Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum Aged 15 Years by Velier

Bythefatrumpirate

Caroni Aged 15 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirateCaroni Aged 15 Years is the older brother of the Aged 12 Years I reviewed earlier.  Both bottlings by Velier standards are relatively inexpensive.

Both rums are example of the “heavy” style of Caroni/Trinidad rum.  Angostura do not produce “heavy” style rum under their own banner.

This rum was distilled in 1998 and bottled affer 15 years in 2013. In the UK a bottle of this rum costs around £55 – which is reasonable for any 15 year old rum.  Let alone a piece of history.  It is botled at 104 proof on the label – 52% ABV.

Like the 12 Year Old is comes in the 1940’s vintage style Caroni bottle.  As with most things Velier it comes in an opaque bottle. The 12 came in a see through traditional glass bottle  The retro feel of the bottle adds a nice touch.  It is halfway between a stubby bottle and a tall wine style bottle.  A 3/4 bottle if you like.

I’ve reviewed another similarly aged Caroni – an independent bottling from Scotland by the name of Ancient Mariner.  This rum was designed to replicate the taste of Navy issue rum.  That was aged for 16 years.  I am expecting a rum with more in common with that bottling than the 12 Year Old Velier.  Having said that this is rum so anything goes and I could be very wrong…………

In the glass the rum is noticeably darker than the 12 year old – a good shade or two darker.  A very nice copper colour where the 12 was almost gold/straw.

Velier Caroni Aged 15 years rum review by the fat rum pirateThe nose is familiar Caroni – however it is less smoky than some Caroni’s,  It is much less “petrol-ey” than the 12 Year Old.  It is more rounded with more fruit and a lot less of the more “intense” industrial notes that some Caroni’s have.

Zesty marmalade and lemon rind give the rum a fruity note. This runs nicely alongside the heavier notes of oak and the almost varnish aroma that is common with heavier Caroni’s.

The rum is sippable even at 52% and offers a very complex sip.  Dried fruits – almost a sweet raisin note are alongside more flavours of zesty orange and lemon peel. Less of the slightly astringent smoky and petrol like notes.

The 12 and 15 variants of these rums aren’t brothers – they come from different molasses distilled in different years.  This 15 year old was distilled in 1998 and aged in Trinidad until 2013.  It was then moved to Scotland to be bottled.  It was released in 2014 and bottles of this are still available.   The 12 year old was distilled in 2000 from the last of the Trinidad molasses.

I prefer this to the 12 year old.  Both the added complexity of the fruitiness in the profile and the smoother overall profile of the rum.  It’s a rum which offers a lot of complexity and shows yet again just how much of an impact tropical ageing can have on a spirit.

Velier Caroni 15 year old rum review by the fat rum pirateThis rum is available at a really competitive price point.  I feel its relatively low price may be why it hasn’t yet sold out.  It really does seem in some ways to good to be true.  I’m not sure how many bottles of this rum were available from the start.  I suspect it is a blend of Caroni rums that have been married at a young age and matured together.  I could be wrong about this – its just a guess really as “single barrel” etc is not denoted and it may explain the lower price point? Possibly a lot more bottles

This is another top notch bottling from Velier and it really is a step up from the 12 year old.  My review of the 12 year old is one of the most viewed on the site and consistently gets views every day.  I sincerely hope that a few of you read this review and decide to buy this rum while you still can.

You won’t be disappointed.

4.5 stars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Appleton Estate 15 Year Old Limited Edition

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Appleton Estate 15 Year Old Limited Edition Rum Review by the fat rum pirateAppleton Estate 15 Year Old Rum. Don’t get too excited about this. I have some bad news. Currently unless you are in Canada – you will struggle to find a bottle of this. As it is an exclusive release for Canada. Which on the face of it seems a bit of an odd decision but odd things do often happen in the world of rum.

    Apparently Canada is actually Appleton’s largest market (so I have now been informed). This rum has been priced between the 12 and 21-year-old age statement Appleton Estate rums. So I’d expect it to be around £75 if it came to the UK..

    Appleton Estate 15 Year Old Rum is a blend of Pot and Column rums. Rather than simply being the same rum as the 12 Year Old aged an additional 3 years, this rum has more column distillate in its blend. The aim of this is to give a lighter rum overall. It has been bottled at a respectable 43% ABV.

    In the general scheme of things Appleton are one of the bigger hitters in the Jamaican rum scene. Their Signature Blend is now a staple in UK supermarkets. They have produced rum under the estate’s “brand name” for a number of years now. Something the likes of Hampden and Long Pond/Monymusk are only just beginning to explore.

    With young whippersnappers such as Worthy Park making a few waves in the rum world – Appleton may have to introduce some more new offerings to keep the brand exciting. Unlike most other Jamaican rum producers you will not see any unofficial Independent bottling hailing from Appleton Estate.

    In the glass Appleton Estate 15 Year old rum is a golden brown with an orange tinge to it.

    The nose is more in keeping with the 12 Year Old than the 21 Year Old. It has more of the funk and less of the wood than the 21 Year Old. It’s vibrant and quite “grassy” and vegetal initially.

    Time in the glass reveals a lovely balance. A good weight of sweet vanilla and milk chocolate are backed up by some really nice zesty notes of oak – big juicy Florida oranges spring to mind. It ends with wafts of toffee and caramel.

    The funk is evident in a note of varnish, a touch of tobacco and some petrol. Despite all these very different notes, it all holds together beautifully giving a really nice complex nosing experience.

    As a sipper Appleton Estate 15 Year Old has a really nice balance of Pot Still funk and more refined “sipping” rum. The initial sip is quite woody with a lot of spicy oak and some real zesty notes of marmalade.

    Further sips reveal much more. Once your palate has acclimatised to the spiciness of this rum you start to appreciate the wonderful complexity of it. There is a subtle sweetness to the rum – just enough toffee and vanilla to balance the oak and zest. The mid palate has a slightly herbal feel to it. It is similar to the 12 Year Old but you can definitely taste the extra years of ageing.

    The rums in the blend for me, have been taken at just the right time before they run the danger of becoming to oaked. It is a testament of how to blend a number of aged rums to produce something remarkable.

    The finish is also really nicely balanced. Its quite long and satisfying with a good weight of oak and more than enough nuances to keep things interesting.

    I like the dry finish and the zesty oak – a touch of tobacco and some grassy sugar cane also put in an appearance as the rum fades out. Just in time for the next sip…..

    This rum is currently only available in parts of Canada. I do hope it can get a more worldwide release, it is simply too good not to be afforded that.

    Exceptional stuff. Good old Jamaican funk mixed with subtle almost Bajan style balance. A real winner for me. Many thanks to our Rum Runner from Canada Ivar for arranging the samples/bottles. The UK very much appreciated it!

     

     

  • Barrel Char in a Jar

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Barrel Char in a Jar Review by the fat rum pirateBarrel Char in a Jar. Despite what the Hydrometer Tests may have some believe I’m not a very “scientific” kind of person. I have been able to perform Hydrometer Tests on rum because it is very, very simple. I am no chemist the little science background I have was left behind aged 16, when I picked up a double award “B” grade in Co-Ordinated (Chemistry, Physics and Biology) Science at GCSE level in 1994.

    As much as I enjoy rum I haven’t delved to deeply into the distillation side of things. Most of what I write regarding distillation is solely to provide information on the production method only. I don’t go to far into how this distillation took place. If I am being entirely honest, I struggle to retain much information regarding Rum Distillation. Beyond knowing the basics of the still and the type of rum not all that interested.  So it doesn’t really stick in my head. I’m not really that geeky.

    Many Rum Enthusiasts seem to enjoy blending or “hacking” their rums together, mixing various rums together.  The idea of the Infinity bottle, which was made famous in the Bourbon world has also gained traction recently. An Infinity bottle is a never ending marriage of various rums or whiskies in the same bottle which produces an often unrepeatable blend.  Admittedly the Bourbon Infinity bottle is a select blend of certain commercially available bourbons – though no disclosure of exactly which ones has been made.

    Other enthusiasts take their experimentation a bit further.  Some are buying small barrels and ageing white or young rum in them.  Experimental ageing of inexpensive rum just to see what might happen.

    Barrel Char in a Jar dials that concept back a notch and makes it a bit simpler to create the affect of an aged spirit. Though it makes no spectacular claims that it will re-create ageing.  No spirit provided in the pack and the type of spirit you use is entirely upto you. It is not exclusively for Rum.3

    Barrel Char in a Jar is currently available here. Please note that the price of £33.30 is increased quite a bit by shipping form the US of £38.11. This does put the price up for UK or even European based customers.

    Barrel Char in a Jar Rum Review by the fat rum pirateBarrel Char in the Jar basic kit comprises of wood staves of varying types.  You receive 4 to 5 staves of each wood.  The woods are French Oak (medium plus toast), American White Oak, charred (barrel char), Cherry (light toast), Sugar Maple (medium toast), Sugar Maple (medium toast) and Yellow Birch (medium toast).

    You also get Filter Papers, an instruction booklet and some activated charcoal.  It is estimated you can “lavour or age between 8-12 – 750ml bottles of spirits.

    The method is pretty simple.  Using the supplied Mason Jar you simply pour (I used around 350ml each time) your rum base into the jar.  Then add a stave or two of wood and if you wish some of the charcoal.  (The instruction booklet recommends giving the wood a clean or steam prior to using it)

    For my first experiment I tried some of the White Oak with a Bourbon Barrel Char. I started with a base rum of Botran Blanco – which has a slightly yellow haze to it. My first experiment didn’t go too well as I left the stave in for 4 weeks. By the time I returned to the rum it was almost black! To be honest it was still pretty tasty – very oaky and very well charred but it didn’t look great!

    Second time around I opted to age the rum for just two weeks. I used the White Oak Bourbon Barrel Char and the French Oak Medium Plus Toast This gave a really pleasing result. Particularly the rum aged in the French Oak. There was a real development in flavour and the wood used gave the rum a really nice complex flavour. I’m quite skeptical of things but I really found the wood staves supplied in the Barrel Char in a Jar kit to work really well with the rum.

    It was really easy to work with as well. The supplied Mason Jars are really good quality and provide a really good airtight seal for the rum. The wood staves are big and I’ve used the same one four or five times now and it shows no signs of becoming faded or dull. It’s still really adding flavour to the rum.

    I’ve been playing with this kit for around 6 months now and I currently have around 4 or 5 rumBarrel Char in a Jar Rum Review by the fat rum pirates “ageing” with the different staves provided in the kit. I definitely feel like I have got my moneys worth with this kit and the seller – Ken is very helpful if you contact him for advice.

    Admiitedly I haven’t tried any other kits but I’m struggling to find fault with this particular effort. The wood staves and the charcoal really do work well and certainly give even the cheapest white rum a lot of added character.

    As well as ageing Botran Reserva Blanco Anejo I have also used supermarket white rums- the effect on such young inexpensive rum is really very impressive. I really like the notes these staves add to what is really just generic white rum.

    As time goes on I will re-visit this article and add more of my experience with the kit. Really impressed so far though I must say! I will update with my various experiments as I travel on my journey with this. The French Oak in particular is an early favourite of mine.

    Stay tuned……….

     

     

  • Kill Devil Jamaica Long Pond 15 Year Old

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Kill Devil Jamaica Long Pond Rum Review by the fat rum pirateHere we have another independent bottling by Kill Devil (Hunter Laing) of Jamaica Rum from the Long Pond Distillery.  Over the past year I have become more familiar with rums from the Long Pond distillery.

    Rums such as Expressions by Old Man Rum Co. have an element of aged Pot Still rum from the Long Pond distillery and I also purchases a Duncan Taylor bottling from Long Pond shortly before Christmas 2016.  Which turned out to be one of the best rums I have ever tasted.

    So I had been looking around to try a few more Long Pond rums.  The rums from Long Pond can be hard to obtain (a number of casks all seem to come from a batch distilled in 2000).  The distillery makes money selling bulk rum for blending.  Or made rum rather sadly it seems the distillery closed in 2012.  It’s sister distillery Clarenden is however still operational.  Currently there are only 5 operating distilleries on Jamaica.  For more background information I will point you in the direction of the excellent Cocktail Wonk .

    I will instead concentrate on telling you more about this specific rum.  As mentioned already this Long Pond is bottled by Kill Devil so it comes in their distinctive 3/4 opaque bottles.  They use the same design for all their rums (differing colour scheme for the cask strength offerings – purple rather than gold).

    The rum is bottled not at cask strength but at 46% ABV.  It retails at Kill Devil Jamaica Long Pond Rum Review by the fat rum pirataround the £60 mark.  It is a single cask which produced 292 bottles. Distilled in June 2000.  It is a 100% Pot Still rum.  Aged for 15 years and finally released in early 2017.

    You might struggle to find a bottle.  I’m struggling to write my reviews quick enough unfortunately.  I don’t want to write about bottles that are no longer obtainable.  I need some kind of priority system in place.

    Anyway enough of my “woes” (too much rum?) lets move on to the actual rum.

    First thing up is the colour – I suspect the rum has been aged mostly in Europe as it is a very light coloured rum.  Straw like – you could (if you pour enough) mistake it for a glass of white wine.

    On the nose you are immediately hit with familiar Jamaican Pot Still funk.  Black bananas, stewed fruits and a touch of pineapple.  What you also get is the familiar Long Pond aromas.  Pine cones, maybe a touch of toothpaste – something slightly menthol on the nose.  It’s very distinctive. There’s a little touch of young blended whisky there as well.

    The rum is slightly lower in ABV than the Duncan Taylor (51.9% ABV) but I am not really noticing a great deal of difference between the two overall.  I’m not sure on the nose if I could blind pick one from the other.

    When sipped I’m not getting the definition of the more menthol/herby notes that I got from the nose.  I’m getting a lot more of a savoury less sweet sip. Despite its colour it is actually quite woody.  I was expecting as much oak as I am getting.

    On the finish there is a bit of the “fresher” notes but definitely not when sipping.  The finish as it stands is good – a nice length and it has more of the sweeter notes I so enjoyed with the Duncan Taylor bottling.

    For me its just a shame that more the sweeter/clearer notes so well defined and prominent in the Duncan Taylor bottling have been lost on the sip.

    Having said that it is not without its charms.  In many ways I’m quite happy not to be trying something exactly the same as the Duncan Taylor bottling.  The rum is still a very good example of a traditional Jamaican Pot Still rum.

    The more savoury elements of the rum and the interaction with the oak give a still very complex and rewarding sip.  It’s certainly not a boring rum.  It wouldn’t be a rum you would pick up every day for a relaxing sip.  A rum to enjoy when you fancy giving your manliness (or womenliness) a run out.

    This is still a very good example of Long Pond – which seem to becoming more and more difficult to obtain.  If you can find a bottle of this then its certainly worth £60 – as long as you know exactly what you are buying.  It’s not badly balanced overall, has a lot of flavour going on and a well defined and lengthy finish.

    Sometimes maybe I set the bar too high.

     

     

     

     

  • Habitation Velier Port Mourant Still – White Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    habitation-velier-port-mourant-rum-review-by-the-fat-rum-pirateHabitation Velier tagline the “House of Pure Single Rums” is part of the ongoing Gargano classification system. 

    Proposed a couple of years ago, Luca Gargano of Velier hopes to introduce a system of classifying rum, which will be embraced and used across the industry.

    For more information on the system please see the following link which will give you more information.

    Released earlier this year (2016) this Habitation Velier release sees Velier teaming up with DDL for perhaps the last time. 

    There are a range of rums in the Habitation Velier stable at the moment and finally a few have made their way to the UK via the Whisky Exchange.  This 59% ABV Port Mourant rum will set you back £63.45.

    This is not an aged rum like many Velier releases.  It was bottled in 2015 and as the name suggests it was distilled on the famous Port Mourant hardwood Pot Still at DDL.  I’m not sure how old it is it may even be completely unaged.  I can’t seem to find that piece of information.  The bottle does have information about the number of Congeners on the front label.  Which a lot of people might not understand.

    Congeners are often linked to hangovers.  They are in the context of spirits production as follows

    “Chemical compounds produced during fermentation and maturation. Congeners include esters, acids, aldehydes and higher alcohols. Strictly speaking they are impurities, but they give whisk(e)y its flavour. Their presence in the final spirit must be carefully judged; too many would make it undrinkable.”

    I’m guessing that the numbers on the front label denote that this rum is full of flavour rather than undrinkable.

    Habitation Velier Port Mourant Rum Review by the fat rum pirateI have experienced a good few aged Port Mourant rums and the rums from this still are often used in Demerara blends .  They are generally quite full bodied and have an aniseed taste to them.

    So I was keen to try this Habitation Velier release of an unaged White Port Mourant rum.

    In the glass (surprise, surprise) the rum is a clear liquid.  No sign of any oak interaction it is as clear as any standard vodka.

    The nose reminds me immediately of Walter Hicks Navy Rum (another “Overproof” Demerara rum).  It is a heavy nose full of sweet, strong and young alcohol.  It’s very sugary (note there is no sugar added, its just the young sweet notes from the alcohol).  It has a hint of banana and coconut making it smell a little like a White Jamaican Overproof but it doesn’t have the same levels of “funk”.  I’m getting varnish and furniture polish, maybe even a touch of tar and tobacco.

    There are notes of liquorice though not as strong as I had expected and some nice lighter vanilla notes.  There are some light spices and a hint of ginger.

    Sipped at full strength it offers very little of the sweet alcohol evident on the nose.  It’s quite sharp on the tongue and offers a very strange very vegetal profile.  It’s slightly overpowering at this strength.  It reminds me a little of the Clairn Casimir I tried.  It’s not quite as grassy as the Clairins or an Agricole rum but it isn’t a million miles away from either.

    It’s also slightly smoky and I feel there is more oak than I would have expected.

    Tempered down with a little water you get a little more flavour but its still quite an unforgiving and difficult rum to actually like.  Obviously it is an unaged rum from a very highly regarded still but it leaves me in no doubt as to why DDL don’t release this as a product themselves.

    For someone like myself it is a rum that I had to try.  I haven’t tried mixing it – I’m sure it would work in a similar way to Jamaican Overproof, minus some of the funk.  I’m kind of disappointed with this but at the same time not overly surprised by the rum.  It is after all what it is – an unaged white rum.

    It’s a reference rum (thanks Steven James) rather than a rum to give people to impress on them how great rum can be.  I’m pleased I have tried it and I would never refuse a similar offering.  I’d be lying though if I was to give this a great review.

    A rum to try out of sheer curiosity but don’t be surprised if it leaves you a little disappointed or non-plussed.

     

  • Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years – The Whisky Barrel Exclusive

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years The Whisky Barrel Rum Review by the fat rum pirateKill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years. Another collaboration between Hunter Laing’s Kill Devil Rum Range and online Whisky retailer The Whisky Barrel. Once again they have teamed up to bottle another Jamaican Pot Still rum from the Hampden distillery.

    Those familiar with Kill Devil rums will be aware that those that have the reddish/purple lozenge on the bottle are Cask Strength. (The grey lozenge indicates diluted to 46% ABV)

    It makes sense that a rum exclusive to a Whisky Retailer is bottled at such a strength. Whisky Collectors are very familiar with Cask Strength offferings and often turn their nose up at “diluted” offerings. Especially anything below 46%.

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years retails at a very exact £75.61. It has been bottled at 62.5% ABV. 270 bottles have been produced form one single cask. A sister cask to the other 10-year-old release earlier this year.  It was distilled  back in 2007. Unfortunately, I am unsure what “marques” of rum were produced at Hampden that year. This is a 100% Pot Still rum which has been partly (mostly) aged in Europe. It was distilled in November 2007.

    Rums from Hampden Distillery are becoming increasingly popular. Clearly The Whisky Barrel are doing very well bottling these rums as they have another 16 Year Old cask available. A review of that release will follow very soon.

    I have really enjoyed The Whisky Barrel exclusives and I am in good company because Serge of WhiskyFun has also enjoyed them as has Steven James from Rum Diaries Blog. I would recommend visiting both those sites as they are very knowledgeable when it comes to rum.

    In the glass the 10-year-old rum is a light golden brown. A shade more than straw but still quite light.

    The nose is a lot of things but “light” is not one. Like the 9 and 10 year olds previously bottled for the Whisky Barrel this is a very pungent, fruity and powerul Jamaican Pot Still Rum. Anyone thinking Plantation’s recent Xaymaca release is “funky Pot Still Jamaican Rum” really needs to try something like this – I am sure they will re-assess what “funk” really is.

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years The Whisky Barrel Rum Review by the fat rum pirateYou can smell this at twenty paces. Huge wafts of ripe juicy Pineapple, Banana and even some Passion Fruit notes. A little bit of Tropical Crush style pop. Some notes of overbrewed English breakfast tea lineup alongside some toast and melting butter.

    This is followed by string almost tannic red wine like notes. lighter fuel and some hints of tobacco.

    It’s a fantastic full-bodied nose and one which I could delve into for hours.

    If I didn’t know how tasty the liquid was………

    Sipped this is quite a high ester rum – it’s very dry on the palate for the first sip or two. There is quite a lot of oak and spicy bourbon like notes. Ginger, cinnamon and some fennel. Further sips reveal more of the fruitiness that was on the nose. You get plenty of the Pineapple and banana notes on the sip which fade out into the mid palate leaving you with more of the oak aged notes and the spiciness. There is a heavy top note like petrol which, whilst it may sound unpleasant is something I enjoy a lot.

    The mid palate and the finish are quite smoky – almost a touch of peat. Plenty of Pipe smoke and tobacco as well. It’s not the longest finish though. Much like the Velier Hamdpen Diamond this is perhaps a touch on the dry side and does leave the finish feeling a little short.

    At 62.5% ABV it is perhaps a little bit too much for my palate. Certainly a few drops of water to bring it down to around 50-55% ABV certainly helps with this rum. It definitely opens it up and makes it a much more forgiving sipper. The fruity flavour has more time to develop – you get some white grape and a touch of gooseberry to compliment the Pineapple and Banana.

    The spiciness and the dry finish tone down giving a more flavourful experience overall on the palate. The finish is now less intense but longer – I do wonder if at 62.5% ABV my palate shut down a little due to the intensity.

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years The Whisky Barrel Rum Review by the fat rum pirateIf you want the full experience of this rum then dial it down a touch with some water. It really does open it up.

    Also if you want to be a complete heathen this makes an absolutely belting Rum and Coke. You need very little for flavour so you can use a less pungent rum to add to the booze level.

    This is another excellent bottling of Hampden rum, it is perhaps when reviewing rums like this that I need a more precise scoring system. I suspect I may sound overly critical at times.

    I’d give this 94.5 out of 100 (with any luck The Whisky Barrel might include my scores in future press releases rather just Serge’s)……or

     

     

  • Borgoe Reserve Collection Aged 12 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Borgoe Reserve Collection Aged 12 Years Rum review by the fat rum pirateBorgoe Reserve Collection Aged 12 Years. Suriname is perhaps not the first place you might think about being a rum producer. To be perfectly honest thoughts by me about Suriname in my lifetime have been fairly brief. The only real thing I know about Suriname is that it is a former Dutch Colony and several notable players for the Netherlands football team were born there such as Edgar Davids, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Clarence Seedorf.

    The national language in place is still largely Dutch and the company behind the Borgoe rum brand are called Sabrum N.V. (N.V. is an acronym for the Dutch phrase “Naamloze Vennootschap.” Appearing after a firm’s name, it connotes incorporation means that the entity is the equivalent of a limited liability public company, with shares that trade on open markets.

    If you visit the Sabrum NV website you will see the first language is Dutch though it translates nicely into English. Suriname is bordered by Guyana and French Guiana as well as Brasil. So perhaps it being a rum producing nation is not such a surprise now. In addition to this it is classed as a Caribbean country and is part of CARICOM.

    This has been a real lesson for me…….So let’s find out a little more about Borgoe’s rum credentials. So far they seem pretty legit.

    Borgoe Reserve Blend Aged 12 Years is part of a collection of three “premium” rums introduced in 2016 to celebrate 50 year since the incorporation of Sabrum NV. Borgoe is produced at the same facility which produced the rather infamous (and for me as yet untried) Marienburg Overproof Rum which clocks in at a whacking 90% ABV.

    This is a slightly different proposition. It is a 12 Year Old aged rum. There is no mention of any Solera or any blends with younger rums etc. So I am assuming the youngest rum or all of the rum in this blend is 12 years old. It will be judged on that basis.

    Information on the company website is a bit thin on the ground – the rum is a bend of  rums aged in oak barrels. There is a little information noting that Borgoe rums are produced on a Kettle Copper Pot Still and that the oak barrels the rum is aged in are assembled on site at their “Rumhuis”. Which is interesting though I’m naturally cautious about such claims without a bit more detail. I’ve read up on this elsewhere on the internet.Borgoe Reserve Collection Aged 12 Years Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    Presentation wise this 12 year old is quite new to the line up. So I can find few photos of it online unlike the other expressions. The bottle design is modern and “Premium” to many people the short neck and bottle shape will convince many of the contents. As will the presentation box and the chunky cork stopper. It looks the part. When you can find it available in Europe (I’ve never noticed this bottling in the UK) it costs around €55-60 euros.

    Hydrometer reading – clean 40% ABV

    The nose is pretty honest – light, nice notes of vanilla, touch of oak and gives the nose a reasonable tickle at 40% ABV. It’s not huge or massively complex but it smells like it’s a decent aged spirit.

    Though perhaps not a Pot Still rum certainly not 100% Pot Still. As far as I understand Borgoe have a column and a pot still. I think this is at the very most a blend of pot and column. The main component for me definitely seems column though.

    It’s sweet with notes of peanut, cashew and some hints of lightly stewed apples and some slight hints of marzipan. Further nosing reveals a good hit of oak and nice bit of barrel char. Some toffee and light fudge float in and out of the mix.

    Sipped it’s a touch on the bitter side with a fair amount of barrel char and some zesty lemon and lime, notes giving it a further fruity acidity. The mid palate reveals some fruits – touch of raisin and some red grapes. It’s not a particularly long mid palate though.Borgoe Reserve Collection Aged 12 Years Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    In fact this is a pretty “short” rum overall. What is there is quite pleasant and reasonably rummy. Unfortunately it’s fairly short the finish is woody with a slighty perfumed note but it only really leaves behind a very mild and slightly bitter burn.

    For a 12 Year Old rum this lacks a lot of clarity and development. It starts off okay but it just cuts out half way through. It offers little real complexity beyond the initial entry. I had little expectations of this one. Though in fairness once I did a bit research, I was left expecting something better than a confected fake age statement branded rum. Which I got but at the end of the day it’s still pretty damned average.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

13 Comments

  1. A very nice rum indeed and I quite agree that it did seem as though it was too good to be true. I got a couple of bottles. Just finished one but I think I’ll leave the second one alone for now. I’ll drink it alright but I want a few Caronis in my stash. Not too far from the Ancient Mariner 16. I gather a 21 year old is in the pipeline.

  2. I love this rum! I’ve got 4 bottles currently. I also got a bottle of the 17 year version (same packaging but orange, even comes with mistakes in the text referring to 15 year). It’s amazing.

  5. Funny enough I ordered a bottle of this rum this morning, after being a big fan of the Caroni 1996 from Bristol Classic.
    Will be interesting to taste the differences between the 2.
    Also the rum sounds excellent, so something worth seeking out, even when not comparing it to another Caroni. 🙂

    Cheers, Rob

      1. I’m located in Dublin “unfortunately” but I mostly buy rums in the UK as choices here are not that great.
        Only had under a 50 different rums so far (started being interested in rum, other Bacardi and coke, a bit over a year so far, so doubt that I have many rums that you haven’t tried yet. 😉

        Will let you know how I get on with this one.

        1. Finally had a chance to try this rum, both on its own and directly compared with the Bristol Classic 1996.
          Found them very similar in taste, however the flavours in the Velier were much more intense.

  6. It’s a vetting of many casks, I believe both the heavy column and pot still rums. What I love about this is that there is 75% loss of spirit in angel’s share and they STILL bottled it at 52% abv. They could have tried to stretch it out, but no, you get it at near full proof. Good on ya Velier! And as you say, a very reasonable price too! I understand a 17yo is on the way from the same vintage, may be good to save a bit and do a head to head.

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