The name “Old Grog” dates back from the early days when the finest of Grenada’s Rum was shipped to his Majesty George III England.  In order to identify the King’s Rum, the casks were marked G.R.O.G. which is the abbreviation for Georgius Rex Old Grenada. Or so the story on the bottle goes.  Whether this is true or not is another matter.  It does sound feasible though.  The term “grog” is usually used to describe a mix of rum, water and limes which was given to sailor’s to prevent them getting too intoxicated drinking solely rum.

Clarkes Court (see website at http://www.clarkescourtrum.com) the brand is used by Grenada Distillers who are based in St George, Grenada.  As with most rum Grenada is a Caribbean island and is part of the West Indies.  In the UK Old Grog is available at the larger online retailers and is distributed by www.caribbeanspirit.co.uk and www.windwardspirits.co.uk. Old Grog is on of the companies more premium rum offerings.  It has won numerous awards (many not noted on the bottle) since 2003.  It is available for around £25 mark in the United Kingdom.

The rum comes in an attractive stubby style bottle.  The label on the neck of the bottle states Extra Old G.R.O.G. I have been informed that the rums in the blend are between 4 and 10 years old.  The main label has the Clarkes Court logo and a little tale (which I’ve re-produced at the start of this review) about the rum’s origins. The label notes that the rum is 40% ABV.  The label also denotes that the rum is “Aged to Perfection” and is “A Taste of History”.  Well I certainly hope that doesn’t mean it tastes old!

Onto the actual rum in the bottle.  The rum is a beautiful golden amber colour.  Indeed my picture to the left really is representative the rum does literally gleam in the bottle! Upon pouring the rum, the rum maintains its golden colour, it does not thin out in colour like some rums do when poured into the glass.  The Old Grog smells extremely sweet.  I’m getting a mix of tropical fruit juice and banana milkshake.  Quite a sickly sweet combination.  However, it seems to work well.  The Old Grog smells very inviting.

Upon tasting, the rum tastes similar to a banana milkshake or perhaps more like those candy bananas you used to get in 10p mix ups (showing my age now).  The taste of the tropical fruit comes through along with apples and a little bit of smooth vanilla.  The rum despite all the sweetness has quite a pleasant kick to it.  It is a sweet rum its molasses based so that is to be expected.  In some ways the overall taste of banaa will alienate quite a few rum drinkers.  In my opinion it is similar in some respects to Patron’s Pyrat Reserve XO, however I don’t think the banana flavour is as overpowering as the Pyrat’s orange flavouring.  The rum is still pleasant and rummy enough to be enjoyed mixed with Cola or other fruit juices.  In cocktails this could be a very nice change.   I find it very enjoyable with cola, which is my preferred way of drinking rums.  It makes a nice change.

I decided to try this rum as I hadn’t tried a rum from Grenada.  I’m pleased I did.  I like trying rums from different countries and islands as its amazing how much variation can be found.  One of the main reasons I am so fond of rum, is that I can have 5 or 6 different rums per night and genuinely be tasting so many different drinks.  Old Grog definitely comes into the category o one of my instantly recognisable rums.  When blind tasting I can struggle to tell the difference between Rum Sixty Six and Cockspur 12 for example or Havana Club 7 and Ron Abeulo 7 Year Old.  When poured a Old Grog I instantly know what it is, like Pyrat or Old Monk.

Old Grog Rum won’t be to everyone’s taste.  If banana isn’t your thing then I would perhaps avoid.  However, as a distinctive versatile rum this is one which I will definitely be being again.  I can’t really compare this to many other rums.  The closest I can think of is Angostura 1919 in terms of smoothness but this is much more flavourful.  In some respects it is like a good Bajan rum, reminiscent a little of Foursquare Spiced.

I’ve enjoyed this rum a great deal and to be honest I’ve had to review it a little earlier because I keep having another little drink of it! I simply had to fit a review in before the bottle was gone!