Dead Reckoning South Pacific 10 Year Muscat Cask. In my previous review I did mention that Dead Reckoning Rum had two releases for Europe. So that is what is up for appraisal today. It’s quite different to the previous release even though it hails from the same distillery.

Dead Reckoning South Pacific 10 Year Muscat Cask is another release from the South Pacific Distillery, Fiji. However unlike the 20 Year Old Bourbon Cask release this is a Pot and Column blend of rums.

Like the 20 Year it has been entirely Tropically Aged and boasts an overall Angel’s Share of 50%. There are a few more bottle available of this release. I have bottle number 1117 of 1240.

The make up of the rum is 80% Column Distilled rum and 20% Pot Still distillation. It has been aged in Fiji in a 40 year old barrel which previously held Muscat wine. The barrel was supplied by Charles Sturt Winery one of New South Wales’ leading wine makers.

The rear label is confusing me as its says the rum was distilled in 1994? So I’m struggling to work out the 10 year age statement? I assume this is a typo. I know someone else who quite frequently makes such errors………

As with the previous Dead Reckoning releases the rum comes in a rounded stubby bottle with a black and white colour scheme (with a flash of red here and there). The information on the bottle all relates to the liquid inside.

Dead Reckoning South Pacific 10 Year Muscat Cask is available in 700ml bottle and should cost you around $125. It is bottled at a healthy (but not Cask Strength) ABV of 47%. Once again I will point you in the direction of Zeewijck though other retailers are available in Europe. It is a Europe only release.

So I think that takes care of all the information I have to hand so lets move on to the nosing and tasting i.e. the fun bit!

The nose initially reminds me a little of a Port Cask finished rum. It’s rich and fruity with a lot of raisins and sultanas. Other fruits come through such as red apple, dates (or maybe figs) and a touch of bruised banana.

With this being a rum from the South Pacific Distillery couple with the fact it has only just got into double digits – there is a an air of menace beneath the initial sweetness. The familiar Jamaican/St Lucian mash up of aromas is present along with a slight hint of diesel oil reminiscent of a good Caroni.

There are medicinal elements on the nose and a nice hit of gentle oak and some spices. It’s a well rounded and inviting nose. Offering both sweetness and complexity which is sure to appeal to people who enjoy a bit of challenge. It’s not for people looking for a straight up sweet sipper like say Zacapa or DRE.

The initial sip is reasonably spicy with a nice hit of oak and some bourbon-esque spice. This quickly moves back to more of what we got on the nose. Juicy raisins, figs, bruised banana all come in nicely alongside a kind of pine-cone mixed with petrol type note. Which admittedly doesn’t sound all that appetising but works surprisingly well……

Anyone delving deeper into the rum world will be aware that not all tasting notes sound as nice as they actually are (honest).

As we move into the mid palate I’m noticing notes of dark chocolate and a touch of caramel. This is in addition to the wilder notes and we see some of the fruitiness fade slightly.

Post sip as we savour the finish you will notice some of the fruity notes return – raisins and sultanas become prominent again alongside a very nice oaky fade. A touch of all spice and an after taste of coffee give this rum a very interesting and complex ending.

I recently reviewed the 20 year old ex-bourbon cask rum from Dead Reckoning. Although this is half its age I must say I have taken just as much enjoyment out of this rum as I did that one.

I’m very lucky to have tried both. Again this is highly recommended and with 1240 bottles available you should be able to find a bottle.