Don Papa No.7 Small Batch Rum

Bythefatrumpirate

Don Papa No.7 Rum Review by the fat rum pirateDon Papa No.7 Small Batch Rum. This is how the Bleeding Heart Company who produce Don Papa are marketing this version of their very popular Don Papa Rum. This is the original Don Papa which was released back in 2012. Don Papa No.7 has proved to be a very controversial and divisive rum ever since.

It hails from Sugarlandia (I kid you not), Phillipines and Don Papa is a tribute to Papa Isio. His legend was instrumental to the independence of the island during the Revolution of the 1890s. The figure of Don Papa on the bottle is inspired by Papa Isio.

Don Papa No.7 is marketed as a Small Batch Premium rum made from the finest sugar cane. Even though it is produced on a Multi Column Still. It has been aged for 7 years in small oak barrels. You will find Don Papa in most online stores (one French rum stockist has famously refused to carry it at all) at around £32 for a 70cl bottle. It is bottled at 40% ABV. Marks & Spencer stock it though they note it in their stores as being a Spiced Rum. Which is very interesting

So why is Don Papa No.7  so controversial and why are some stockists refusing to sell this rum? Why are M&S selling it as Spiced Rum, if it is Small Batch Premium Rum?

19 g/L of additives as per the Hydrometer Tests and paid laboratory tests have shown 2.4 grams per/liter of glycerin and 359 milligrams per/liter of vanillin. There is also information out there to suggest that the rum also has a mixture of sweet fruit flavourings added to it as well. So lets see how this one tastes……

In the glass Don Papa 7 Year Old is a classic golden brown with an orange and red hue. It’s glistening and inviting.

On the nose Don Papa 7 Year Old delivers huge wafts of cheap Cream Soda. It smells a lot like a vanilla and lemonade ice cream float. Only with a bag of sugar added just to make sure its plenty sweet enough.Don Papa No.7 Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

Artificially cloyingly sweet Cherries – like Maraschino cherries steeped in cheap sherry or despicable 4 Euro Spanish Brandy. Don Papa 7 Year Old smells quite similar to A.H Riise’s Navy Rum only (believe it or not) even sweeter and more cloying.

A small child would like the smell of this particular drink. It smells like the inside of a traditional sweet shop. Sherbet, artificial sweeteners, liquid candy. Rum you say? Not on this nose.

It would be easier to say what isn’t on the nose. Well first of all there is vanilla – but its artificially saccharin sweet vanilla, not anything to do with oak ageing. Which is also lacking in any kind of presence. No sense of ageing with this particular concoction. Nor is there any kind of alcohol note. It’s so ridiculously sweetened that you don’t get any notes that are rum or even alcohol like. There is perhaps a hint of some spice there but whether is it natural or artificially added is debatable.

If this was a Spiced Rum or rather if it were widely labelled as one – I wouldn’t have such an issue with it. Unfortunately, shit like this and Bumbu are giving people the entirely wrong impression about rum. The idea that anyone that enjoys this kind of sweetened garbage is going to move on and drink “pure” rum as some kind of gateway is laughable. They’ll stick drinking this bollocks 99.9% of the time. Real rum or pure rum will be too “rough” for them. I’ve seen plenty evidence of this at Rum Festivals and sadly from looking at Rumratings.com.

I really don’t want to but I’ll take a sip. It surely cannot be as bad as the simply revolting nose.

Wrong – its absolutely rotten. Cloyingly sweet with a disgusting overnote of saccharin and fake sweeteners. Aspartame attack – along with vanilla essence and god knows what other rubbish they have added into this. They talk of ageing this in various casks – which seems unlikely and frankly there is no point ageing the “rum”. Is there seriously a rum at the base of this confected shit show? It must be rotten if there is, as I can see no other reason you would pour so much sugary syrup into a rum that was even half decent.

For all its sweet sugariness, its really very drying and bitter on the palate once it all settles down. It’s just a gloopy overly syruped mess. It bears no resemblance to any rum that has ever graced the Caribbean. I would love to see the equivalent shit like this try and masquerade as Scotch Whisky in the Whisky world. It would be shot down in flames in minutes of release. Not so with rum – with so many “expert spirit” writers out there you can find any number of misinformed freebie reviews out there saying how great this is. Which is perhaps part of the bigger problem.

As other RDon Papa No.7 Rum Review by the fat rum pirateum focused reviewers have rightly pointed out this is fake rum – I would even question if legally it should be available as “Rum” in the EU. Some retailers have taken to listing this as Spiced Rum. Maybe enforcement of the EU directives would see this re-labelled but don’t hold your breath on that.

Hideous muck, even when mixed it competes with whatever you try mixing it with. Giving its sickly sugary fake cherry and vanilla note to any drink you are trying to make.

Don Papa No.7 is best avoided and sadly Sainsburys have recently started stocking it.

Criminal.

 

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  • S.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017

    Bythefatrumpirate

    S.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017 rum cachaca review by the fat rum pirateS.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017. 1423 have released a few “Brazilian Rums” over the past few years – they even blended one with a Barbados rum.

    Now technically the juice in this bottle is Cachaca. However due to a lack of understanding regarding Cachaca’s independent bottlers and even brands such as Ben Bom label their products “Brazilian Rum”. I guess this helps appeal and not alienate certain consumers who do not understand the spirit. Fair enough I say.

    In fairness to 1423 on their website they do note this as Brazilian Cachaca Rum. Looking at the bottle, it is not immediately identified as rum or cachaca from what I can see. I’m going to call it cachaca for the purpose of this review – even though the part ageing in Europe for some might suggest it shouldn’t be labelled cachaca.

    Luckily quite a lot of other information is available both on the bottle and at their website. So lets take a look and see exactly what the juice in this bottle might be…..

    The cachaca comes from the Pardin Distillery. You can read a review of one of their more famous bottlings here courtesy of Rum Diaries Blog. It is 100% Pot Still cachaca made with fresh sugar cane juice. A portion of this cachaca was distilled in 2013 and some was distilled in 2017. They have been married together into one barrel which eventually yielded just 282 bottles. It has been finished in an ex-Oloroso sherry cask before being bottled in August 2020 in Denmark.

    It has been bottled at 45% ABV. Legally Cachaca cannot exceed 48% ABV. If it does it is called Aguardente de Cana. In Europe I guess such a spirit could be labelled rum.

    S.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017 retails at around £100 and is currently available at Master of Malt. Presentation wise it comes in their signature stubby bottle and you get an attractive carboard sleeve with a “viewing slot” so you can see your rum.S.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017 rum cachaca review by the fat rum pirate

    I’m quite excited to see independent bottlers picking up cachaca and giving it an “exotic” finish. It will be interesting to see how this works!

    In the glass we are presented with a very dark brown spirit. Almost mahogany like.

    The nose is an inviting harmony of conventional aged cachaca notes – light vanilla, some soured cream, clotted cream and some light spicy wood and the Oloroso finish.

    So we are presented with sweet rich notes of raisin, honey, citrus and some white wine. The nose is rich and full. It’s almost luxurious and dense. Very dense.

    It has a very distinctive orange aroma to it as well. But not in the sweetened liqueuer sense like Pyrat XO – it is authentic and reminds me of Seville Oranges.

    It’s a very nice and very inviting nose.

    Sipped Pardin Oloroso is not as sweet as the nose suggested. I was suspicious that some of the Oloroso was still swishing around the barrel but once I tasted this I wasn’t quite so sure (there isn’t I Hydrometer tested it as well, its clean). It’s much more citrus heavy than I was expecting with far more “bite” and spice particularly on the initial entry.

    There is more cachaca than I was expecting with a very nice mid palate built around delicate vanilla and some double cream. A pleasant array of spices – a touch of ChristmasS.B.S – The 1423 Single Barrel Selection Brazil 2013/2017 rum cachaca review by the fat rum pirate cake remind you of the Oloroso finish. As things should be with a finished or second maturation the Oloroso doesn’t dominate – it contributes and brings extra layers to the cachaca. You can always taste the cachaca though.

    As you continue to sip the initial entry shows more of the raisin and fruitiness that was on the nose. The mid palate and finish continue you to grow in complexity. This makes for a really nice sipper. It’s sweet but not in an “added sugar” kind of way.

    The finish is long and has a lot of stoned fruits and berries. A slightly bitter note mingles alongside the warming oak spices which build and slowly fade away nicely.

    A lovely spirit overall really tasty and full of both cachaca and sherry flavours.

  • Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos rum review by the fat rum pirateRon Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos. This rum has pretty much all the suspicious marketing terminology, that pretty much guarantees a no purchase for me nowadays. That said I’ve got a sample of this particular rum, so I might as well see what Ecuador, has to offer the rum world.

    Ron Canuto brand themselves as the “Highland Rum”. Ecuador isn’t the first place I think of when I think of “The Highlands” but fair play to them they are up there and at quite a high altitude. 700 metres plus.

    This is a local molasses based rum which has been aged in ex-bourbon casks. It is produced at the Zhumir distillery, which was formerly known as the La Playa distillery and was originally set up in 1966.

    It is noted as being a Pot Still rum and the bottles have individual barrel and bottle numbers noted on them. Whether this really denotes single cask type production – I’m not convinced. I think this is a blend of rums (the rum has certainly been blended with something 35g/L of undisclosed additives) and I’m not convinced at all its 100% Pot Still either.

    Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos has had some limited availability here in the UK where it retails at around £32.95 for a 70cl bottle with an ABV of 40%. It comes in a sleek 3/4 rectangular bottle with a heavy base to help with its premium credentials. It looks pretty much like a lot of other similarly priced “rons” on the todays market. The chunky cork stopper completes the look.

    Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos rum review by the fat rum pirateI’ve noted in some “reviews” of this rum that is their youngest rum – however I’ve seen precious little evidence of them releasing any older rums under the Ron Canuto name. Even on the Zhumir website I can only find this “7 Anos” release and some Aquardiente. As pictured the bottle used on the site is a different presentation to the one pictured elsewhere.

    So as is often the case I am not left with much else regards any information on this particular rum. Fair play to Canuto at least they haven’t come up with some fanciful back story involving some tenuously connected historical figure. Makes a change.

    So lets get on with the nosing and tasting.

    In the glass I am presented with a golden brown spirit. Likelihood this has been coloured as it has that “classic” aged rum colour.

    Upon nosing Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos, I am immediately hit with a very familiar very sweet note. I’ve nosed similar before in the likes of Ron Millonario and Ron Santos Dumont. It’s a very sweet, almost cloying fake banana note. Like those cheap foam banana sweets. Only with a more confected, sweeter overlay. It’s synthetic and a bit weird to be honest.

    I’m also getting some vanilla, marzipan and some brasil nuts. It’s sweet and nutty like one of those “health bars” that are full of nuts and fruit but are covered in sugary syrup.

    It’s almost perfumed on the nose. Pot Still Rum you say? Must be the lightest Pot Still rum ever. There is a faint peppery spice and maybe a hint of some kind of woody/oak spice. You’re definitely searching for anything particularly “rummy”.

    The sip is initially every bit as sweet as the nose would suggest. There is minimal burn of any kind (always a big give-away when a rum has been adulterated). It is just a quick blast of sweet vanilla and banana sugar water.

    I wouldn’t say the mid palate evolves into anything in particular but once the intial sip has faded you get a slight astringency and a bitter, woody note. It’s a kind of woody Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos rum review by the fat rum piratesaccharin which really isn’t particularly pleasant.

    Finish wise – small mercies its very short and pretty much non-existent. If you have a sweet tooth and/or prefer spirits (it’s liqueurs’ you really like I’m afraid) that are “sweet, smooth and easy going” this is for you. Mind that bitter note might put off some of the truly clueless “rum” drinkers out there.

    Sadly this kind of rum continues to flood the market – ten a penny. They are priced reasonably, well reasonably for what they claim to be. They look pretty and will appeal to those buying gifts. Good sellers at Christmas.

    Insipid, sweetened, sugary water. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Boring

    1 star

     

     

  • The Colours of Rum Guyana 1999

    Bythefatrumpirate

    The Colours of Rum Guyana 1999 rum review by the fat rum pirateThe Colours of Rum Guyana 1999. It’s likely you will become quite familiar with this new independent bottler from Poland over the coming weeks. I have no fewer than 15 expressions (12 of which are from Barbados’ Foursquare Distillery) of their line up to review. Lucky me indeed!

    As is, in the name The Colours of Rum Guyana 1999 comes housed in a green and yellow carboard sleeve. Contained within is an opaque “Velier style” bottle with a chunky cork stopper. The label is green with a yellow typeface being used. The traditional colours of the Guyanese flag are red, green and yellow. It seems that Weath Solutions (the group behind The Colours of Rum) have opted for only two colours per release.

    The Colours of Rum Guyana 1999 is a rum from the Port Mourant Double Wooden Pot Still or possibly the Single Wooden Versailles Pot Still. Both were had been re-housed at Uitvlugt Dstillery in October 1999, when this rum was distilled. The rum has been aged for 2 years in the tropics and has spent the past 19 and a half years ageing in Europe. The rum was bottled in April 2021. As it’s 21 and a half years old if I’ve got my maths correct.

    It is noted as being Cask Number 54 – which in fairness doesn’t mean a great deal to me. It has been bottled at 52.6% ABV and has been aged in “ex-recycled rum casks”. As with the Jamaica release I do think these are once again ex-bourbon barrels. This time though it seems they aren’t second fill if they have previously contained other rums.

    The Colours of Rum Guyana 1999 retailed at €218 for a 70cl bottle. It is the most limited single cask release, so far from The Colours of Rum with only 184 bottles being available. I suspect as is the way lately that a few of these might come up for auction online. They likely have already.

    In terms of the still that I think this hails from I do suspect it will be from the Port Mourant still. As this is the still that is most often referred to as “Uitvlugt” rather then the Versailles. It is also worth noting that numerous 1999 releases noted as being Uitvlugt have also noted they are from the Port Mourant still. I’m more than happy to be corrected though if my assumption is not correct.The Colours of Rum Guyana 1999 rum review by the fat rum pirate

    So I think I’ve exhausted my information on this bottling so lets get some nosing and tasting going.

    In the glass The Colours of Rum Guyana 1999 is quite a light rum for its age. Likely down to the less intense continental ageing, which made up the majority of this rums maturation. It is light golden brown a shade or two darker than straw. Still quite light though.

    The nose is quite fruity and floral with a lot of green apple, pear and that unmistakable Demerara raisin note. There is a little light smoke and the anise that I was expecting on the nose is struggling to make its self felt. Could this be a Versailles still rum after all?

    Sipped, its much drier and smokier than the nose leads you to believe. It has a musty almost soot like note. It tastes old if that makes much sense. It’s smoky notes are quite nice and are layered over the raisin and apple notes. There is a slightly tarry note as you move into the mid palate.

    There’s a nice hit of aniseed especially on the initial sips and that moves down into the mid palate. It’s quite a savoury/whisky-esque rum but it does have enough sweetness to stop it going to far down that route (I’m not much of a Scotch Whisky fan).

    The Colours of Rum Guyana 1999, has a reasonable finish to it but it isn’t as long or as powerful as I might have hoped. This lacks for me the intensity afforded to more time in the tropics. It dries out and dies down quite quickly and is surprisingly “weak” in terms of the overall burn. It drinks more like something at 43-46% ABV. Which I’m not really sure is a bad or a good thing!The Colours of Rum Guyana 1999 rum review by the fat rum pirate

    Overall, this isn’t a bad rum it’s just not 100% my type of Demerara. I prefer those aged more in the Tropics that have more intensity and richness. This is a bit dry for my tastes but that is exactly that – my tastes.

    If you are familiar with rums of a similar vintage and similar ageing profile (tropical/continental ratio especially) then you will likely be able to gauge how this rum tastes and whether its for you or not.

    It seems 184 people have already done just that……

     

     

  • Rum Nation Ilha de Madeira – Limited Edition 2017

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Rum Nation Ilha De Madeira Limited Edition 2017 review by the fat rum pirateRum Nation Ilha de Madeira. Rum Nation are an independent bottler that we have covered a couple of times already on this site. They have been operating since 1999. Besides releasing rum under the Rum Nation label they also market rums such as Ron Millonario and Reimonenq.

    Rum Nation and the Portuguese island of Madeira have been in the “rum news” quite a bit lately. Over the past year rum Nation began releasing their “Rare Rums” series and the emergence of the William Hinton brand from Madeira has alerted people to “Madeira Rhum” as a thing.

    I’ve got a couple of Rum Nation Rare Rums lined up for reviews. I also met with representatives of William Hinton and attended a “masterclass” at the London Rumfest in October 2017. So I am not unfamiliar with Madeira rhum.

    This rhum has been released as part of the “normal” Rum Nation line up and comes in their standard stubby bottle. The “stamp” type label is again in use and the bottle gives you a few details regarding the rhum inside. Madeira rhum is produced in a agricole style from Fresh Cane Juice. Rum Nation Ilha de Madeira is bottled at 50% ABV. A bottle, should you come across one in the UK should be around £50. I’m not sure anywhere in the UK stocked this though. Typically I have found this online for as low as 30 euros and as high as 45 euros.

    Rum Nation Ilha de Madeira was released in 2017 there is no mention of any ageing (either age or what the rum was aged in). It may well be unaged. The Ru,m Nation website recommends using this as a mixer. They also note the rum is “crystal clear” which indeed it is.

    So with little else to report on the rhum we may as well delve into this Cane Juice distillate………

    As mentioned already this is a crystal clear spirit. Nosing and you don’t have to delve very deep reveals a pungent and very medicinal style of rum – similar to unaged Agricole and Jamaican White Overproof rum. It is perhaps most similar in style to the Haitian Clairin’s. It’s pretty robust to say the least.

    It smells like sea air very briny and there is a note of sour milk running alongside it. Green olives, nail varnish and a touch of tar and petrol. There is a sweetness in there as well but its very grassy and vegetal – there is a lot going on.

    Sipped the rum is actually quite approachable. Initial notes are mostly of pepper and spicy ginger. Not at all like the nose would suggest.

    Rum Nation Ilha de Madeira has quite a rich sweetness running through it – cinnamon and licorice are very nicely developed and it has a very slight smokiness as you approach the finish. Which is spicy and warming and again not overbearing.

    Despite the noRum Nation Ilha De Madeira Limited Edition 2017 Rum Review by the fat rum piratese this rum is actually quite nicely balanced and very much at odds its own nose. Its flavourful but is surprisingly well balanced. Its no where near as funky or as overpowering as the nose might lead you to believe.

    It’s quite a clean and almost clinical kind of spirit. All the flavour is delivered in just the right amount and I would imagine this would work very nicely in cocktails and in a Ti Punch. Its flavourful but has good balance. It’s almost as if it has “checked” itself to deliver enough flavour without throwing itself off balance or becoming to overpowering.

    Really promising stuff.

     

     

     

  • Dictador Distillery Icon Reserve Aged 20 Years Solera System Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Dictador Distillery Icon Reserve Aged 20 Years Solera System Rum review by the fat rum pirateDictador Distillery Icon Reserve Aged 20 Years Solera System Rum.  Quite a mouthful but thats what they’ve put on the label.  Quite how Aged 20 Years and “Solera System Rum” works is anyones guess, however.

    Dictador are a rum brand from Colombia. They also have lines of coffee, cigars and gin.  I’ve not been around the rum scene for that long but Dictador 12 was one of the first “premium” rums I bought.  I reviewed it in the early days of this blog. As was one of the aims of this blog I have learnt a great deal about rum since then.  I won’t revisit that review until I have completed this one.  I don’t recall being blown away by Dictador 12 though.

    Dictador rums are the kind of rums you will find in high end department stores that like to stock designer “gear”.  You’ll find them along side the likes of Zacapa XO, DIplomatico and Don Papa.  Presentation wise the Japanese made squat opaque bottles are very attractive and the black and blue colourway on this particular bottling is striking.  Presentation wise these are very much “designer” rums.  If there is indeed such a thing.

    A 70cl bottle of Dictador Aged 20 Years Solera System Rum will set you back around £50 it is bottled at a rather standard 40% ABV.  Dictador rums are pretty easy to pick up in the UK.  They have definitely tapped into the market.  Having said that I don’t really hear that much talk about them in rum circles.  Except when the Solera System gets brought up or we begin talking about the origin of rums…..

    Or when we start talking about “Virgin Sugar Cane Honey”.  The Dictador website is as slick as the bottles. Taking the information from the website you would believe this rum is a 20 year old aged in a Solera System.  Which doesn’t make a great deal of sense to me.  Dictador note that is a blend of rums distilled in Copper Alembic (Pot) and a Steel Continuous Column.  Which produces a “medium bodied” rum.  It seems to me Dictador are using the finest Grade A marketing tactics as used by Zacapa and Diplomatico with their descriptors.

    Dictador are a brand who claim to have been in existence since 1913. The following slideshow gives you more information on the brand.  The brand hails from Cartagena de Indias.  Dictador Distillery Icon Reserve Aged 20 Years Solera System Rum review by the fat rum pirateInteresting Dictador have a master blender rather than distiller Hernan Parra.

    When I originally tried the Dictador 12 I did think it had been adultered in some way.  I still hold this view.  True it “passed” the Hydrometer test but that can be easily fooled by other sweet alcohols such as sweet wine and other less invasive additives.  I’ve not seen anything which explains how the flavour has been produced. They do not mention anywhere I have seen what the rum in the Solera is aged in ie what type of barrels/casks.

    My thoughts on the flavour profile of Dictador will be revealed more over the next few paragraphs as I nose and taste this rum.

    Dictador Distillery Icon Reserve Aged 20 Years is a rich, dark brown colour. Without knowing the exact age of the rums in the blend (it is not a full 20 years) I’d still be surprised if the colour was entirely natural.

    A quick nosing reveals a very sweet, light almost Cuban style rum. It’s slightly floral but it does have a quite surpising hit of alcohol fumes. It’s reasonably spicy but it all seems a little “candied”. Overall the nose isn’t bad and there is quite a bit to come back to and far amount of complexity.  Licorice, cinnamon and some sweet boozy notes – like a younger rum sometimes exhibits. There is a hint of tobacco and a touch of tar. Overall though its mostly sweet.

    Sipped you get coffee, a lot of coffee. Sweet sugary coffee. It’s actually a lot more spicy than I had expected. I do believe quite a portion of rum a LOT younger than 20 years is in this blend. I’m not getting much of the pot still rum – its not doing much in this blend. Blind I would have assumed this was all column. It’s light and inoffensive. It has a reasonable amount of alcohol burn to reassure you it is a 40% spirit. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a lot of what I would determine as “rummy” characteristics. It’s more like a kind of sherried flavoured vodka. I’m sure such a drink exists somewhere.

    Sweet, light bordering on floral and with that strange coffee like hit especially on the finish. Which is very short. It’s an interesting spirit but I wouldn’t want to be forking out £50 on this if I wanted a bottle of rum.

    It’s agreeable and easy enough to drink. Whether it is really a rum I’m not so sure. It didn’t hold my interest. It’s certainly different to a lot of rums on the market. I’m not sure that is a good thing though.

     

     

  • Saint James Royal Ambre

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Saint James Royal Ambre rum review the fat rum pirateSaint James Royal Ambre is a Rhum Agricole from the French speaking island of Martinique.

    For those unfamiliar with Rhum Agricole it is rum made from fresh cane juice as opposed to Rhum Industriel which is produced from molasses or other sugar by products.

    The term Rhum Industriel is not widely used as it has negative connotations and those that do produce rhum in this way have no desire or motivation to market their products as such.  As most production occurs outside of the French speaking islands it has no real meaning.  The term when used in derogative way does Rhum Agricole’s snobbish overpriced reputation little favours.

    Saint James Royal Ambre is a fairly reasonably priced just over £20 for a 70cl bottle which is bottled at an ABV of 45%.  Many Agricoles are much more expensive.  There is no age statement on the rum or any notations suggesting it is well aged.  The rum has the AOC marque from the French Government which signifies the rhum is produced as a true Agricole Rhum.

    Like it’s Cane Juice counterpart Cachaca, Rhum Agricole has a very vegetal, grassy profile which can take some getting used to.

    In all honesty I find Rhum Agricole to be very strange and I don’t really think of it as rum.  Admittedly it is better than my experiences of Cachaca but not by a big margin.

    This Rhum Agricole is quite well regarded and the retailer I bought it from had a limit of one bottle per customer.

    The Rhum is presented in quite a nice rectangular bottle with Saint James 1769 etched on the shoulders of the bottle.  The presentation is quite pleasant is consistent throughout the range of rum’s.  The bottle is written solely in French so I have little idea what the rhum thinks about itself!

    On the nose the rhum exhibits fresh grassy notes and a slight vegetal/fruit note fresh and clean a little like cucumber.  It is a pleasant medium gold/brown colour.  When sipped it is pretty spicy it isn’t particularly harsh but it isn’t what you would term as smooth.

    In the mouth the vegetal notes come to the forefront.  The rhum reminds me a little of chewing grass as a child or munching on celery and cucumber.  It’s very fresh and clean tasting but at the end of the day is this what I want rum to taste like?  Clearly the French do.

    As with my previous review of La Mauny VXO I’m just a little bit lost as to what this is supposed to be.  I just don’t understand why you would want rum that tastes like this?  It goes kind of okay with Lemonade but its just really odd tasting.  My wife sometimes adds cucumber to vodka and lemonade this has a similar effect.  Its kind of like all the ingredients of Pimms but without the actual Pimms.

    Odd, odd, odd

    1 star
    1 star

     

9 Comments

  1. Just stumbled across your blog/website, starting with this review. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment and have started reading through the others on this site. I’m delighted that such a thing exists on the Internet…. an educated and informed review of one of my favourite spirits (and this is coming from a predominantly Irish whiskey drinker!). Very well done and keep up the great work!!

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  4. I tried a sample once. Kept telling myself that I shouldn’t knock it untill I tried it. I managed two sips before pouring it down the drain. Couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth all day. In a way I’m impressed, they actually found a way to distill marketing bullshit.

  5. Please, keep yourself updated… EU has had this product relabelled as a “spirit drink” for several years now…

    1. And if I may add, you are being very down looking on people drinking it, saying they will never evovle 99.9% of the time… Do you run market studies on an european scale to back your claim ?
      You forget that many rum brands could never have existed if Don Papa hadn’t cleared the path for them.

      You may hate the product, fine, but it’s no reason to despise people who enjoy it and forget some of the rare, yet important benefits, it brought the rum market in general.

      1. Don Papa is NOT labelled as a Spirit Drink. Show me where??? Don Papa has paved the way for more garbage products nothing to do with rum. Rare and important benefits? To be honest the people I do dislike are those that try and defend rubbish like this. Or those that peddle it as rum. It’s not rum.

        1. Well…
          Open Google and type “Don Papa contre étiquette” and there you go… You will see the mention “Boisson Spiritueuse”, meaning “spirit drink” in french. It has been the case for several years now…

          Once again, check things out before making such bold statements. It dosn’t make your blog and point of view look good.

          And I said “rare YET important”, not “rare and important”… It makes quite a big difference. Once again, the issue with your article is that is doesn’t take the state of the market into consideration at all…
          Let’s focus on the french market if you don’t mind, since it is the one I know and can talk about (been part of the industry for several years now).

          15 years ago, for 99% of the french population, rum was a strong harsh booze made in the french caribbean just good to be cooked with. End of the line. Seriously. The last 1% knew rum could be more than that because they travelled to Guadeloupe or Martinique or had family living there.

          Wether you like it or not, Don Papa has helped MASSIVELY in getting people to understand that rum can be more than that.
          And again, wether you like it or not, I Have witnessed UNDEREDS of times consummers starting with very sweet rums or spirit drinks and then move to a more proper style of rum. It is a fact. It takes more or less time to achieve that (and I agree with you that some will never change their taste, but they are not 99.9% as you suggest, you are VERY far from truth here…), but people DO GET educated.

          1. In case you hadn’t noticed the blog is in English and nowhere is Don Papa noted as Spirit Drink. Look on their own website. Its marketed as rum. The 99.9% was an off the cuff remark. Nothing more

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