Compagnie des Indes (French East India Company) are a relative newcomer to the Independent bottling scene.  They have however, released a frightening amount of rums over the past 2 years.  The brainchild of Florent Beuchet who has a long history in the Drinks Industry having been the brand manager for Banks Rum and also helping his father run a small absinthe distillery in his native France.

Unfortunately a lot of Compagnie des Indes releases have not made it to the UK.  Even more frustrating is that many of their releases have been in Denmark only and offering Cask Strength. Still we can always turn to France for some rums which is what us UK rummies have had to do to get our hands on a few Compagnie des Indes releases.

Luckily this was release that did make it to UK shores (in limited quantities) it was available at around £60 for a 70cl bottle.  This was bottled at around 43% ABV.

Presentation wise I do like the stubby CDI bottles and the cut out box add a bit of class.  You get a nice cork stopper just to top things off.

This rum has been aged in Europe.  It has spent all its time in ex Bourbon barrels and has not been finished or matured in a second type of barrel. The distillate comes from the famous DDL Port Mourant wooden pot still

In the glass the rum is a very light straw colour.  This suggests to me that it has indeed been aged in Europe.

The nose is reasonable if slightly one dimensional. It smells like a much younger sweeter slightly aniseed–ey Demerara.  It has a touch of savoury/whisky like note but offers little else.  There is talk of praline and brown sugar on the sites selling this rum as nosing notes.  I’m sorry but I’m must not getting them!

Sipped – again it is one dimensional.  It’s the first rum that I have sipped where I feel it tastes a little watered down.  The flavour itself isn’t bad.  You get the familiar “edginess” of the Port Mourant still, you get that slightly petrolly/aniseed flavour.  Which is great in itself and something I really enjoy.

The problem is – that’s all you get.  Nothing else really besides some oak which is a little bit spicy and warming on the finish.  The finish is actually pretty decent but its what goes before is the let down.

It’s just incredibly boring and muted.  I’m not one to bang on about Cask Strength rum.  I’m usually just as happy with 40-46% rums so its not a case of me being a bit hardline.  This rum genuinely does taste as if it has been watered down too far. 

At a higher ABV  I think the rum maybe a little better but I don’t think it would ever be brillant.  It’s missing any complexity or anything approaching a wow factor.  It’s just very safe and well dull.

This is the thing with Independent bottlings – you win some you lose some!