Banks Connoisseurs Cut – Guyana 59.58% Dark Rum
Banks are probably best known for their 5 and 7 Island Blends. In July 2015 Banks Rums were bought out by Bacardi. What plans Bacardi have for Banks Rum is anyones guess. So far no changes have taken place
This Banks Guyana rum is part of their Limited Edition Connoisseurs Cut range. It should not be confused with the rums from Banks DIH (Demerara Ice House) from Guyana who bottle their own range of rums – XM.
Distilled in 1997 and bottled in July 2013 this 16 Year Old Rum is from the Port Mourant still at Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). Limited to only 205 bottles the rum has been issued at a very refreshing 59.58% ABV – which is noted as Cask Strength. It is a single cask rum. I’ve noted the ABV in the title of the review because their is another Guyana in the range bottled at 56% ABV.
Retailing at just over £100 it is noticeably cheaper than the Banks Endeavour Rum (over £300) and for me much more desirable. The Endeavour rum is a blend and to be honest hold no interest whatsoever for me. Banks Connoisseurs Cut rums all come in a very nice mahogany wooden box with t a nice tall thin style bottle and a very nice corked enclosure. The labelling is toned down compared to the 5 and 7 Island blends and is simple black font on white. It gives all the information needed to identify the origin of the rum on the bottle. Unfortunately it doesn’t give any information on where the rum was aged.
At just over £100 it is more expensive than similarly aged bottlings such as the 1999 Port Mo(u)rant from Bristol Classic Rum (around £60) and Pussers 15 Year Old (approx. £45). However, neither of those rums were bottled at Cask Strength. In reality you have over 1 litre of spirit if diluted to circa 40% ABV.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Banks 5 Island Blend but this rum should not suffer from any of that rums issues – it had too much going on in terms of mas it is single cask rum. I’ve enjoyed Port Mourant rums in the past so I am quite excited to try this particular bottling.
A refreshing thing to note about this rum is how light it is. Almost straw coloured. Which suggests to me that no caramel has been added. The nose on this one doesn’t have anything which suggests additives either.
The nose gives a very full and satisfyingly fruity nose. Reminiscent in many ways of Pussers Navy Rum. Big, rich and fruity. The Port Mourant is a wooden double pot still and its distillate is used in El Dorado 8,12,15 and the 25 year old. It is used in most “Navy Rum” blends. It offers a rich fruity experience with a hint of aniseed. There is a slight muskiness to the nose as well.
Taking the rum neat 59.58% reveals a lot of aniseed on the taste buds and for me too much tingling on the tongue to fully appreciate the rum properly. A few drops of water allow a better appreciation of this rum. It brims with aniseed and is very slightly bitter particularly in the mid palate. It has nice aged oak notes and smokiness/mustiness which adds an extra layer of complexity. There is a slight “dundery” Jamaican funk to this note (I for a long time assumed Pussers had Jamaican rum in it). There is upfront sweetness – tropical fruits such as Mango and Banana but slightly stewed or fermented.
The finish even when the rum has been diluted with water is long and satisfying – it carries just enough burn on the palate continue to offer real flavour long after the rum has been swallowed. Nice spicy oaked notes and a little orange zest and slightly bitter liquorice.
This is a pretty impressive Port Morant and highlights just how the rum can dominate blends. Despite its pale appearance this rum is pretty big (maybe not as full on as the Enmore rums perhaps based on past experience).
A very nice expression.
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 
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!
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.
The Real Rum Co No1 Blend Cask Strength 13 Year Aged. If Companies House is correct then The Real Rum Co have been around since 2013. Up until this release they have focused on Spiced and Flavoured rums.
Whilst the type of rums are often seen as “lighter” as this rum hasn’t been “dosed” I do feel I’m getting more character and less of a homogenised product than is produced by the big producers. I do feel this likely does have elements of Pot Still distillate in the mix as it reasonably heavy.
Kirk and Sweeney Dominican Rum 12 Year. Kirk and Sweeney is an American rum “brand”. As well as having this rum their range also consists of a 18 year and 23 year old rum.
Presentation wise it ticks all the boxes for “Premium” rum. I like the stubby bottle and you get a decent quality and all cork stopper – it has no topper though so can get a bit tricky. You get a detachable label and some unnecessary string and other effects around the bottle. Surprisingly no card sleeve. There is a bit of marketing on the bottle and not really any facts about how the rum is produced etc (beyond the ageing) or anything really all that useful. The shape of the bottle can make it a bit tricky to pour but it’s not as bad as the ludicrous Papa’s Pilar “bottle”. Which is about as much use a chocolate tea pot.
In the glass Kirk and Sweeney 12 Year is a mahogany coloured spirit – as it is made in such volume I have no doubt it will be coloured to remain consistent.
concentrated drops of something has been added to this rum.
Appleton Estate 1999 Hearts Collection. Earlier this month I was extremely fortunate (and humbled) to be one of 300 people, worldwide to be invited to a tasting of the Appleton Estate Hearts Collection.
any spirit with a reddish/orange hue. It is every bit the colour you would expect a 21 year old tropically aged spirit to be. From the tasting I am not sure if something was mentioned about some of the barrels being a bit older than 1999 – but I might be getting confused.
This is isn’t funky hi-hogo Jamaican Rum. It’s a more sophisticated elegant spirit. This is really beyond the Signature Blend what Appleton Estate does. They don’t produce a rum like Hampden for example. No that Hampden don’t produce great rum – far from it.
Ron Izalco Rum Cask Strength Aged 15 Years. This brand is produced by California based Phenomenal Spirts, which are headed up Karthik Sudhir. Not putting any pressure on yourself with name are you Karthik?
blend on the bottle. It only says it is a blend of Central America’s finest rums. Which to be honest might put a few folk off buying. The Guyana component was certainly a surprise for me and a bit of a seller to be honest. You also get a nice chunky cork stopper which is has a wooden top and Ron Izalco printed on it.
Foursquare Rum Distillery, St Philip, Barbados really should need no introduction. Originally set up by Reginald Leon Seale the great-great grandfather of the current Master Blender and Distiller Richard Seale, the distillery has become the byword for classic Caribbean rum.
The sweet notes are of Peaches, Vanilla, even some Red Apple the rum also has a hint of red wine/port which runs through it. Giving a dried fruit note. Combine this with some very nice and balanced oak ageing and we have another winner from Foursquare.