Cadenhead’s MEV Enmore Distillery Aged 26 Years
Cadenhead’s MEV Enmore Distillery. A rum from the Versaille Wooden Pot Still which at the time this rum was distilled way back in 1990 was located at the now defunct Enmore Distillery.
This rum was released as part of Cadenhead’s 175 Year Anniversary releases. It was limited to one bottle per customer. You can actually as of today (10 March 2018) is still available in the UK direct from Cadenheads.
This may be because its fairly pricy in many peoples eyes. The rum is also part of Cadenheads Dated Distillation series of Cask Strength rums. It is bottled at 57.2% ABV. It was distilled in 1990 and bottled in October 2017. The MEV moniker is Main Enmore Versailles. It was priced at £150.
Presentation wise I feel its a little dated and very seventies. Having said that I like that stubby bottle and the commitment to facts rather than marketing bullshit on the packaging.
The rum has been aged in Europe. I dare say 26 Years of Tropical Ageing would leave you with next to no rum at all in the casks.
I’ve reviewed quite a few Cadenheads bottlings and they are usually pretty decent.I am however unsure about this bottlings. Solely due to the long ageing. Might it be old and a bit tired? Over oaked maybe? Or will it be an all time rare classic?
Lets find out.
In the glass the rum is a much lighter than you might expect. It’s almost straw in colour though it looks darker in the bottle.
The nose is quite spicy and a little musty. It has quite a spicy nose with fair amount of sweetness. But it is a bit of a strange sweetness. Its kind of like sweeter Chinese dishes as it has sweetness mixed with a kind of spiced (Cardamon and Cinnamon) and almost savoury meaty undertone. Very herby – sage, coriander and some parsley.
Cadenhead’s MEV has a really unusual and interesting nose with loads going on. It doesn’t remind me of any other Guyanese rum. It’s woody – Marius at Single Cask Rum mentioned Pencil Shavings and you definitely get that.
I wouldn’t say I like everything on the nose but overall its very interesting, if a little bit to busy.
Sipped at full ABV its quite spicy. It remind me very much of Port Mourant rums. 
Especially those from Bristol Spirits. It has a mustiness to it which sounds unappealing but is strangely pleasant. Especially alongside the anise and licorice.
It is surprisingly accommodating at full ABV and I haven’t felt the need to dilute this one. It has a nice sweetness running through it which balances some more medicinal slightly off notes. Maybe a touch to much of a bitter Marmalade note lurks in there.
Not everything in this rum works. It’s very complex and very interesting. The finish is probably the best part. The spiciness of the oak and the bitter zests come together nicely to give really long satisfying end to the rum.
Not perfect but I enjoyed it rough notes and all. Might not be for everyone but I certainly got a lot of out of it.
Botran are a rum brand from Guatemala. The rums are distilled at the same distilleries as Ron Zacapa – Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala.
connisseurs.
Sipped the rum is quite sweet but not overly so – the rich oaky notes and vanilla are very pleasant. It gives a very nice spicy kick in the mid palate – all spice and a little ginger, perhaps.
Much to my uncontrollable excitement Pusser’s Rum Ltd, recently re-vamped (and to be fair tidied up) their range of rums. This was done partly to introduce new expressions but also to avoid confusion caused by the numerous “Blue Label” versions on offer in varying territories.
discerning British Sailor’s drink of choice. Well, choice is something the British Sailor did not have when stationed an any Naval Base in the UK. The maximum ABV allowed is 40%. So in order to get the British Navy Rum to the British Navy, Pusser’s have opted to lower the strength.
Firstly the nose, it is as expected the classic Pusser’s aroma. It is a slightly less pungent version of the 54.5% ABV Pussers. More of the Demeraran influence is apparent on the nose. Its sweet and fruity. Plump raisins and currants. Theres a little bit of Christmas pudding (I know very seasonal!) in the mix. I’m still getting a pungent cooked banana nose which reminds me of Jamaican rum but I now understand maybe the influence of the Port Mourant and a bit of the Trini rum used. I was surprised about the Trinidad rum. I’ve found that they are relatively light and inoffensive (the exact opposite of Jamaican rum’s). Think Angostura 1919. However, my tastings were/are limited. I have since sourced a 16 year old Caroni which is bottled by a small company in Scotland and is issued in a 50cl bottle as Ancient Mariner Navy Rum. It too is based on the original naval recipe. There are similarities to Pusser’s but it is clearly the preserve of just the one island so doesn’t really taste the same. Pusser’s has been called the “single malt” of rum partly due to its lack of additives (very unusual for “British” Navy style rums) and possibly partly due to its slightly whisky like profile on the nose. I understand a lot of whisky drinkers enjoy Pussers. I’m not big on whisky but even I can detect whisky notes on the nose. It does have that kind of earthy smell to it a bit like a peaty single malt.
Old Jamaique Long Pond 1977. A rum older than me – just. From the Long Pond Distillery in Jamaica. A distillery which I have become increasingly interested in, over the past year or so.
Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 17 Years The Whisky Barrel Exclusive. The folks over at Hunter Laing, who operate the Kill Devil rum brand certainly seem to have obtained a lot of rum from Hampden Distillery. The Whisky Barrel, an online retailer also seem to quite like Hampden rum, so are working with Kill Devil to help distribute these funky bottles of rum.
This is a fruity and, by Hampden standards quite an easy rum to drink. It has a really nice balance to it. I would have possibly thought, it was a much lower ester marque as it drinks more like the 
Ron Colon Salvadoreno Coffee Infused High Proof Rum. I’ve got to say if I was going to introduce a rum brand to the market, I probably wouldn’t call it “Colon”. The meaning in English doesn’t really work that well.
At the price-point, I didn’t feel too guilty trying this with cola. It works very nicely rather than giving a “cold coffee” kind of flavour that I was expecting. It’s more dark chocolate and a kind of stoned fruits type of taste. It certainly lifts the cola. Beneath this you get a nice rummy hit as well which leads to a very pleasant long drink.
Velho Pescador Extra Premium Cachaca Aged 5 Years. Velho Pescador is actually a Weber Haus product. I was unaware of this. As a result of this my sample has remained untouched for a couple of months – as I had so many to try. I had not heard or seen of Velho Pescador before. My bad!
The mid palate takes you through a variety of flavours from sweet vanilla ice cream to spicy wood and some traces of cinnamon and tart-tartin. Maybe some Crème Brulee whilst we are on the French theme.
