Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Clarendon Estate Aged 10 Years. The Dràm Mòr Group are a new bottler of Scotch Whisky and Rum, who hail from Bonny Scotland. Dumbarton to be exact. The group is headed up by husband and wife team Viktorija and Kenny Macdonald.

Dràm Mòr as well as being quite a fun little pun “dram more” means literally Big Whisky in Gaelic. The bottling I am reviewing today is a rum (obviously) and is one of 2 releases so far from the group.

I previously reviewed the other bottling a 13 year old Foursquare rum here. For those unfamiliar with Clarendon here is a brief overview

Clarendon Distillers Ltd is located on the Monymusk Estate. You will see terms such as Estate and Distillery used quite interchangeably when referring to Clarendon/Monymusk. The distillery was built in 1949 by the owners of the nearby Monymusk Sugar Factory. By 1976 it was under government ownership in the form of the Sugar Corporation of Jamaica.

Today the distillery is run by National Rums of Jamaica, which is jointly owned by West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd, Demerara Distillers and the Jamaican government.

There are two sides to the distillery. The older area is equipped with pot stills, used to make heavier styles of rum. The newer section features column stills that produce a lighter spirit. Rum produced onsite is used in brands such as Captain Morgan, Myers, Royal Jamaican, as well as their “own brand” the Monymusk rum range.

The bottling we have today is from the pot still side of the distillery. This is an 100% pot still rum.

Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Clarendon Estate Aged 10 Years is a run of just 295 bottles. The rum has been bottled at 63% ABV and is presented in a traditional 70cl bar style bottle. The labelling is clear and uncluttered with some tasteful artwork and a modern logo. Their are no fairy tales or stories on the bottle just solid information regarding the liquid held within. The liquid is kept safe by the use of a sturdy wooden topped cork stopper. In the UK should set you back around £75-80. The Good Spirits Co currently have it in stock (limited to 2 bottles per household).

So that’s pretty much everything I know about this bottling so lets give it a whirl and see how it tastes.

In the glass I’m presented with a medium to dark brown liquid. It has a nice golden glow to it. All is well.

A quick nosing of Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Clarendon Estate Aged 10 Years reveals a very fruity smelling spirit. Lots of banana and pineapple. There is also a toffee like sweetness and a nice waft of vanilla.

Further nosing reveals ginger and a slightly herbal almost grassy note. I’m getting banana loaf and a kind of toffee sponge. It’s a bit treacly as well.

I often notice a slight “musty-ness” with Clarendon/Monymusk bottlings there are hints of that but this smells a lot “fresher” and more vibrant than a lot of previous bottlings I’ve experienced.

The rum overall smells a bit like a blend of Worthy Park and Hampden. Funky yet with a gentler more refined note. Interesting. Theres a lot to the nose and as I go in for another sniff I’m getting Kola Kubes (boiled sweets), which is interesting and perhaps a hint of Pear Drops (boiled sweets again).

When sipped the rum is more savoury and less sweet than the nose suggests. However, it has a really nice almost malty note to it and it still has an initial burst of slightly sour/hot pineapple, banana and pear.

The mid palate becomes more rounded and the oak ageing begins to show. It becomes spicier with hints of ginger, cardamon and some white pepper running alongside some slightly sharp oak notes and some vanilla to round things.

As we move into the finish the initial sweetness returns I’m getting some notes of pickle juice and pickled onions (?) lurking in the back of the palate as the finish builds into a oaky and quite peppery finale.

The finish is a good length and the intensity of the flavours on the initial sip and mid palate remain for some time.

Although this rum is probably quite low overall in terms of esters it’s still a very complex and very interesting rum to sip on. There’s a lot going on and it all blends together very nicely.

This is certainly more interesting than a lot of the Monymusk branded rum I have tried. It is interesting to see whisky bottlers picking out rums such as these. It shows that people are looking for variety. I hate the endless posts on Facebook requesting “Rums to gift a whisky/bourbon drinker” then seeing people suggest rums aged in Scotch Whisky casks or rums which are very similar in profile to whisky/bourbon.

When I try and other spirit I want a good example of that spirit not something which is going to taste vaguely familiar. What’s the point in that? “Here’s a whisky I’ve picked for you that tastes like rum” Yeah thats great, just what I was looking for…..not. Other people think differently though. People like familiarity. I get that.

Anyway this is certainly one of the better Monymusk/Clarendon bottlings I’ve had to date and I’ve had a few.

Thoroughly recommended. Thats two great picks so far from Dràm Mòr