Cachaca Tabua Flor de Prata

Bythefatrumpirate

Cachaca Tabua Flor de Prata rum review by the fat rum pirate Cachaca Tabua Flor de Prata. We are back in Salinas, Minas Gerais for this review of a white cachaca from  Tabua Industria e Comercio de Cachaca Ltda. Luckily they stick to just Tabua for this brand of cachaca.

Cachaca Tabua have two cachaca’s in their portfolio. This Flor de Ouro and a cachaca Flor de Ouro which is aged for 10 years in Balsam casks. Cachaca Tabua Flor de Prata has been bottled at 42% ABV. It is available in a variety of bottles sizes 50ml, 600ml, 670ml and 700ml. The price of the 600ml – 700ml size bottles seems to to vary quite a bit online. It can even be found on Amazon for R$45.

Fazenda Tabua is located just off the Salinas- Taiobeiras Highway 30km away from the nearest town Taiobeiras. As with most artisanal cachaca all the sugar cane used in the cachaca production is harvested on site. The fermentation period is 24 hours and the cachaca is distlled on Copper Pot Stills.

Cachaca Tabua Flor de Prata is stored in Jequitiba vats, which gives the cachaca flavour but does not “colour” the cachaca.

Should you require more information on Cachaca Tabua they have their own website and Facebook page.

I’ve been overall pretty impressed with Cachaca from the Minas Gerais region so far (it’s often referred to as the Cachaca Capital after all) so it will be interesting to see how I get on with this “unaged” White Cachaca.

In the glass the Jequitiba wood has not altered the appearance of the cachaca – it is as crystal clear as vodka. Here’s hoping it doesn’t taste like vodka though.

The nose on Cachaca Tabua Flor de Prata is full of vanilla and single cream. The slight increase in ABV – a lot of white cachaca is at 38-40% ABV gives a bit more body and a bit more booze on the nose.It’s almost mildly aggressive……Cachaca Tabua Flor de Prata rum review by the fat rum pirate

It’s not really it’s pretty laidback, light and lightly flowery. It isn’t going to blow any prospective “sniffer” away but it is all very nicely balanced and very pleasant.

As a sipper it is a little rough around the edges. Some more pronounced boozy notes batttle with the lighter vanilla and creamy notes. They win pretty much hands down giving this a slightly harsh almost metallic taste. There is a slightly soapy and light woody note in the mid palate. It is a bit more complex than the intiial few sips would suggest.

Finish wise you are met with a lot of ginger and spicy almost peppery notes. It’s a reasonable length but it does leave a kind of bitter after taste in the mouth. Being honest this is not makng for the greatest sipping experience I have ever encountered. Far from it even from an unaged white cachaca stand point.

So what should I be doing with this cachaca? Well as with most clear spirits it is better suited to mixing. Even the website advises doing so. So mix I will.

The Brasilian staple a Caiprinha works nicely with Cachaca Tabua Flor de Prata. I like the “boozier” notes of the cachaca and the 42% ABV delivers just a bit more body to the drink. It works really nicely and isn’t at all lost in the drink. A Ti Punch is also very pleasant with this cachaca the creamier notes really make for a very refreshing alternative to Rhum Agricole.

As with a lot of cachaca, cola and ginger beer aren’t its best partner but it makes a half decent stab at it. Better than some.Cachaca Tabua Flor de Prata rum review by the fat rum pirate

Overall this is a decent/good white unaged cachaca when used as a mixer. It doesn’t hit the mark as a sipper. It lacks any real complexity and is a bit harsh – almost Tequila like in some ways. I find myself “shotting” it which is not how I like to enjoy my spirits. I’m not 21 anymore…….(I’m an old fart double that age)

I would be keen to try Cachaca Tabua Flor de Ouro as that is aged for 10 years in Balsam and will be an entirely different proposition. I’ll have to ask my supplier to get me some…..

Good but nothing spectacular and certainly not something to sip on.

 

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  • S.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017

    Bythefatrumpirate

    S.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017 rum cachaca review by the fat rum pirateS.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017. 1423 have released a few “Brazilian Rums” over the past few years – they even blended one with a Barbados rum.

    Now technically the juice in this bottle is Cachaca. However due to a lack of understanding regarding Cachaca’s independent bottlers and even brands such as Ben Bom label their products “Brazilian Rum”. I guess this helps appeal and not alienate certain consumers who do not understand the spirit. Fair enough I say.

    In fairness to 1423 on their website they do note this as Brazilian Cachaca Rum. Looking at the bottle, it is not immediately identified as rum or cachaca from what I can see. I’m going to call it cachaca for the purpose of this review – even though the part ageing in Europe for some might suggest it shouldn’t be labelled cachaca.

    Luckily quite a lot of other information is available both on the bottle and at their website. So lets take a look and see exactly what the juice in this bottle might be…..

    The cachaca comes from the Pardin Distillery. You can read a review of one of their more famous bottlings here courtesy of Rum Diaries Blog. It is 100% Pot Still cachaca made with fresh sugar cane juice. A portion of this cachaca was distilled in 2013 and some was distilled in 2017. They have been married together into one barrel which eventually yielded just 282 bottles. It has been finished in an ex-Oloroso sherry cask before being bottled in August 2020 in Denmark.

    It has been bottled at 45% ABV. Legally Cachaca cannot exceed 48% ABV. If it does it is called Aguardente de Cana. In Europe I guess such a spirit could be labelled rum.

    S.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017 retails at around £100 and is currently available at Master of Malt. Presentation wise it comes in their signature stubby bottle and you get an attractive carboard sleeve with a “viewing slot” so you can see your rum.S.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017 rum cachaca review by the fat rum pirate

    I’m quite excited to see independent bottlers picking up cachaca and giving it an “exotic” finish. It will be interesting to see how this works!

    In the glass we are presented with a very dark brown spirit. Almost mahogany like.

    The nose is an inviting harmony of conventional aged cachaca notes – light vanilla, some soured cream, clotted cream and some light spicy wood and the Oloroso finish.

    So we are presented with sweet rich notes of raisin, honey, citrus and some white wine. The nose is rich and full. It’s almost luxurious and dense. Very dense.

    It has a very distinctive orange aroma to it as well. But not in the sweetened liqueuer sense like Pyrat XO – it is authentic and reminds me of Seville Oranges.

    It’s a very nice and very inviting nose.

    Sipped Pardin Oloroso is not as sweet as the nose suggested. I was suspicious that some of the Oloroso was still swishing around the barrel but once I tasted this I wasn’t quite so sure (there isn’t I Hydrometer tested it as well, its clean). It’s much more citrus heavy than I was expecting with far more “bite” and spice particularly on the initial entry.

    There is more cachaca than I was expecting with a very nice mid palate built around delicate vanilla and some double cream. A pleasant array of spices – a touch of ChristmasS.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017 rum cachaca review by the fat rum pirate cake remind you of the Oloroso finish. As things should be with a finished or second maturation the Oloroso doesn’t dominate – it contributes and brings extra layers to the cachaca. You can always taste the cachaca though.

    As you continue to sip the initial entry shows more of the raisin and fruitiness that was on the nose. The mid palate and finish continue you to grow in complexity. This makes for a really nice sipper. It’s sweet but not in an “added sugar” kind of way.

    The finish is long and has a lot of stoned fruits and berries. A slightly bitter note mingles alongside the warming oak spices which build and slowly fade away nicely.

    A lovely spirit overall really tasty and full of both cachaca and sherry flavours.

  • Cachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Cachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional Rum Review by the fat rum pirateCachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional. As I enter the website for Prosa Mineira I am informed that it is “The most awarded from Minas Gerais”. Now Minas Gerais is widely regarded as the “birthplace” of cachaca. For many it is the best region of Brasil to find cachaca.

    So its quite a statement to make. Or is it? Is a brand really recognised by the number of awards it wins. I know of one reasonably well known rum brand that proclaims itself as the “Most Awarded Rum Brand in 2018/19”.

    The thing is that these awards are largely pay to play competitions, where entries are invited. I can’t think of one competition that hand picks entries in a sense that they don’t have to pay or at least put themselves forward for the award.

    So yes you can win the most awards but as so many competitions give out awards to virtually all participants, is it really an indication of quality to a consumer?

    Of course its not and people should do well to research more. I certainly would not recommend to anyone buying anything based on shiny gold medals and awards displayed on bottles.

    Anyway, I digress!

    Cachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional is part of a line up of cachaca’s that began in 2010. The branding used is quite “old fashioned” and I had assumed the cachaca Cachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional Rum Review by the fat rum piratehas been around for some time. Luckily for me as the brand is quite “new” they have a nice shiny website. Which has been useful for researching this review.

    Production of Cachaca Prosa Mineira takes place in the city of Santa Rita de Caldas, which is in Southern Minas Gerais some 456km from the state capital Belo Horizonte. Which if I recall correctly hosted some matches at the 2014 World Cup. I’m sure England played a game there.

    The sugar cane used to produced Cachaca Prosa Mineira is cultivated one site and is harvested and then grinded/cut within 24 hours. The sugar cane juice is then fermented using only natural yeasts for 24 hours.

    The resulting “high wine” is then distilled in a Copper Pot Still. Everything is done by hand no chemicals are used during any part of the process.

    Cachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional is then rested for one year in stainless steel barrels. It is not aged in woCachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional Rum Review by the fat rum pirateod at all. It is available in 50ml, 160ml, 250ml, 500ml and 700ml bottle sizes.

    When researching the brand online I have struggled to find the cachaca at 39% ABV. it is definitely the Cachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional that I am reviewing. I have an “official” miniature from the distillery, rather than a sample from a larger bottle. It is noted on the website that this cachaca is 42% ABV. However, my miniature is 39% ABV. Running the Hydrometer Test shows my sample is indeed 39% ABV.

    Puzzling but we’ll press on and do the review!

    Cachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional presents itself as entirely clear spirit. Which is to be expected as it has not been aged in wood. Steel does not impart colour. Unless something rusts I guess…….

    The nose is quite vegetal with a lot of sugar cane aromas. There is a slightly sour fruity note as well- gooseberries and some tart raspberry. There is spiciness as well an aromatic, perfumed spice which is undercut slightly by a buttery note of shortbread and a touch of banana bread.

    It’s quite a light nose in terms of alcohol but its not in terms of aromas and complexity. It’s a really nice cachaca for nosing.

    Taking as sipper it is initially quite “mineral” like, its very easy going and remarkably smooth for an unaged spirit. It’s easy drinking unaged cachaca. It’s not hugely complex but what is there is pleasant.

    It is less vegetal than the nose suggests and is definitely on the lighter side (even for cachaca). There’s a nice zesty note to it – of lemon/lime which adds a bit of “oomph” to things and keeps it interesting.

    The finish and the mid palate aren’t particularly long but the Cachaca Prosa Mineira Cachaca Prosa Mineira Tradicional Rum Review by the fat rum pirateTradicional doe fade out nicely with a spicy kick and some more mineral like qualities.

    As a mixer it works as a good unaged cachaca should. It works nicely with the likes of a Caiprinha or a Ti Punch. It goes nicely with more simple cocktails and less “lighter” cocktails.

    I think I might have enjoyed the 42% ABV version of this cachaca a little more but this is still a more than satisfactory unaged cachaca. The balance and harmony of the flavours shows that the “resting” in stainless steels vats works.

    All in all a good cachaca but perhaps nothing too exciting.

     

  • El Dorado Cask Aged 3 Years Demerara Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    El Dorado 3 Year Demerara White Rum review by the fat rum pirateAn El Dorado Demerara White Rum aged for at least 3 years in oak casks, then double filtered through natural charcoal to remove the colour.  This pretty much rounds off my El Dorado collection.  The 3,5,12,15 and 21 have now been reviewed.  Time will tell if any of the Single Cask, Spiced or Overproof offerings ever get a review.  Time and Geography anyway as if I could actually get certain El Dorado rums I wouldn’t hesitate…..

    DDL (Demerara Distillers Limited) produce a fantastic range of Demerara rums which I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys their rum sweet and fruity.  This offering however offers something slightly different being a white mixing rum.

    I’ll take my hat off to El Dorado for not only bothering to age and charcoal filter a white rum for a minimum of 3 years but also to be able to get it onto the UK market for around £20 per bottle.  This offering comes in the same bottle as the 5 and 8 year old El Dorado rums.  I think that the different bottlings afforded to the 3,5 and 8 are to identify these rums as predominantly “mixing” rums.  It is certainly much quicker and easier to pour out of these bottles than the stubby 12,15 and 21 year olds.  My empty bottles of the 8 year old are testament to that.

    I’ve tasted quite a bit of White Rum lately and built up a fairly decent collection.  To date I think the Lemon Hart White Rum has boasted the best score with most getting an average 2 star rating.  Which I think is perfectly appropriate for what is mostly an unaged mixing spirit.

    So lets see if El Dorado can set the bar any higher than Lemon Hart (which contained a fair portion of DDL’s rum anyway).  So firstly as mentioned the presentation.  Well it knocks Lemon Hart White Rum out of the ball park straight away.  As always El Dorado excel presentation wise.

    However, how does the El Dorado 3 Years stack up in the important parts of the review? That’s the real test.  First up is the nose and I have to say I was a little disappointed with this.  I got glimpses of Demerara but not a great deal unfortunately.  It didn’t hit you with sweet almost floral fruity notes like the 5 year old.  Nor did it have the added treacle/chocolatey notes of the 8 Year Old.  The El Dorado Demerara was there within the mix but it was interlaced with some fairly strong alcohol fumes (to be expected in a young rum).  Comparing this with the Lemon Hart it is slightly subdued in terms of the fruit notes.  As with most white rums both are pretty sweet.

    In the mouth when sipped the rum exhibits a lot of its youth.  It is possible to sip young rums but young white rums are really classic sippers.  At only 3 years old this rum has no right or claim to be a sipper.  The sip is initially quite smooth but it quickly gives way to quite a strong alcohol burn in the mouth.  Leading to a little bitter after taste which lingers in the mouth.  There are traces of that sweet fruity Demerara we so love El Dorado for but not enough for me.  Again, comparing it to Lemon Hart it is slightly smoother but doesn’t quite have as much flavour.

    So how will the El Dorado work as a mixer?  I’ll shake things up a little here for my review and rather than mix with cola we’ll try a little lemonade. It’s fair to say that comparing the El Dorado and the Lemon Hart side by side is quite difficult once you have mixed them.  The taste is very similar.  The Lemon Hart is slightly sweeter and slightly rougher in terms of the young alcohol mouth feel.  The El Dorado is more muted in terms of flavour but is a smoother and slightly easier spirit to drink.  With cola it is much the same story both hold their own and make a pleasant mixed drink.  Nothing is really floating my boat though.

    I have seen glowing reviews of both this and the Plantation 3 stars.  Now whilst neither rum is bad (despite some people being quite upset with my comments regarding the Plantation 3 stars) neither are as outstanding as has been made out.  Both are pleasant mixing white rums which can make very pleasant mixed drinks or cocktails.

    But, before anyone suggests I am dissing down on white rum I’m not.  There will be a review coming soon which shows just how good a white rum can be.

    Added Sugar: No information currently available

    3 stars

     

     

     

    This rum is available from

    THEDRINKSHOP

  • Cachaca Alambique Brasil Carvalho e Amburana

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Cachaca Alambique Brasil Carvalho e Amburana review by the fat rum pirateCachaca Alambique Brasil Carvalho e Amburana. I have previously written about this brand’s Ouro cachaça. That cachaca is aged solely in Amburana wood. This cachaça is a blend aged in both Carvalho (oak) and Amburana.

    Hailing from the Serra do Cadeado House of Cachaca in Ortigueira, Parana State. Cachaca Alambique Brasil Ouro is produced under the guidance of Master Blender Armando Del Bianco.

    Oritgueira is known as the Capital of Honey in Brasil. It is the countries largest exporter of the bee’s sweet nectar. Cachaca Alambique Brasil is produced in an ecological and sustainable environment. Everything used in the production of their cachaca is recycled or reused. Sugar Cane Bagasse is recycled in various ways and Svinasse, after being treated and mixed with manure, is used as fertiliser for the various crops on the plantation.

    So once again we have another cachaça producer committed to producing environmentally friendly cachaça.

    Cachaca Alambique Brasil Carvalho e Amburana is blend of cachaça aged for 8 months in new Amburana (a native Brasillian wood) and cachaça aged for 2 years in used oak (Carvalho). The Amburana barrels contain 200 litres of cachaça and the Carvalho barrels contain 180 litres of cachaça.

    It has been quite difficult to find any further information on this particular expression and I have struggled to find it for sale online. So I am unsure how much it retails for. I assume it is quite a bit more expensive than their standard Ouro, which I reviewed last year. Presentation wise, as you can see it certainly looks more premium.

    In the glass we have a straw coloured spirit. Nothing remarkable, if you are used to coloured molasses rum. Which often looks much more vibrant. This is a more honest colour with no colourings used. Unlike many molasses based rums……..

    The nose opens with a mild array of spices – cinnamon and ginger predominantly. There are some nice notes of wood and allspice as well. Further nosing reveals a creaminess and some shortbread. There is a nice balance of vanilla and some icing sugar, which makes for a really nice well rounded nose.

    Sipped Cachaca Alambique Brasil Carvalho e Amburana has a really nice spicy bite on the initial sip. Lots of ginger and cinnamon, with some really nice spicy wood and a slightly sweet soapy note. A touch of vanilla ice cream.

    There is a slightly bitterness to the mid palate which adds a bit more wood to the preceedings. It also gives the sweeter notes of the initial sip a bit more depth and complexity.

    Cachaca Alambique Brasil Carvalho e Amburana is not as sweet as the nose suggested. It has a very sligCachaca Alambique Brasil Carvalho e Amburana review by the fat rum pirateht medicinal note to it in the mid palate. Maybe just a tiny bit too soapy for some tastes. This however is rescued by the rich, warming finish.

    It lingers far longer than you expect. Overall this is quite a light, clean tasting cachaça. At first you think all the flavour has gone but it almost returns to the mix. Giving some really nice warming notes of oak and allspice.

    It’s more of an easy every day sipper than something that I would class as special but it has a very nice overall balance. The flavours that are there in what is a fairly light tasting cachaça, are well defined and nicely put together by the blender.

    As a mixer its light nature means it is really best used solely as a sipper. It is also really to good a cachaça to really be mixing.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Cachaca de Salinas Piragibana

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Cachaca de Salinas Piragibana Rum Review by the fat rum pirateCachaca de Salinas Piragibana. The secrets of Mr. Juvenito. This Premium Cachaca has been produced since 1974 and was originally produced by Senhor Deka of “Havana” (another very well regarded Premium Cachaca – we will review that soon) alongside Ney Correa, who passed on his great knowledge of Cachaca to Juventino Gomes de Miranda.

    Cachaca de Salinas Piragibana is one of the longest aged Cachaca’s available. It hails from Salinas, Minas Gerais which is regarded by many as the best Cachaca producing region in Brasil.

    Cachaca de Salinas Piragibana is aged for 20 years in Balsam casks. Bottled at 47% ABV (the limit for a Cachaca is 48% ABV) and comes in a almost “beer” like 600ml bottle. It even has a metal cap for which you need a bottle opener for! Bizarre for such an aged product.

    Despite this sales of Cachaca de Salinas Piragibana are very strong in Brasil. As you can see from the presentation they don’t really have any ambitions to enter the European or Worldwide market. Cachaca is such a huge market – we are talking billions of litres per year produced and sold in Brasil alone, they do not need worry about selling this product out. Currently they are only bottling aged stocks of this rum – around 10,000 litres last year. They are not producing new Cachaca currently as they have a lot of aged stocks. I think this retails at around the £50 mark in Brasil but converting and appreciating how much a bottle may cost in the UK is tricky. Likely nearer £100 per bottle.

    It is produced in small batches in Pot Stills. Back in 2014 this was voted the 37th best Artisanal Cachaca in the world by those in the know. That maybe doesn’t sound all that impressive but there are thousands of Cachaca brands and even more Cachaca’s!

    So lets move onto to tasting this rather exclusive if slightly odd looking bottle.

    In the glass Cachaca de Salinas Piragibana is a light brown – a straw/white wine like colour. I would expect a “darker” spirit after 20 years in wood but I am not an expert. It is noted that balsam will only impart a golden colour to the Cachaca and notes of anise and strong spices. (Some of this is reliant on translating from PortuCachaca de Salinas Piragibana Rum Review by the fat rum pirateguese so bare with me).

    The nose is quite funky. Quite a lot of solvent like notes – glue, nail varnish. Quite “Long Pond” like in many ways. That is counteracted by a more floral, slightly soapy aroma with lots of softer sweeter banana and some notes of liquorice and menthol. Despite this there is a softness and a gentle note of balsam and mild ginger.

    It’s very complex and will appeal to lovers of Jamaican rum and Cachaca. It is funky like a Jamaican rum but has a softness and a lighter touch that a good aged Cachaca can provide. There are grassy more vegetal notes to be found but they are balanced with a really nice light “woody” note which just adds layers of complexity.

    Sipped Cachaca de Salinas Piragibana is very easy to drink – even at the 47% ABV. I will say at this point that Cachaca and despite the descriptors I have used a particularly “aggressive” drink. It has a lot in common with Jamaican’s in terms of flavour and Agricole in terms of complex nuances and a grassy edge but it carries a balance which is found in the best Bajan rums.

    It’s smoky on the palate with a really nice array of spices upon entry – ginger, a touch of cinnamon, allspice. There is a touch of tobacco lurking in there as well.

    This is a really “clean” tasting spirit. A real palate cleanser but as you sip it more you realise the complexity and balance that makes it such a great sip.

    The finish is long and woody but in a very subtle way – notes of tobacco and peanuts, almonds and some sunflower seeds. The more you sip the more you notice these notes on the entry and in the mid palate as well. It’s spicy and refreshing. Rich and vibrant but with a smoky more aged profile.

    It isn’t at all graCachaca de Salinas Piragibana Rum Review by the fat rum piratessy or vegetal but it still retains a certain “freshness” and vibrancy you might associate with a younger Cachaca. It’s a very clear well defined spirit.

    There is so much going on with this Cachaca I may be doing it a bit of a dis-service. For a sipper with it being so easy going it is very more-ish.

    This is excellent stuff. Highly recommended if you get chance to try this please do. But do not go into expecting “rum” this is very different even to “rhum.

    For once forget rum and embrace a new sugar cane spirit.

     

  • Berry Bros & Rudd The Classic Range Barbados Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Berry Bros & Rudd The Classic Range Barbados Rum review by the fat rum pirateBerry Bros & Rudd The Classic Range Barbados Rum. Berry Bros & Rudd or Berrys’ have been bottling Premium Rum from all around world, for all the time I have been interested in rum.

    At one stage they were one of the few Independent bottlers. Their bottlings would typically be at 46% ABV, which at the time was pretty much the standard set in both rum and whisky. Berrys’ have never released a whole range of “Cask Strength” rums like some bottlers have chosen to do.

    Rather than compete in that space Berrys’ seem to be focusing on the more budget conscious amongst us. As well as introducing (via Medine Distillery) the Penny Blue range of rums.They have also followed trend and released a Spiced Rum – Spice Hunter with a retail price of around £25. They are now expandiing “The Classic Range” branch of their business which bottles whisky into the rum world.

    The first batch of these classic rums include rums from Barbados, Jamaica, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Islands/Countries which have all seen considerable interest in their rums over past 10 years.

    Today I am reviewing the Barbados Rum in the Classic Range which hails from the Foursquare Rum Distillery. The rum is blend of Pot and Column distilled spirit. It has been bottled at 40.5% ABV.

    For various reasons Berrys’ are unwilling/unable to give any further information on the rum. I did ask. So I do not know how old the rums in this blend are or the % of Tropical and European ageing. Likewise I have no information on % of Pot and Column rum in the blend. I am assuming that all the rum has been aged in ex-bourbon casks. There is nothing to suggest otherwise.

    The rums in Berry Bros & Rudd The Classic Range retail on their website at £32.

    So with little else to say about either the rum or Foursquare DistilleryBerry Bros & Rudd The Classic Range Barbados Rum review by the fat rum pirate we may as well see how this rum matches upto other Barbados Rums at a similar price point. Doorlys 5 Year Old, Mount Gay Black Barrel and Neptune Rum might have a bit of a run(m) for their money on here…..let’s see.

    In the glass we have a rum which is best described as yellow. Slightly brighter than straw but definitely not a golden rum.

    Nosing we are in very familiar territory – light spices, vanilla, toffee and a touch of coconut. It’s not the biggest nose I have ever experienced in a Foursquare rum. Probably about the lightest to date. Which may have a lot to do with the fairly low ABV.

    There is also a slight sharpness on the nose – an almost burnt/smoky note and a little waft of some younger spirit – quite boozy.

    I’m judging the rum alongside something like the 3 year old Neptune Rum and Doorly’s 5 Year Old. My initial impressions based on the price point and nose is that this is likely a blend of rums aged between 3-5 years. With the majority of that time (say less a year) being in Barbados.

    Sipped this is a pretty spicy affair. Lots of oak spice, ginger and more than a touch of bitterness. It’s a very dry rum. The initial sip is quite deceptive as further sips of this rum reveal a lot more of the rum. There is a lot more sweetness on the second and third sip with some really nice notes of toffee, dark chocolate and some cashew nuts.

    Finish wise it’s a little short in terms of flavour. The oak and spiced linger for a fair period but the tastier aspects of the rum quickly fade.

    All in all it’s a nicely balanced glass of rum but it isn’t anywhere near as complex as something from the Exceptional Cask Series. In terms of profile it is probably closest to Doorly’s 5 and 8. It’s unfussy, uncomplicated and a fairly straightforward. Easy going Barbados rum. It’s a daily sipper but you might get a little bored after a few glasses.

    At the price point you may view it as a Premium Mixer. It certainly mixes very well. It actually shows a lot more flavour when paired with a cola or a ginger beer than you would probably expect. Especially after sipping it.

    That said it is in a very competitive price point and there are already a lot of Barbados rums (many from the same distillery). I am not sure anyone other than a Foursquare completist would really need this rum. There’s nothing we haven’t seen or tasted before.

    It’s good rum no question and at a reasonable price. If it were say £25 I think more people would bite but that would probably cut out any profit for Berrys!