Bounty Saint Lucia Rum Premium Dark. Not be confused with the Bounty Rum brand which comes out of Fiji. I reviewed an Overproof from Fiji Rum Company here. I also have previously reviewed the “original” Bounty Gold here.

I’d actually tried for a long time to get a taster of the Bounty Gold. I eventually tracked down a bottle – hence the review last year. No sooner had I got the rum I began hearing that a new range of Bounty rums was coming to the UK.

As long term readers of the site will know I am very partial to Saint Lucian rum. Chairman’s Reserve pretty much started my rum journey so I was pretty excited to learn that a few more expressions would be making their way to our shores.

Bounty Saint Lucia Rum Premium Dark is available in the UK via Emporia Brands who have been importing Saint Lucia Distillers rum range, for quite some time now. Bounty now has 6 expressions in its portfolio. Ranging from Dark Rum to Flavoured Rum.

Today’s rum is a blend of Pot and Column “double distilled” rum made from Guyanese molasses. It’s worth noting a lot of islands no longer use exclusively molasses from their location. So this isn’t something “unusual”. The rums are then aged for 2 years in ex-bourbon casks. They are then “softened” by Dark Caramel for “balance and finesse”. I find this claim a little odd and it suggests quite a liberal use of caramel and one which will result in a change of flavour/profile.

In the UK you can pick up a 70cl bottle of Bounty Saint Lucia Rum Premium Dark for a little over £20. Distribution seems a little haphazard at the moment so you may have to shop around to find a bottle. I could only find them easily on Amazon and at The Drink Shop. That’s not to say The Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt won’t have them in next week!

A good point about this “entry level” rum is that the ABV is 43% which gives it a little more oomph. Certainly better than the 37.5% that seems acceptable to some producers to save a few pennies!

Presentation wise Bounty comes in a standard bar bottle. The neck however is a little shorter and stubbier. Presentation is nicely done and it looks a very good product at the price. If you want even more information on Bounty Rum then they have their own website here.

In the glass – well we get a Dark Rum. Not as dark as some. It’s not black but its certainly a very dark brown with a red hue.

Nosing the rum I’m not getting as much herbal and pine like notes as I usually do with Saint Lucian rums. Nor am I getting any of the salty brine. I’m getting a fair amount of alcohol on the nose and a fair amount of molasses and burnt caramel aromas.

Further nosing reveals hints of tobacco, dark chocolate and some raisin. I’m not getting the Spiced Pear and Papaya noted on the rear label. I wouldn’t say it’s a very fruity rum overall.

Sipped it’s better than the nose. Which was a little straight forward. It’s still quite caramel heavy. Oak or rather wood is now also coming into play. It’s quite bitter. It notes Charred Oak on the rear label. I’m getting this but sadly perhaps a little too much of it.

It’s not a horrible rum sipped it’s certainly better than most Dark Rums at this price point. It’s not great though. As this is an entry level mixer we really should evaluate it as that.

So lets get some cola and see how that goes.

It certainly works a lot better. Maybe I was expecting too much of this rum. I really do like Chairman’s Reserve and the Bounty Gold. Unfortunately this one just isn’t giving me the same joy. It’s more molasses/caramel heavy and it’s just not as fruity and complex as either of those rums.

The biggest problem I would say Bounty Premium Dark and even Bounty Gold have is that they are priced similarly to Chairman’s Reserve. Chairman’s Reserve is now easily available in Sainsburys for £20. Sometimes discounted to £16. It’s simply a better all round rum than both of them. Likewise if I want a more caramel/molasses heavy rum I will opt for Myers’s Original Dark. Again at a similar price point.

As I progress down my rum and cola I am noticing a little more of the more traditional Saint Lucia notes of pine cones and a little brine. But just not enough to really grab me. It’s all just a bit straight forward.

I’m actually quite surprised how I found this rum. I had tried it at Rumfest in London last year and I quite enjoyed it.

Sitting down with it at home I was less impressed. I’ve given it a fair few tests as well over quite some time. I originally bought it late last year and have returned to it on a number of occasions. Each time I’ve been underwhelmed by it.

A little better than average really. Disappointing. It’s slightly above average but it’s just not as good as I had expected.