the neck and the colour scheme. A rather interesting choice of turquoise or teal for this release (for older members or those who enjoy Classic Rock I am always left thinking of Cream’s Tales of Brave Ullysees when I see turquoise wrote down).

Unlike the first 2 editions St Lucia Distillers have not give any information on their website about the blend of this rum. Which is a disappointing as the information provided for the first two was really informative!

From digging around the internet it is noted that this is a blend of rums from all of the distilleries four stills. The Vendome pot still, two John Dore pot stills and the the Continuous Coffery Still. The rums are aged between 6 and 12 years.

Now before we go any further I must explain the Elephant in the Room relating to this rum. This is not something I expected and like many others I found this slightly disappointing. 12g/L of added sugar in this rum. Quite deliberately added by the Master Blender. To basically, see what the reception would be. Result – their best selling 1931 so far!

It’s not a huge amount of added sugar but its been done and it is evident when you taste the rum. It makes the rum slightly smoother, slightly sweeter and less dry. Whether it improves the rum is open to debate, I haven’t tried it without the sugar! For me it tastes pretty similar to the 2nd edition albeit just a little sweeter.

Poured the rum is a classic amber colour.

The nose reveals the now familiar St Lucia pot still/Bourbon cask influence. It’s rich and deep. Very fruity with some sour mash like notes. A nice waft of oak and a hint of smoke. I has the distinct almost salty St Lucian twang, which is as distinctive as the Jamaican funk found in that islands Pot Still rums.

I will get the influence of the added sugar out of the way to not labour the point too much. The added sugar will be detectable by those who have tried a lot of rum but might not be quite so obvious to most. In terms of overall profile it makes the rum a little bit sweeter and definitely makes the rum a little smoother than previous 1931’s. I don’t think it has a huge impact on the rum – it still tastes like rum unlike many more doctored “rums”.

The third 1931 differs to the previous two in that it has a slightly minty like note too it. (Which may explain the colour scheme?). An almost toothpaste like minty freshness is apparent especially in the initial taste and the finish. It is sweeter than the first two 1931’s and has less of the sour mash notes found in the first two.

To me it lacks an extra layer of depth and complexity that particularly the 2nd 1931 has. I would probably rate it on a par with the first 1931 which whilst very good had a very slight imbalance or maybe just too much going on. This rum is slightly more straightforward.

I’m noting particularly online the rums of St Lucia have been getting many plaudits recently. Certainly awareness of them is growing I’d like to think I was slightly ahead of the game (I’ve been banging on about Chairman’s Reserve since this blog started two years ago) as I have a number of other St Lucian rums up for review shortly.

Related

Read More 1931 St Lucia Distillers – 3rd Edition
Uruapan Charanda Blanco Pure Single Agricola

Uruapan Charanda Blanco Pure Single Agricola
ByMrs Fatrumpirate January 10, 2020June 15, 2021

Uruapan Charanda Blanco Pure Single Agricola. Today I’m continuing my journey into what our Mexican friends call Charanda. For those unaware about Charanda, it is a alcoholic spirit which derives from sugar cane. This particular brand Uruapan, is also one the biggest cities in the state of Michoacan, were Charanda is exclusively produced.

Charanda is protected and recognised by a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin). Charanda is produced through the distillation and rectification (double distillation) of sugar cane cold-extracted juices. The result is a colorless crystalline spirit. Like rum it is often then aged in oak and other native woods.

Uruapan Charanda Blanco, may be familiar to you. Particularly if you are in the US, where a Uruapan Charanda Blanco has been available for a few years. However, I am reliably informed that this is not the same spirit that you may have seen in the blue coloured bottle.

You may note on the front of the bottle to the right it is noted as being a

Single Blended Rum. Whereas the bottle I have taken my sample from, is noted as being Pure Single Agricola. The “blue bottle” Uruapan Charanda Blanco is produced from both Sugar Cane Juice based distillate and Molasses based distillate. 50/50 I understand.

The bottle I am reviewing, is produced solely from Sugar Cane Juice. hence the Agricola tagline.

Both of these Charanda’s have been bottled at 46% ABV. The Charanda I am reviewing today was produced on a Copper Pot Still. It is an unaged Charanda which has only been rested in steel vats before bottling.

The “blue bottle” Single Blended Uruapan Charanda Blanco is quite easily available in the US. It retails at around the $25-30 mark. It has also received a fair amount of praise and attention in the drinks world.

This Charanda is more tricky to find for sale. However K&L Wines do seem to be stocking this, though it is more pricy than the Single Blended effort at $39.99. I’ve been unable to find a stockist in the UK or Europe for this Pure Single Agricola but the blue bottle Single Blended Charanda is available here. Though I have never used this online store before.

The distillery that produces Charanda Uruapan goes by the same name and is one of only 6 or 7 distilleries left. At one point there were hundreds, such has been the decline in the popularity of Charanda. The distillery also produces the Tarasco range of Charanda’s one of which I have reviewed previously.

So there really is little else to say. Having heard some of the comparisons of this Charanda with the likes of Clairin, Rhum Agricole and even Jamaican Overproof rum I am keen to taste the liquid.

In the glass Uruapan Charanda Blanco Pure Single Agricola is crystal clear. It looks to all intents and purposes like vodka. However, the pungent aromas coming from the glass give a clear indication that this is far from being a boring, neutral spirit.

It’s rich and creamy on the nose with layers of double cream and vanilla ice cream. This is backed up by pungent grassy Rhum Agricole like aromas of freshly cut cane.

A smoky yet very spicy aroma also comes from the spirit which immediately reminds me of spicy nachos covered in a dusting of peppery spice. Allowed to rest in the glass the nose becomes much more rounded and approachable given around 15 minutes. When initially poured it is much more spicy.

At 46% ABV sipping this Charanda is a very pleasant experience. It has quite a spicy peppery kick to it particularly on the initial sip. Black Pepper and some chilli oil are the first things I think of. As the initial spicy notes die down the mid palate sees the vanilla and more creamy notes from the nose return. These mingle nicely with some grassy notes.

Finish wise it is surprisingly light much of the spicy notes are contained in the initial entry and this Charanda flows nicely into what is quite a short finish. If I saw this predominantly as a sipper this might be a fault. However, it would be unfair to rate this Charanda as a sipper. Clearly it is more for mixed drinks. That said what is there on the finish is nice and gentle and it fades out nicely without any rough edges.

This is definitely something quite different from most white “rums”. That is because whilst this is similar to rum, in that it is derived from Sugar Cane – it is a spirit very reliant on its terroir. For once that is not some marketing bullshit. Charanda is only produced in a very small part of the a state in Mexico. So the soil the cane is grown in has very distinct characteristics of its environment. You might not even identify this as being a “rum”, if you tasted it blind.

It is mixed where this Charanda really comes out to play. In mixed drinks such as a Caiprinha it gets to show both its lighter vanilla/creamy side. It is also able to show its “funkier” side with a nice range of banana and fruity flavours. The 46% ABV certainly works well in mixed drinks and cocktails giving the drink just a little bit extra oomph.

This is certainly worth keeping an eye out for – if you do see it for sale at around the £40 mark or less then I wouldn’t hesitate in picking up a bottle. Especially, if you are seeking out something a little different.

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S.B.S. Guadeloupe Red Cane Single Origin Rum

S.B.S. Guadeloupe Red Cane Single Origin Rum
Bythefatrumpirate March 13, 2026

S.B.S. Guadeloupe Red Cane Single Origin Rum.

S.B.S or Single Barrel Selection are part of the Danish outfit 1423 World Class Spirits. An Independent bottler that has spent the last few years building a reputation for doing things properly transparent rum, no additives, no nonsense and a portfolio stretching across more than 50 distilleries worldwide.

Their Origin line sits alongside the aged S.B.S bottlings. Instead of hunting for matured barrels, the Origin series aims to show rum “as it is”. So here we have white rums often fresh from the still unaged or simply “rested” rather than matured in oak. Without filtration or any other unnecessary fiddling about. The idea is simple if you want to understand a distillery’s raw DNA, you start with its “blanc”.

Guadeloupe is a good place to do exactly that. The island produces Agricole Rhum from Fresh Sugarcane Juice, much like Martinique, but without the AOC rules dictating every last detail.

That lack of tight regulation gives Guadeloupe’s producers a little more freedom. So when SBS picked up an unaged Cane Juice rum distilled from Red Cane on a traditional Creole Column Still, the expectation was always going to be something grassy, lively and characterful.

S.B.S. Guadeloupe Red Cane Single Origin Rum has been bottled at 57% ABV with no ageing, no finishing, and no cask influence whatsoever. In the UK a 70cl bottle will set you back around £50-55 there is still stock available here.

The actual distillery remains officially uncredited something independent bottlers do regularly. What we do know is that it was distilled on a traditional Creole column still somewhere on Basse-Terre, using fresh Sugarcane Juice from the Red Stemmed “Red Cane” varietal. This cane is prized locally for its aromatic intensity, producing distillates that are bright, vegetal, lightly floral, and naturally fruity.

I did take an educated guess and said Longueteau but I was wrong this rhum actually hails from the Montebello Distillery. If you wish to speculate, whilst I won’t say where and how I obtained this information. I know its right……

So that is all my information exhausted lets get on with the tasting.

Do I really need to explain how this appears in the glass? No I thought not

From the first sniff, this Red Cane rum hits hard in the right way. Fresh-cut grass leaps out backed by lime zest and a bright vegetal earthiness.

There’s a soft sweetness underneath Red Berries, Tropical fruit and a touch of brine. Further nosing reveals a hint of floral herbs and some mineral-ey ness.

It smells green, alive and energetic but never too aggressive. It’s more like a spring meadow than a machete through the jungle.

On the palate it delivers exactly what the nose promises. That classic Agricole Vegetal/Grassy core is there. Citrus pops up as well alongside Redcurrants and other Dark Fruits. A touch of salt keeps it grounded. Earthy undertones add a nice complexity.

The mid palate shows some of the Tropical Fruits that were on the nose Papaya and a touch of Mango. The 57% ABV gives it presence but it’s warm rather than heated. Fruity, grassy, a touch spicy this is a rhum that doesn’t need oak to impress.

The finish is medium to long, bright and clean. Grassy, citrusy freshness lingers alongside subtle mineral notes and a faint sweetness from the cane. This is pure cane juice and it leaves the mouth feeling fresh and clean.

This bottle is surprisingly versatile. Neat, it’s a revelation for fans of unaged cane juice rum honest, upright, and pure. Add a drop of water and the vegetal edges relax, revealing more fruit nuance. In cocktails, it’s a different animal entirely sharp enough to cut through citrus in a Ti’ Punch or Daiquiri but complex enough to hold its own without getting lost behind the sweetness.

If you’re chasing an honest look at Guadeloupe cane juice distilled with nothing more than water, yeast, and skill, this is one of the better examples out there. It doesn’t try to be the biggest, wildest, or fanciest agricole you’ll ever taste. It simply is something true to its origin. Bright, grassy, citrusy, and a touch salty in all the right ways.

I really enjoyed this one

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Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years - The Whisky Barrel Exclusive

Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years – The Whisky Barrel Exclusive
Bythefatrumpirate April 16, 2018

Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years – The Whisky Barrel Exclusive. An exclusive bottling sees one of Scotland’s younger rum bottlers, team up with a relatively youthful Scottish retailer in the shape of The Whisky Barrel.

The Whisky Barrel have been earning a great reputation over the past few years. Focusing and stocking Independent bottlings of both whisky and rum. Obviously my attention has always focused on the rum. They heavily feature two of my favourite UK based Indie bottlers. Bristol Classic Rum and Hunter Laing’s Kill Devil range.

We are on familiar ground then again with this bottling in terms of bottler, distillery and age. I reviewed a 9 year old Cask Strength Hampden bottling from Kill Devil a few months back. I found that bottling (a run of just 55 bottles) on The Whisky Barrel also. Regular readers of this blog will be aware that Jamaica has been covered very regularly lately. Not Just Hampden but also Worthy Park.

As a rule I “try” and review bottles whilst they are still available for retail and whenever possible, as soon as they are available. I think this works both ways – you readers will be keen to read about the rum before you commit and it ensures I get a steady stream of views for such bottlings.

Anyway enough of the rambling. What we have here is a 10 Year Old Pot Still Rum from the Hampden Distillery. Distilled back in November 2007. It is bottled at 64.1% ABV – Cask Strength. One of just 290 bottles from a single cask. Priced at £62.65 which is only slightly more expensive than last years 9 year old rum.

It is likely that this rum was sent to Europe unaged and has been aged solely in a continental European climate.

This is reinforced when the rum is poured in the glass. It is a very light straw colour with a slight flash of gold in the swirl.

Nosing the rum (you don’t really need to it you can smell it across the room) I get all those wonderful familiar Jamaican funky notes, that I’ve so enjoyed recently with our Kill Devil and Berrys’ Jamaican bottlings. Getting up there with one of my all time favourites, that mythical Duncan Taylor Long Pond 2000. Ahhhh memories.

Varnish, shoe polish, diesel fumes, Calpol and menthol cigarettes are all very prominent on the nose. Despite all this there is enough sweetness. Pineapple, guava and Lockets (honey flavour cough sweets with a liquid centre). These notes balance out the more aggressive and frankly unpleasant sounding notes (it is amazing how such horrible sounding notes can smell so wonderful!).

So lets see how this all transfer over to the sip.

Wow! This is some really funky, sweet and vibrant rum. An initial sugary-ness gives some really fruity almost candied notes of pineapple and passion fruit. There is a really medicinal and warming hit of lighter fuel and navy tablet (more English cough sweets) on the mid palate. Nice warming notes of spice – ginger, nutmeg and a really well developed oak and some slightly tannic notes like red wine. The balance is wonderful.

This is what I call a slow sipper. Big gaps between each sip. Not because you don’t want more but because it is so complex and the finish is long and satisfying.

There are all kinds of notes to be explored with this rum – sweeter tropical notes, more aggressive heavy medicinal notes and some really nicely balanced and well delivered spice and oak in the finish and mid palate. This all adds up to a very funky and well balanced Jamaican rum.

With the Hampden rums from Independent bottlers it is very much about how well they have been matured. The funky-ness that comes off the still is already packed full of flavour. This is distillate driven rum – whilst the rum may have mellowed slightly in the barrel/cask and taken on some of the vanilla and spice of what I presume to be re-fill bourbon, it is still very much characterised by the unaged rum that came straight off the still.

It’s difficult to tame a Hampden – without arsing it up with “dosage”. You can over-oak them from time to time or put them in “bad” barrels.

But that hasn’t happened with this particular bottling. I gave the 9 Year Old Kill Devil Hampden 4.5 stars out of 5 earlier this year and the same score to the 17 Year Old Berrys’s exclusive for The Whisky Barrel.

We are really getting down to finite differences. This might just get the balance between youthful exuberance and well matured spirit – just a teensy bit more than those two. Would I easily tell them apart after a couple of glasses? Probably not if I’m being honest.

This doesn’t have the slightly bitter note of the 17 year old on the finish and is ever so slightly better balanced overall than the 9 year.

To be fair you should buy all three of those bottlings if you can. No scrap that – buy two, three as many as you can get.

Jamaican Rum Heaven. More collaborations please…….

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Plantation Original Dark Rum

Plantation Original Dark Rum
Bythefatrumpirate June 9, 2015July 28, 2015

Plantation have become multi award winners in recent times and this entry level rum has been one of the companies success stories. The Original Dark is a blend of rums from Trinidad given the unmistakable Plantation treatment. Double ageing and “dosage”.

This rum has recently been re-formulated and re-packaged. It also forms the basis of their much hyped Stiggin’s Fancy which is a Pineapple infused rum which is due for release sometime soon……I haven’t seen anything definite as yet.

The Original Dark comes in Plantation’s standard bar room style bottle. As usual the bottle is nice with an embossed Plantation logo on the bottle and a nice synthetic cork closure. This rum retails at around £22-25 in the UK and the rum is bottled at 40% ABV.

I’ve reviewed a few Plantation rums so I won’t bore you all with more about the company. I’m sure a lot of you have read up on Plantation.

This Dark Rum has won numerous awards in unaged categories at festival such as the Miami Rum Renaissance. Without wishing to totally pre-empt the review I have to admit I am quite surprised at this. This review will explain that more as we go. So without further ado I think we’ll progress to nosing my latest Plantation purchase.

The nose is very sweet. Its sickly sweet and to be honest quite cloying. It doesn’t move me to want to try the rum. It reminds me a lot of cheap Supermarket blends. There’s nothing complex in the nose just sweet brown sugar.

When sipped the rum is a little edgy. It is young after all and this is exhibited when you sip the rum. It is sweet. Almost sickly so again like the nose. It’s very sweet but its also extremely short and bitter. It leaves a strong aftertaste in the mouth. It doesn’t exhibit a great deal of alcohol burn and there are no oak or aged notes with this one. Initially sweet, short and bitter with a bit of a nasty cloying aftertaste. A sipper this is certainly not.

Mixed (there is a recipe for a Planter’s Punch on the reverse label) it should come to life. My usual 50/50 mix of rum and cola gives me a drink which to be completely honest I don’t enjoy. The rum is sickly and bitter on the finish. It really does remind me of supermarket rums such as Morrisons Caribbean Rum and Tesco Dark Rum. I’d be very confident especially with the Tesco rum that this rum shares some very similar rum in its blend.

I’m baffled at how this has performed so well in blind sipping tasting sessions particularly when I look at some of the names who have participated in those sessions. I can only guess (as I have not been given access to the information) that the other offerings were very poor.

This hasn’t impressed me at all and there is no way I would choose this over just about anything else I could find even on Supermarket shelves. I know they have re-blended this (so maybe I do have a point) so I’ll have to try the newer bottling. By Plantation’s standards this is not one of their better offerings.

Really disappointing

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