Cachaca Anunciada

Bythefatrumpirate February 1, 2019

Cahaca Anunciada. Or Cachaça Announced in English. This cachaça is distributed by MusA. They are a producer of all manner of spirits, beers and liqueurs. Based at Sitio Caminho do Sol (Sun Valley Farm).

Whilst they do produce Cachaça they seem to focus around “aguardente de frutas”. This adds a bit of a twist to the cachaça, as you will read later.

They produce a number of fruit based brandies and liqueurs as well as cachaça. The MusA website does not have much information regarding cachaça. I have managed to cobble together some facts to help with this review.

Cachaca Anunicado is produced in Itajuba, Minas Gerais, a region with a real history of quality cachaça production. The sugar cane is grown in the Serra da Mantiqueira (Mountain Range Mantiqueira), cut manually and the entire process is organic, without any chemical involvement. The sugar cane is harvested and crushed immediately before being brewed.

The cachaça is double distilled in Copper Alembic Pot Stills in small batches. Cachaça Anunciada is aged for 6 years in Oak Casks before being transferred to MusA barrels. These barrels previously contained MusA’s famed Gold Banana liqueur. It is bottled at 40% ABV. In Brasil a 700ml bottle retails at around R$50 or £10. If this does hit Europe – assuming it hasn’t already, I would expect retail of around £40 plus.

As can be seen from the photos Cachaca Anunciada comes in a bell/tear shaped bottle 3/4 style bottle. It’s stylish and the minimalist look is nice and modern. You also get a cardboard sleeve with a sailing boat and some palm trees (quite an unusual design for cachaça).

When poured Cachaça Anunciada is a light golden brown colour. On the nose you are met with soft chewy toffee notes, sugar cane and some fruity banana and papaya. Further nosing reveals more caramel and soft gentle oak notes – a touch of vanilla and some light honey.

Sipping reveals a surprising amount of ginger and some black pepper on the entry. Not really present on the nose but definitely showing themselves now. Alongside this the notes of toffee and honey mingle alongside the more spicy notes, adding balance and complexity to the drink.

Further sips reveal a light smokiness and a real sweetness. Notes of almost ripe banana and toffee appear again especially on the mid palate. Notes of oak and some cinnamon make an appearance as well.

Cachaca Anunciada is a very light and not at all grassy style of cachaça – it is more like an aged Rhum Agricole in many ways. It perhaps carries a bit more molasses like toffee and caramel sweetness though. This may be the banana liqueur cask influence. Despite being housed in a liqueur barrel for six months it still shows a true ABV of 40% with the Hydrometer, which is good to see.

The finish isn’t very long – I don’t find many cachaça’s do have a long finish is light yet spicy with a lot of the black pepper again. Nice notes of cashew nut and some vanilla.

This is a very interesting cachaça in that it is both sweet and fiery at the same time. It’s really quite a distinctive product. I haven’t had a cachaça I could really compare to this one. Maybe Cambeba is as close as I have found in terms of profile but this is still a bit different to that.

In terms of putting cachaça into a “weird” cask, I guess you could say in the rum world Plantation do similar things with their rums, when they put them in the various “Ferrand” casks. I’ve enjoyed rums from Plantation, such as their Barbados 12 Year, finished in a Wild Cherry Cask. Which was very tasty and this cachaça, is also pretty tasty as well.

Trying cachaça, such as this makes me realise just how far away the UK market is at times. We really aren’t getting the “good stuff”, a lot of the time. Despite my reservations about the 2nd maturation, in the liqueur barrel, this is really quite subtle and very nicely balanced.

Rum Exchange Jamaica Trelawny Rum 5 Year Old Oloroso Finish

Rum Exchange Jamaica Trelawny Rum 5 Year Old Oloroso Finish
Bythefatrumpirate July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

Rum Exchange Jamaica Trelawny Rum 5 Year Old Oloroso Finish. Rum Exchange is a Facebook group which (as the name suggests) focuses on bottle swaps and trading samples and bottles of rum. The brains behind the venture is Andreas Isopp a Rum Enthusiast who lives in Dornbirn, Austria.

Rum Exchange Jamaica Trelawny Rum 5 Year Old Olroso Finish is the first release from the fledgling label. Another 5 Year Old Jamaican Rum from Worthy Park has also been released at the same time. From what I understand, the rums bottled under the Rum Exchange label have been sourced from Danish Importers and Distributors 1423.dk.

Jamaica Trelawny means that the rum is from the Hampden Estate. I am unsure why the distillery has not been disclosed. It may be because the other rum released is from Worthy Park, so maybe the brand thought best to focus on the location rather than the distillery. It is quite romantic in some ways.

The rum itself is a Single Cask rum. According to the rear label there are 355 bottles of this liquid available. However, Andreas has advised that this is a bottling error and there were actually only 331 bottles available on release.

The back label along with this incorrect information also informs us that it is a Pure Single Rum. It has spent 3 years in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to ex-oloroso Sherry casks for a further 2 years. The artwork used on the bottle is by Jamaican artist John Dunkley. It was distilled in 2013 and bottled in May 2019.

The front of the bottle reveals the ABV as Cask Strength of 61.5%. A 70cl bottle of this rum should set you back around €80 you can buy it direct here. Rum Exchange have also set up a distribution company in Austria and have an online store.

Presention wise I like the square stubby stylised bottle. You also get a nice chunky cork stopper as well. The painting used are a very high standard and overall the presentation is very professionally done. Good work for a start up label.

I’ve tried a good few “second maturation” or “finished” Jamaican rums over the past couple of years. As mentioned earlier Worthy Park and 1423.dk have collaborated on them quite a lot. I can’t think though, of any “second maturation” Hampden Estate rum that I have tried, I will likely be embarrassed by this at a later date when someone reveals I’ve reviewed a couple…….

Currently I am unsure what “marque” of rum has been used. I am not familiar with such young Hampdens other than the Habitation Velier LROK and HLCF marques, which were only slightly older at 6 years old.

So I think I am all out of information for now with this review so lets go ahead and see how this tastes.

In the glass this is a very dark Hampden. Not one I have seen much of before even in 35 year old Hampden rum. This must be the ex-oloroso sherry casks at play. At this stage suspicious me thought wet barrels. However, I had no need to be as a Hydrometer Test bobbed nicely at 62% ABV. So no dosage here.

Rum Exchange Jamaica Trelawny Rum 5 Year Old Oloroso Finish has a very strong sherry influence on the nose. It’s full of raisins and plump sultanas, mixed fruit peel and an almost Sticky Toffee Pudding aroma to it.

But unlike monstrosities such as Dos Maderas you still get those wonderful punchy Jamaiacan notes. The Hampden Estate rum is coming out to fight and it will not be silenced. Beneath the sweetness is a wonderful array of fiery spices – ginger, white pepper a touch of cumin. We get that familiar Jamaican burnt banana funk and pineapple juice but it is dialled down a notch by the sherry.

It definitely hasn’t been blunted or homogenised as can happen when too many additives are used – it’s just a different take on a Jamaican rum.

Sipped the relative youth of the distillate begins to show itself. As does it’s Jamaican teeth. As it to be expected the initial sips at full ABV are very spicy. This is a rum which you may find yourself adding a drop or two of water to. It hasn’t had a hugely long maturation and it is continentally aged, so don’t expect a hugely elegant sipping experience at full ABV.

Once your palate has adjusted to the rum you can begin to appreciate it more. The initial burst of intense woody spices, ginger and wafts of acidic pineapple juice, moves nicely into a mid palate which is less intense but every bit as complex. The mid palate has a real mix mash of spices on the tongue but they are carried along by some very nice stoned and dried fruit notes. Red wine and some Marsala like notes as well.

The finish has a slightly savoury heat to it – a kind of smokiness barbecued meat perhaps? It sounds odd but its actually very nice. The finish is very long and spicy but with a lot of sweetness carried along with it. This is not a very woody Hampden probably due to its youth and the time spent in the ex-Oloroso cask.

This is quite a different take on Hampden Estate rum. I would definitely make comparisons between this and the 1423.dk/Worthy Park collaborations. It would simply be stupid not to. If you enjoyed the different tastes and flavours those releases brought to Worthy Park then I would highly recommend trying this rum.

Due in part to its strength and its relative youth this won’t be an every day sipper of the type of rum you have more than say two glasses of. It is in terms of flavour profile for me – a little to intense for that. The odd glass though is really nice and I have thoroughly enjoyed trying this.

If you are a Hampden or Jamaican rum fan looking for something a little different then I would highly recommend trying this rum.

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Dead Reckoning Mhoba - South Africa

Dead Reckoning Mhoba – South Africa
Bythefatrumpirate February 20, 2023February 20, 2023

Dead Reckoning Mhoba – South Africa. We have in the past, reviewed both Dead Reckoning’s offerings and a few of Mhoba’s own wares. Today we are combining the two in a quite youthful independent bottling, which unfortunately for those of us in Europe is an Australia only release. Well, initially it was anyway………..

Dead Reckoning Mhoba – South Africa as mentioned is a fairly young rum. Coming in at 2 years and 5 months (or 29 months if you prefer). It has been aged for 2 years in “Boutes French Oak Ex Vrede Em Lust Red Wine Cask” a South African Cape Red Wine.

The Australian “Dry Ageing” took place in a Maker’s Mark “Level 3 Char” cask. For those who don’t know Maker’s Mark is a Bourbon Whisk(e)y. For those unfamiliar with Char Levels it runs from 1-4 with 4 being the most heavily charred.

The topic of Australian Dry Ageing is a fairly recent thing – in terms of it being talked about with this terminology. Justin Boseley the man behind Dead Reckoning was recently interviewed by 88 Bamboo, so for further information read the interview here.

May as well get it straight from the horses mouth.

ead Reckoning Mhoba South Africa is a Single Cask release comprising of 377 bottles. I have bottle number 306. It was released in Australia in December 2022 and has sold out. It is 100% Pot Distilled.

However, Justin has kept 42 bottles back from the release for distribution in Europe later this year. One of the stockists will be the wonderful Richard Blesgraaf who owns Zeewijck. So keep an eye out for them arriving.

Mhoba are a very interesting distillery. One of the few that sees the entire process through on their own, from growing organic sugarcane in their plantations, fermentation and distillation on their self-designed and built Pot Stills. Bottling and labelling is also done by hand at the distillery.

Mhoba produce mostly rums from freshly pressed Sugar Cane Juice in the agricole style rather than rum from molasses. It has been bottled at Cask Strength of 56% ABV.

I am unsure at present how much the rum will retail for in Europe. In Australia it was around $150 dollars.

Well thats all the information I have on this rum so lets get on to the fun part.

In the glass Dead Reckoning Mhoba – South Africa is a medium/golden brown with a yellow/orange hue.

On the nose I am getting fresh vegetal sugar cane spliced with some rich red wine, dark fruits and a touch of wet tar.

It’s rich and inviting – straddling the line between a agricole style rhum and a long wine aged molasses bases rum. It certainly noses a lot “older” or rather more “mature” than it’s age statement.

Further nosing reveals more lighter fruits such as strawberry and a touch of apricot. There is something slightly soapy and medicinal lurking as well but it works quite nicely.

On the sip it shows its 56% ABV. It’s quite hard hitting and very full on. Again it doesn’t seem to be running completely as you might expect a cane juice rum. I’m not sure if I would identify this as a cane juice rum in a blind tasting. Pretty sure I wouldn’t.

That said there are vegetal and grassy notes which seem to appear the more you delve into the rum and the longer you leave it in the glass.

There is a good hit of barrel influence on the rum – the initial entry is rich with lots of stoned fruits and hints of cranberry, peach and blackberry. This leads into a progression of more vegetal and grassy notes. As we get to the mid palate we move more towards the strong barrel influence. Lots of charred oak and spicy wood notes.

This is a complex and challenging rum. It’s interesting to see how much influence the barrels have had on this rum.

As we move into the finish Dead Reckoning Mhoba – South Africa once again, seems more mature than its years. The finish is full, rich and complex with lots going on. It evolves and the cane juice elements re-appear but they come along side the rich red wine notes from the first cask maturation. Woody spice and vanilla also move along nicely leaving to a long vibrant finish.

Overall this is a very nice rum. Quite a curious rum though as it shows elements of both young and more mature rum. It’s another example of Dead Reckoning and Justin Boseley being happy to push things and issue something a little different.

There is nothing safe about this release. Kudos to Dead Reckoning for releasing this. It’s bloody good stuff!

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Maria Joao Premium Cachaca Brasileira

Maria Joao Premium Cachaca Brasileira
Bythefatrumpirate June 14, 2020

Maria Joao Cachaca Brasileira Amburana. This cachaca producer hails from Santa Rosa in Rio Grande du Sol state.

Maria Joao cachaca is named rather simply after the owner Joao and his wife Maria. The brand was introduced in order to make the family farm ran by João Adalberto dos Santos, more profitable and less reliant on the local markets.

Joao looked at various different ventures but eventially decided he would produce an 100% natural artisanal cachaca on a Copper Alembic Pot Stills. Feasability studies on the property began in 2011. The first harvest of sugar cane for the cachaca took place in 2013 following two years of intensive training on how to distill and produce a quality cachaca.

Maria Joao Premium Cachaca Brasileira is one of the three cachacas currently in the Maria Joao portfolio. As well as a white cachaca they also have a Ouro cachaca, which like this expression is aged in native Amburana wood often called Brasilian Oak. It also goes by a great variety of other names in its native Brasil. Cachaca producers have largely stuck on Amburana as the spelling.

Maria Joao is a family run business with 6 members of the Adalberto dos Santos family working for the brand – Joao and his wife Maria along with their daughters Vanessa and Fernanda with their husbands Rodrigo and Vinícius respectively.

Information (which is sadly cannot date) notes that Maria Joao is produced from just 2 hectares of sugar cane with around 100 litres of cachaca produced per day. Sales are mostly to the south and south east of Brasil.

Maria Joao Cachaca Brasileira Premium is distilled in small batches on a Copper Alembic Pot Still, it is then rested for 1 year in stainless steel vats. The cachaca is then aged for 2 years in Amburana casks. It is bottled in a stubby 700ml sized bottle at 40% ABV.

Presentation is modern particularly the stubby bottle and the card sleeve for the cachaca. It’s clean and nicely done without any of the usual “flair” associated with some cachaca. It’s far from being gaudy or over the top. Maria Joao Premium Cachaca Brasileira retails at R$147 (£23), which is fairly pricy. It would cost a fair bit more than £23 were it to come to the UK and Europe.

Maria Joao have a website but it doesn’t show this particular cachaca. A little bit more infromation on the production of their cachaca would be welcome but it’s not a badly presented site at all. Likewise with their Facebook page – it all looks very modern and professional. They also have a few different videos on Youtube. Sadly, all in Portuguese so no use to ignoramuses like me. That said the area this cachaca is situated in looks very nice!

In the glass the Maria Joao Premium Cachaca Brasileira is a golden/dark brown colour. The nose is pretty strong for a spirit at just 40% ABV. Quite heavy. The Amburana influence is immediately apparent. There is a soapy/pine aroma coming from very prominently from the glass. It smells a little like disinfectant.

This I admit probably doesn’t sound to inviting but it is balanced by a creamy, milky note along with some nicely intergrated ginger and some less sharp herbal notes – pine cone and a touch of Pot Pourri. A slightly perfumed note that ensures this has balance to it’s heavier elements.

This is heavier and more intense than a lot of cachaca at this age.

Sipped Maria Joao Premium Cachaca Brasileira is much fruitier than I expected. Quite a lof of citrus zest on the initial couple of sips. Especially on the initial entry. The mid palate quicky evolves into more of the notes I got when nosing. Ginger comes through pretty quickly, along with the pine and a touch of carbolic soap. Again this might not sound to pleasant but once you acquire the taste for Amburana aged cachaca, it becomes something you enjoy about them.

Despite the quite “fiery” and intense nature of the nose the cachaca makes a lighter sipper than I expected. The finish is nicely done and beautifully balanced with vanilla and ginger balancing the notes of citrus, soap and pine cones. It is pretty long and the burn is just right.

As a sipping cachaca this is really pretty good. As long as you like Amburana aged cachaca. Price wise it’s certainly pretty expensive if you look at it solely on its age.

I enjoyed this and didn’t mix any of my sample.

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The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum

The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum
Bythefatrumpirate May 13, 2020

The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum. This one is filed under “should have reviewed a lot earlier”. You’ll struggle to find a bottle of this on the primary market. More likely to find a bottle or two at auction or another part of the secondary market.

Quite why I didn’t review it, I’m not so sure I just never got around to it. Distracted by other offerings. A number of other reviewers did review it though and it caused a bit of a fuss as a lot of people seemed to really like it.

As the title suggests this rum is from the Antigua Distillery. As the bottle and box remind us Antigua Distillery is the “The House of English Harbour”.

The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum is a collaboration between Antigua Distillery and Velier. Luca Gargano visited the distillery in 2018 and found a lot of some 27 casks with a high congener count 218 g/hlpa. He used these casks in this outturn of rum and kept one exceptional cask to be bottled at full cask strength as part of Velier’s 70th Anniversary celebration.

Most of this information is provided on the label which gives a fair amount of information but is perhaps less detailed in this respect than usual. You can tell this is Velier collaboration by the 3/4 opaque bottle used, though the label and card sleeve are not in the usual Velier style. When originally released I don’t think I paid much more than £50 for a bottle.

Distilled on the continuous three-column Savalle still, The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum was bottled at 66%.Even at just 6 years old (distilled 2012 bottled 2018) it had a 44% of cask losses due to the Angel’s Share. It was aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

Unlike some of English Harbour’s other releases this did not worry the hydrometer and came up clean. So let’s move on and see what all the fuss was about.

In the glass we have a golden brown rum with an orange hue. Nosing The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum I am immediately put in mind of Foursquare 2004. It has that same very woody ex-bourbon influence. It’s quite “heavy” in the sense it has some very woody dry red wine notes. Not fruitiness but definitiely the more tannic woody notes.

It is a rum which is best left to air for a while and on occasion you may find yourself needing a drop or two water. It’s not so much a “blow your socks off” type of high ester monster but it is quite intense.

In terms of the nose I would say it is more intense than necessarily complex. It doesn’t have layers of complexity. What notes you get – heavy quite oaky spice, vanilla, milk chocolate and a bit of lemon zest are nice but you won’t be bowled over by the nose. It’s still a fairly young rum.

Sipped it’s a little sharp at full strength. Very woody and lots of oak spice and zesty lemon. As mentioned earlier there will be days when you may wish to add a little water. It can be a little too dry at times.

That said when the mood takes me this rum really is very nice. The type of rum that delivers a lot of intense flavour. So each sip is short and you will take a fair bit of time between each sip.

The intensity of flavour on the sip, which can be a little overwhelming ensures that you get a very long mid palate and finish. The intense and quite dry initial entry is very woody and spicy but the mid palate sees the rum develop further complexity.

Sweeter,fruiter notes of banana and a tiny hit of coconut. Lots of darker more bitter plums and a touch of gooseberry. Honey and milk chocolate. All overlayed with some spicy ginger and a touch of chilli heat.

The finish is long,quite rich – cocoa, raisin and spicy pepper. The woody notes combine nicely with the softer fruitier elements.

In terms of profile you may find this offering might put you in mind of some of the heavier Foursquare ECS or Velier collaborations. I definitely feel in terms of style English Harbour/The Antigua Distillery have a lot in common with Foursquare in terms of profile. A better fit however due to the slightlier spicier profile might be Sunset Rum from Saint Vincent. In particular their Captain Bligh XO. Which I really enjoyed a few years back

This was a great rum at a great price. Apologies for not reviewing sooner!

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1931 St Lucia Distillers - 6th Edition

1931 St Lucia Distillers – 6th Edition
Bythefatrumpirate April 24, 2018

1931 St Lucia Distillers 6th Edition. Hard to believe we are upto the 6th edition of this annual release, already. We had to wait a while for the 5th edition to arrive in the UK. This arrived about the same time, towards the end of 2017.

We’ve reviewed all of the previous St Lucia 1931 bottlings and I snapped a bottle (or two) of these up as soon as I could. As with all the 1931 bottlings, I have taken my time with the review as they are very complex at times challenging rums.

Going forward this will be the last of the “old style” annual 1931’s. St Lucia Distillers are having an overhaul of just about all their ranges and whilst they are keeping the 1931 in the portfolio it will no longer be a scheduled annual release.

In the UK a bottle of 1931 St Lucia Distillers – 6th Edition will set you back around £60. The ABV is now set at 46%. Presentation wise this is the same as previous efforts though this time the colour scheme is a slightly off white/cream colour. Everything else remains the same. I really like the bottles they are really classy and the cork stopper is huge and gives a very premium feel to the package. This rum celebrates the 85th Anniversay of the Distillery. I have bottle number 2951.

The 1931 blends are very complicated. This effort is no exception. Once again Michael Speakman from St Lucia Distillers has been very kind with us time and gave us the following information on the blend

6%: Column Still, Blend No. 101, Aged 11 years, matured in Bourbon Oak.
16%: Column Still, Blend No. 101, Aged 7 years, matured in Bourbon Oak.
35%: Column Still, Blend No. 104, Aged 10 years, matured in Bourbon Oak.
10%: John Dore 2 Pot Still, Aged 11 years, matured in Bourbon Oak.
10%: John Dore 1 Pot Still, Aged 9 years, matured in Bourbon Oak.
10%: John Dore/Column Still blend, Aged 7 years, matured in Bourbon Oak.
3%: Caroni (Trinidad), Aged 9 years, matured in Bourbon Oak.
10%: Sugar Cane Rum/John Dore Pot Still, Aged 8 years, matured in Bourbon Oak (Agricole)
Totals:
60%: Column Still
30%: Pot Still
10%: Pot/Column Blend

So as you can see their is a lot going on with this rum.

So lets move on and see how well this years (well last years) effort has done.

In the glass the 1931 6th Edition is a familiar colour. The 1931 rums are all roughly the same golden brown colour with red and orange flashes. Caramel Colouring for consistency? I think so though I could be wrong.

The nose is familiar – brine and sea salt and those notes of pine cone and conifers. It’s very “woody” but in terms of green trees in woods rather than oak. Further nosing reveals some lighter vanilla notes, a slightly perfumed almost pot pourri note. Hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and some lemon juice.

Further nosing reveals a hint of tobacco leaf, some dried fruits – hints of raisins and just a little bit of cocoa. It has a nicely balanced and very refreshing note the more you nose. As you progress with the nosing the initial salty and pine like notes become less obvious. Time in the glass reveals a lot with this rum. I recommend highly that you leave it to stand for 10-15 minutes.

It’s a really complex and very rewarding nose. You can spend a lot of time nosing this rum.

Sipped the 1931 6th Edition is equally complex. Most of the notes of the nose transfer beautifully across to the taste buds. It is sweeter than the nose would suggest with a good integration of the spices from the various oak barrels. The cane juice rum is very apparent giving it a feel very similar to Rhum JM XO. There is a lot of zesty and vibrant spicy notes coming through.

The Caroni element doesn’t really show itself all that much but there is much going on in this blend it is difficult to pin point what is coming from where.

I’m a big fan of well blended Pot and Column distilled rums – I often feel they produce the “best” rums. The Pot adds rich flavours and the column balances and calms things down. This rum is no exception and it has a really nice balance to it.

The initial sweetness and bursts of zest and spice go alongside some really nice tropical fruit notes -pineapple juice and a touch of red apple. The mid palate is refreshing with a good weight of oak and spice – ginger and some really nice bourbon like sourness.

The finish is really enjoyable as well and long-lasting. Again its rich and very vibrant – really nicely defined and very “clear”. It is a well-defined and very complex sipping rum. Hints of tobacco and more of the pine cones and a little bit of Christmas tree?

All the 1931 releases have been excellent (the 3rd edition was perhaps an exception). I think this one may well be my favourite so far. But its all very close. I wouldn’t turn down a glass of any of these excellent rums.

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R.L Seale's Old Brigand Barbados Rum

R.L Seale’s Old Brigand Barbados Rum
Bythefatrumpirate July 7, 2018July 8, 2018

R.L Seale’s Old Brigand Barbados Rum. This rum was formerly known as Alleyne Arthur’s Old Brigand Barbados rum. The rum is quite a staple on the island. Though you will be quite fortunate to find it outside of Barbados. I’ve been fortunate enough that a few very generous friends have brought me back bottles from Barbados.

I was also fortunate to get some information on the brand from Foursquare Rum Distillery’s Master Distiller and Blender Richard Seale. Foursquare now own the brand.

“In Barbados all of the rum “brands” were originally independent bottlers. Not unlike all of the Scotch Whisky blends. It was the law after 1906 as rum distilleries were then only allowed to sell in bulk.

So back in the day there were dozens of brands. All wholesale traders bought rum from the distilleries and bottled in their name. Names like John D Taylor, ESA Field, Alleyne Arthur, Johnson & Redman (survives today as J&R rum), Martin Doorly, R L Seale etc.

So there was and still are Alleyne Arthur rums. But back in the 1960’s? (could be later), Alleyne Arthur created a new brand – Alleyne Arthur’s ‘Old Brigand’ rum with all the features of a modern brand – a nice label, map of Barbados and a pirate.

Alleyne Arthur acquired Martin Doorly in the 70’s and we (Foursquare) acquired Alleyne Arthur in 1993.

So we dropped the title name and made it R L Seale’s Old Brigand. We still sell Alleyne Arthur rum. It’s full name is ‘Alleyne Arthur’s Special Barbados Rum’.”

So there is a little history for you. I am very pleased to give a bit extra background to the Old Brigand rum as I also have the “Black Label” Old Brigand Rum to review as well. So any extra information is always welcome. Especially historical information such as this.

Back in the present R.L Seale’s Old Brigand Barbados Rum is bottled at (what seems to be quite common on the island) 43% ABV. It is available in just about every bottle size from 50ml to 1 litre. Widely available across the island and extremely popular. Commonly known as the One Eyed Man and is regularly consumed neat or with cola.

It is a mix of pot and column distilled rums from the Foursquare Rum Distillery. Although it has no formal age statement it is largely thought to be a 5 year old rum. I would say based mainly on how inexpensive it is on the island it may be more likely a blend up to 5 years old. But I am often wrong.

In the glass Old Brigand Barbados Rum is a dark/golden brown colour. The nose is very familiar and very Foursquare. From the off I will say that I find the Old Brigand has a bit more bite to it than Doorly’s 5 Year Old or even the XO. I’d say this is more the Foursquare equivalent of Mount Gay’s Black Barrel or perhaps more like their now discontinued Eclipse Black.

As familiar as the nose it – it is still very good. I’m getting quite a lot of charred barrel, which sits alongside a lot of coconut. Sweet, soft, light toffee alongside banana, a touch of ginger and a touch of cocoa and coffee.

Whilst it sounds quite light it does have a certain heavier feel to it. A certain menace lurking possibly from the slightly higher 43% ABV.

Sipped it is fairly hefty for a Bajan rum. It’s not a huge bruising heavy rum but it does have a decent amount of “booze” to it. The charred flavours return alongside some dark chocolate and there is a nice amount of bourbon like zesty spice. It is maybe a touch on the bitter side for a regular sipper. Probably something which you might buy in these little “hip flask” size bottles and have an occasional swig of. Like a proper alcoholic…..

In Barbados they seem to have no inhibitions of snobbiness when it comes to mixing rum with cola. Which is good because this particular reviewer has never made any claims that he doesn’t enjoy a really good rum and cola.

I think this rum makes the best rum and cola I have ever tried. The kick and slight char work really well alongside the cola. It is also a very “smoothing” rum which flattens some of the carbonation in the cola. I don’t like overtly fizzy cola. So this works wonderfully for me. When you begin mixing Old Brigand you realise that all the notes that were on the nose – coconut, banana, toffee etc return.

I dare say some people might scoff at my score for this rum. I know at least one of my friend who visited Barbados and initially passed on this rum as it looked to “cheap” to be any good. For the price it is available for on Barbados it is probably the biggest rum bargain in the world. I personally think Foursquare should look to put this out to the export market. I’d have this over Doorly’s 5 and 8 every time.

I’ve not asked Richard much about this rum as I didn’t want to have any preconceptions. I will however be more than happy to add some more notes to this review to explain exactly what the blend/age of this rum should he read this.

Please note: Richard did indeed read the review and confirmed that the rum in the blend is between 2 and 3 years old. Thanks Richard

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