Dead Reckoning Rum Mutiny South Pacific. Another bottling from new Independent bottlers Dead Reckoning. If you aren’t familiar with the brand it is likely because you aren’t living in Australia. Unlike many Independent bottlers Dead Reckoning aren’t based in Europe (or even the US which has seen more Indie bottlers sprout up lately).

This is the second release from Dead Reckoning, following last years The Sextant, which was a blend of Caribbean rums. Mutiny South Pacific is as the name suggests not a blend from multiple islands/locations. It is a single barrel release of rum from the South Pacific Rum Distillery in Fiji. Much like Flor de Cana and Worthy Park, South Pacific Distillery prefer not to have the distillery named on Independent bottlings.

In the case of Flor de Cana and South Pacific Distillery this is a little farcical as they usually get bottled as Nicaragua and Fiji. Now I am not entirely sure (and they likely aren’t) if they are the only distilleries in these locations but they are certainly the only ones who export their rums to Independent bottlers.

Dead Reckoning rums are brought to the market in Australia in conjunction with The Rum Tribe, who are (and I quote) “Australia’s favourite Rum Club”. I was involved in a live tasting of this rum with The Rum Tribe a week or so back. It was quite a lively chat (I did prattle on a bit at times) about Mutiny and all things rum. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Anyway, lets get back concentrating on the rum.

Dead Reckoning Rum Mutiny South Pacific is named after the (in)famous Mutiny on the Bounty, which occured in the South Pacific ocean way back in April 1789. This incident has previously given name to rum in the shape of Captain Bligh XO Rum, which was named after the ships captain at the time of the mutiny. Those involved in the Mutiny settled on Tahiti and Pitcairn Island.

The rum is from South Pacific Distillery in Fiji. South Pacific Distillery rum two Pot and three Column Stills. I’m not sure of the composition of this rum but I would fancy it is a blend of Pot and Column rums.

Dead Reckoning Rum Mutiny South Pacific has been aged for eleven years in Fiji at the distillery in an ex-Bourbon barrel and a further six months in Adelaide, Australia in an ex-Cream Apera barrel. For those of you who don’t know (and I confess I didn’t) Cream Aperac is a Fortified Sherry wine. Australia decided to adopt the term “Apera” in 2011 instead of using Sherry, which they felt was disrespectful to Spanish Sherry producers.

In Australia and The Rum Tribe is the only place you will find this on sale it will set you back $155 dollars. Which works out at around £80 in Pounds/Euros. Baring in mind the high prices of Australian booze. Similar and often much higher than even the UK! This is not bad value at all. In total 400 bottles are/were available.

The rum has not been bottled at Cask Strength instead it has been brought down to 52% ABV. The original cask samples were around 80% ABV! A loss of 62% Angels Share is noted. With this in mind although a single barrel was shipped to Australia, it is likely that different barrels will have been married together at some stage.

The creator of Dead Reckoning Rum Justin Boseley, is against any kind of sweetening and/or additives in his rums. So this has no additives, colouring etc.

Dead Reckoning Mutiny South Pacific is dark/golden brown colour with a red tinge around the edges and throughout the rum when swirled in the glass.

Nosed it has a herbal quality, similar to St Lucian rum. Pine Cones, some Pot Pourri and a touch of eucalyptus.

Further nosing reveals some molasses, toffee and sweet vanilla. Time in the glass gives more time for the aromas to reveal themselves. Slightly menthol notes appear alongside some light tar and cigarette smoke.

It’s a complex nose. It’s a rum which is really worth sitting with and nosing. You will get a lot out of it this way and it will also improve your sipping experience. It is both light and soft, yet quite menacing at the same time.

On the sip it is quite spicy with a fair amount of barrel influence. It’s oaky but the spice from the oak isn’t overly woody. You get a good hit of sweet vanilla and some warming red chilli heat.

The herbal nature of the rum comes out more with each sip – the pine cones and eucalyptus that was on the nose is very evident. I’m also getting a carbolic/soapy element.

On the mid palate the rum evolves further. A sooty/tarriness comes through. I think if you experienced a Fijian rum – for the first time you could well think it was a blend. It has elements of St Lucian rum, heavy Caroni and most definitely funky Jamaican notes.

I haven’t really mentioned the elements which remind me of Jamaican funk. They are definitely there though right from the start. The nose carries elements of Banana Bread, Pineapple and a kind of “mucky” dundery note. The initial sip and mid palate carry a fruitiness as well, which works nicely with the more herbal notes. It keeps the more aggressive elements of this rum at bay. It keeps the balance nicely.

There’s so much going on with this rum – so it is very much a slow sipper. In terms of overall profile it is one of the longest and most complex rums I have experienced. The finish is long and fades out nicely. However, such is the powerful nature of this rum it leaves behind a fair bit of funk, banana, tar, soot and molasses long after you have sipped it.

You are probably reading this review wondering if I’m describing about ten different rums and getting my notes mixed up! I’ll be honest with you Fijian rum can be really difficult to try and explain. It certainly can’t be pigeon holed. I’ve not tried this rum prior to it being “double aged” in the Cream Apera barrels but I suspect it has added an extra layer of complexity to the rum and maybe rounded it off a little. Fijian rum can sometimes be a bit too aggressive to be truly enjoyable. This by no means is no shrinking violet but it has a balance of flavour which I’m really enjoying.

A fascinating rum and easily one of the best Fijian rums I’ve tried. It gets better the more you try it.