Dràm Mòr Secret Mauritius Distillery Aged 7 Years

Bythefatrumpirate

Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Secret Fiji Distillery Aged 7 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateDràm Mòr Secret Mauritius Distillery Aged 7 Years. We are returning again this week to a bottling from Scottish Indie bottler Dràm Mòr.

Today we once again have a bottling from a “Secret” Distillery. Will I be able to work out which distillery this hails from? Most probably……..

On the rear label it is noted that the distillery “sits in a beautiful old estate amidst orchards and sugar cane fields in the north of Mauritius”. Which would put me towards Grays Distillery. There are other distilleries in the North of Mauritus but Grays which produces the New Grove line of rums, is the most likely to be exporting bulk rum to Europe. .

If I am wrong I am more than happy to be corrected. The only thing that makes me think I may be wrong is that an 11 year old has since been released which is labelled as Grays Distillery.

There were 293 bottles of this when it was released back in 2022. You may have to go to the secondary market if you wish to find a bottle. It seems to have sold out everywhere I’ve looked. It is noted as being cask number 508. The rum was distilled in 2014 and bottled in 2022. A 70cl bottle at the time of release would set you back around £75 and it comes in at 52.7% ABV.

The rum was aged in Mauritius for 2 years before being exported to Europe. It was then transferred into an ex-English Whisky cask which had previously held Red Wine. So quite a mash up on the ageing front!

Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Secret Mauritius Distillery Aged 7 Years is Cane Juice r(h)um which has been column distilled.

So with my information complete we may as well move onto the tasting.

In the glass we have a classic “gold to dark brown” coloured spirit. The initial nosing is quite fruity. I’m getting rich dark fruits – plums, blackcurrants and some sharp red wine like notes. There is a slight sourness which reminds me of Cherry Drops (English “gummy” sweets).

Further nosing reveals more of the cask influence – some sawdust and black pepper mingling alongside a musty “Scotch” like note.

All in all the nose is quite appealing I just hope (for my tastes) that the Scotch Whisky influence isn’t too prominent when drank.

Sipping Dràm Mòr Secret Mauritius Distillery Aged 7 Years is like the nose initially quite fruity. As well as the rich dark stoned fruits of before I am also getting a real tartness. Thick Cut Seville Orange Marmalade and some buttered crumpets or muffins.

Beneath this I am getting that sawdust/musty note again with a bit of hay and some freshly cut wood.

On the mid palate the rum becomes much drier and spicier with more notes of black pepper, all spice and something which I can best describe as Pot Pourri.

Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Secret Fiji Distillery Aged 7 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateThis is a very complex rum – which is probably a lot to do with the mix up of ageing. Column Distilled rum is often seen as “boring” in some quarters. However I often feel that Column Distilled Rum actually tends to integrate more flavour when a rum is aged in another type of barrel or cask. Thats my theory anyway.

Finish wise Dràm Mòr Secret Mauritius Distillery Aged 7 Years has a long and satisfying finish. It is perhaps in the finish where the Scotch Whisky notes are most prominent.

So it is perhaps my least favourite part of the rum overall. That said they are not over the top. They are just there enough for me to notice so it will cost the rum 1/2 mark in the scoring. Please note this is only my own personal preference so if you are a fan of Scotch Whisky add back on 1/2 a mark.

The finish is a little too “peaty” for me and that detracts from the fruitiness slightly. That said this is still a very nice little bottling.

 

 

 

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  • Bristol Classic Rum Port Morant 1999 (bottled 2015)

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Bristol Port Mortant 1999 rum review by the fat rum pirateUp for review is a Port Morant rum from the Diamond Distillery by Bristol Classic Rum.

    Bristol Classic Rum have over the years released a number of editions of Port Mo(u)rant rums.  All releases seemed to stem from a stock of rum dating from 1990 and 1999.

    To date I have reviewed a number of Bristol’s rums and those have included two Port Mo(u)rants from the 1990 stock.  To even things up I have also acquired some of the 1999 stock.

    This rum bottled in 2015 was very much a blink and you’ll miss it affair.  I have spoken with John Barrett of Bristol Classic Rum and he has confirmed that all the 1999 stock of this rum has now been released.

    Often Bristol’s releases of Port Mo(u)rant rum have had Port or Sherry cask finish.  This goes for a more straight forward approach.  It has spent its 15 plus years ageing in American Oak (bourbon barrels/casks).

    At the time of release a bottle of this rum would set you back a very reasonable £55-60 for 70cl of 46% ABV rum.  The presentation is classic Bristol and the colour scheme of red and black in keeping with their other Port Morant releases.  You get the usual cylinder to store the rum and a very nice real foil covered cork stopper.

    I have enjoyed the Port Morant 1990 from Bristol.  I have quite high expectations of this vintage as well.

    In the glass it is very interesting to see just how light the rum is.  It is straw coloured.  Similar to similarly aged Guyanese rum from Mezan.  Much lighter than the Port and Sherry finished Port Morants I have tried previously.

    1999 demerara bristolWhich to be fair was one of the reasons why I was so keen to try this rum.  It has no specific finish and will just rely on the extensive European ageing down in sunny Bristol.

    The nose is familiar.  Anise and an almost herbal note are immediate.  What is less apparent on the first few nosings is the more delicate notes.  The American Oak really has had a considerable affect on the rum.  Lighter vanilla and honey notes are also present.  Nice balanced smoky notes.  The nose is more balanced, slightly less intense than the 1990 port finished rums I have tried previously.

    Sipping – the rum even at 46% ABV is very spicy and quite heated.  The anise note comes to the fore – this is then followed by a lot of spicy oak notes. There is quite a lot of fruit on the palate.  Dry, acidic almost white wine like notes and a definite bitter kick going into the finish from the distinctive Port Morant still – bitter liquorice and aniseed.

    It is a full flavoured, quite hard hitting rum yet it has some of the rough edges rounded off slightly by the less dominant notes.  The honey and vanilla flavour subdue the spice of the oak going into the finish.  The finish is long and satisfying – nice aniseed and wood.

    I think this particular rum may have been slightly over cooked however.  Some of the oak notes make it a little too dry and take away some of the fruitiness.  That is just personal preference though.

    In short if you wish to try an authentic Port Morant and you prefer drier spirits this won’t disappoint.  It is also about the cheapest way you will experience such a rum – if you can track down a bottle.

    4 stars

     

     

  • Habitation Velier Foursquare 2013

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Foursquare 2013 Pure Single rum Habitation Velier Rum review by the fat rum piratHabitation Velier Foursquare 2013.  No what other pairing in the rum world could you possibly think of that would be a virtual guarantee of a quality rum experience?

    In amongst the sensation that was caused by the pairing of Velier and Foursquare with the 2006 release in 2016, where a number of bottlings released undeer the Habitation Velier moniker.

    Habitation Velier’s tagline is “The House of Pure Single Rums”.  Recently when I have been reviewing Foursquare rums I have been struggling to think of anything new and interesting to say.  Not so with this release.

    You want information straight from the horses mouth? Habitation Velier is the place to go. Just about every conceivable question you may have about the actual contents of the bottle are explained on either the bottle of the cardboard box which houses the rum.

    Before I move onto those details I’ll give a bit of detail about the presentation.  First up we have a departure from the usual Velier bottles.  It is still opaque but it is more of a 3/4 flash style rather than a more traditional red wine style bottle.  The bottle is housed in a very solid cardboard box and you get a very nice cork stopper.  The presentation for the Habitation Velier Foursquare is great and immediately you realise that the production method is very important with these bottlings.

    With the Habitation Velier Foursquare 2013 Luca and Richard want you to know and understand how the rum is produced.  The main picture is of a Double Retort Pot Still.

    If you can still find a bottle of this rum in the UK then it will set you back around £75-85 for a 70cl bottle.  As so much information is available on the bottle and box I will run you through all that now………

    Barbados Pure Single Rum – Very Rare Pot Still rum aged in ex-cognac casksFoursquare 2013 Pure Single rum Habitation Velier Rum review by the fat rum pirat

    100% Pot Still Distillation

    Distilled: 2013 Bottled : 2015 Aged : 2 yo

    Aged in the Tropics/Angel Share 15%

    Sugar Free, Natural Colour, Unchillfiltered, Barrel proof

    64% vol.

    This is a rum distilled entirely in the pot still built by Green Engineering and Forsyths.

    Pure Single Rum = Run Distilled from a unique pot still

    Pretty comprehensive I’m sure you will agree and it certainly makes my job a lot easier!

    I think we have enough information on the rum now so we may as well start the fun part…..

    In the glass despite the rum being only 2 years old it is a very vivid reddish/brown.  Bearing in mind all the information given regarding this rum I can only conclude that the colour is due to ageing in the cognac casks.

    The nose is full and quite aggressive.  It has a fieryness to it.  Reminiscent in many ways of overproof Demerara rums such as Pussers or Lemon hart.  It’s big, rich, full and fruity.  Notes of dark dried fruits such as raisins and currants.  Vibrant red berries such as raspberries.  Running across all this is a rich caramel/toffee.  It really doesn’t have full on alcohol aromas that I might expect from such a young spirit at such a high proof.  Nor does it have any noticeable oak or spicy bourbon like notes.

    Habitation Velier Foursquare 2013 rum review by the fat rum pirateWhat I am sensing here is something very different.  Over the past couple of years Richard Seale Master Distiller at Foursquare has been producing some of the best and most daring rums that the world has ever seen.  This is perhaps the most “out there” product to date..

    Sipped at 61% is where you first realise that you are perhaps drinking a rum which has not been extensively aged.  It’s very spicy and you do get quite a lot of strong alcohol heat.  it’s a real mouth tingler.  Despite this you can still taste the fruity flavours that were promised on the nose.  There is a sweetness but there is also a very strong red wine note.  This is quite bitter but it also introduces for the first time some oaked notes.

    A few drops of water are definitely recommended with this one.  Bringing the rum down to a more recognisable drinking strength certainly helps identify more of the complexities in this rum.

    In many ways its very much a little brother to the Foursquare 2006.  It’s a very rich, very flavourful rum.  The age of the rum means it carries forward a lot of sweetness.  It has a really nice smokey finish which definitely leaves you wanting more.

    I wouldn’t say it is as balanced as other offerings from Foursquare.  Not what I would term easy drinking.  It’s definitely not a light rum.  More a powerful flavour bomb of a rum which carries a lot of what I term as menace.  There is no mistaking you are drinking rum.  Rummy rum.

    It’s very much in the vein of the Velier Demerara’s – rich, bold, tropically aged flavours that offer a burst of flavour which carries through to a very long and satisfying finish.  I’d be very interested to try this product at 5 or 8 years of age.

    As with most of the HabiHabitation Velier Foursquare 2013 rum review by the fat rum piratetation Velier releases it is quite experimental and different even to your “normal” Foursquare.  It won’t be a rum for everyone.  Having said that this rum makes a fantastic rum and coke and could also be put to good use in cocktails.  It’s just a rather expensive way to make a cocktail.

    I’ve really enjoyed this and I hope that these type of rums continue to be released.  I feel this has been slightly overlooked after all the hype over the 2006.  I would urge you to find a bottle as there are still plenty floating around especially in Europe.

     

  • Colombina Cachaca de Minas Serie Especial 10 Anos

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Colombina Cachaca de Minas Serie Especial 10 Anos Rum Review by the fat rum pirateColombina Cachaca de Minas Serie Especial 10 Anos. Cachaça under the Colombina moniker was first produced way back in 1920. The brand hails from Alvinopolis, Santa Barbara, MInas Gerais in Brasil – as always with Cachaca.

    The Canjica farm where Colombina was first produced has been producing Cachaca since the late 19th century. The Canjica sugar mill is of recognised historical value as one of the “principal mills remaining from the colonial period in Minas Gerais”.

    In the 1980’s Raul Megre resumed the production and bottling of Columbina Cachaca. Since then it has been produced exclusively at Canjica Sugar Mill.

    This cachaça is produced in small batches on Pot Stills. What makes Colombina Cachaca different to most are the century-old vats made from native Jatoba wood used to age the Colombina Cachaca’s. Colombina Cachaca de Minas Serie Espeical 10 Anos has been bottled at 45% ABV.

    I dare say if this Cachaca came to Europe it would need an updated presentation. This is pretty old fashioned. Though the square shaped bottle is quite nice. The colour scheme and metal screw cap are less than salubrious. The whole affair is a liitle Cartoon-ish – it reminds me a little of black and white Betty Boop style cartoons for some reason.

    In Brasil this retails at around R$290 which would work out at around £58 for a 70cl bottle. I would expect this to retail for a bit more should it ever make it over here.

    In the glass Colombina Cachaca Serie Especial 10 Anos is a white wine colour – just slightly off white. So the Jatoba casks haven’t added much colour in the 10 years.

    Nosing Colombina Cachaca Serie Especial it’s nice sweet smelling creamy style of cachaça. Double cream, cream fraiche and a nice hit of sweet sugar cane aromas. Despite the lack of colour in the cachaça there some nice spicy woody notes. There is a slight smokiness to the cachaça maybe a tiny hint of tobacco.

    Sipped Colombina Cachaca Serie Especial is a very unusual tasting cachaça. The Jatoba wood certainly brings a very different tasting spirit. Whilst it exhibits familiar notes similar to other cachaca’s – the creaminess remains alongside the sweet sugar cane notes. The woody notes on the mid palate are very different. Sweet, slightly smoky and with a very unusual spicy note which I can’t quite place.Colombina Cachaca de Minas Serie Especial 10 Anos Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    This is a very nicely balanced Cachaca. Easy going even at 45%. The finish has an almost sooty note to it which is bit of surprise compared to the overall sweeter nature of this spirit.

    It’s nice to taste a very different style of cachaça. This is nicely balanced maybe a bit too easy going at times, even at the slightly higher ABV of 45%.

    The finish could have do with a bit more oomph. It fades a little to quickly. The initial sip and mid palate are very tasty and interesting but the finish isn’t as complex as I might have liked.

    That aside this again is a very nice example of an aged Cachaca and it is interesting to find so many styles within just one (admittedly very large) country.

    I didn’t bother mixing this one as I felt its subtle flavours and balance would just vanish in the drink. It is very much a Cachaca to slowly sip and savour.

    The 3 year old I also tried at the Cachaca Festival in Manchester was also very tasty.

    You never know maybe one day these will reach out beyond Brasil.

     

  • The Duchess Barbados Distilled at Foursquare Aged 18 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    The Duchess Barbados Distilled at Foursquare Aged 18 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateThe Duchess Barbados Distilled at Foursquare Aged 18 Years. Here we have the second of the two very recently released “Hummingbird” series rums from Dutch Independent bottler The Duchess.

    And it is fair to say that this one is bound to pique interest. Not only is it from the currently very “trendy” Foursquare Rum Distillery it also has an age statement which will grab peoples attention.

    There aren’t that many Foursquare Rum Distillery bottlings around that have an age statement above 14 years. In fact off the top of my head I can’t recall an official release being any older than 14 years old? So for this one to be aged for 18 years will definitely appeal to the enthusiast.

    It also leads to a few questions around the rums provenance. Luckily The Duchess are an Independent Bottler, who want to be as transparent and clear with their customers as possible. So I have pretty much all the answers luckily. Firstly though we’ll take a look at the presentation and then we’ll get into the more technical aspects of this rums production.

    As noted this rum is part of the “Hummingbird” series. So each bottle is adorned with a picture of a different Hummingbird. This time we have one native to the island of Barbados. Using my extensive knowledge of birds, formulated by typing in “Barbados Hummingbird” to Google I can confirm with a degree of 50/50 certainty that this is the tiny Antilean Crested Hummingbird.

    Once again the Dutch artist Hans Dillesse is on hand with the very impressive artwork. The Duchess Barbados Distilled at Foursquare Aged 18 Years has another impressive design and 3/4 bottle is an impressive sight. As is the information provided on the bottle. This rum retails at around €100 and is available only in Europe. I would recommend the following store Zeewijck in the Netherlands. They still have some in stock a lot of other stores are now sold out. So you may wish to move quickly if you want a bottle.

    So let’s get all the technical details about this rum out of the way before I can start the fun part. Firstly this is a Single Cask bottling of Pot/Column distilled rum

    from Foursquare Rum Distillery. The rum was distilled back in 2001 and was initially aged in ex-bourbon casks for 8 years in Barbados. The cask was then moved to Europe were it completed the remaining 10 years of ageing. Upon concluding the ageing process it was bottled in 2019 at 56.9% ABV Cask Strength which yielded just 205 bottles in total. So this is as limited as things usually get. Especially at a price point of €100.

    Right that’s quite enough of that and I’m dying to get my beak into this……..(see what I did there?)

    First up in the glass we have a light-ish golden brown liquid. Upon nosing I’m in very familiar and very pleasant territory. This is your class Foursquare Pot/Column ex-bourbon cask profile. Think Rum Sixty Six or the 2004,2005 and 2007 Exceptional Cask Series releases.

    So on the nose we have wonderful notes of coconut, banana, a touch of marzipan, lashings of vanilla and some very nice Bourbon-esque woody spices. It is all balanced beautifully and is very inviting.

    Sipped, The Duchess Barbados Distilled at Foursquare Aged 18 Years is very woody. Much more than I detected on the nose. It’s pretty spicy as well with lots of ginger and some slightly tannin like notes. It’s pretty intense and very dry on the palate.

    There is little by way of sweetness on the first couple of sips. Your palate definitely takes a little time to adjust to the woody-ness of this spirit.

    It gets a little easier, a lot softer on the palate as you sip more. I’m getting a smoky tobacco note and some slightly bitter chocolate/cocoa. This mingles on the mid palate with ginger, a touch of leather and some still very spicy wood notes.

    The Duchess Barbados Distilled at Foursquare Aged 18 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateFinish wise this is a long, complex and very dry finish. There is a fair amount of heat and the levels of wood are just within my comfort zone. A lot of what I am stating I notice has been echoed by Ivar over at Rum Revelations in his review.

    This is one of the driest and most wood/age led rums, I have had from Foursquare/IB’s. Had it been aged 18 years in the tropics I think it would have been like chewing on bark. As it stands the Continental Ageing has kept this within the parameters to still produce a great rum.

    Definitely though not a rum for a sweet tooth though.

  • Bedford Park Jamaican Distillery 2000

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Bedford Park Jamaican Distillery 2000 rum review by the fat rum pirate Bedford Park Jamaican Distillery 2000. Today we are trying a rum from yet another Scottish Independent bottler- Bedford Park. An offshoot of North Point Distillery who produce their own Spiced and “Regular” rum. I have heard of them and will likely be reviewing their Pilot rum soon.

    North Point Distillery does not focus solely on rum – they also produce their own Dalclagie Scotch Whisky and their Crosskirk Bay Gin. As a result Bedford Park does not just independently bottle rum they also bottle whisky.

    I’ve a few rums from their first batch of releases to review so I won’t use all my information about the distillery in this review. I’ll keep some back to keep the other reviews interesting. Besides which, despite this being labelled as “Jamaican Distillery” I do have a fair bit of information about this particular rum.

    Bedford Park Jamaican Distillery 2000 does not disclose the exact distillery where this rum hails from. Likely some kind of disclosure/gentlemen’s agreement prevents them from revealing the distillery. However, in the information listed on the Bedford Park website it does note that the rum hails from Trelawny. Which narrows the field down a bit.

    As I haven’t signed any disclosure agreement I can reveal that is a rum from the Hampden Distillery. Bottled in 2000 and it is a LROK (Light Rum Owen Kelly) marque. Take “light rum” with a pinch of salt…..

    It is 100% Pot Still distilled rum which has been aged solely in Europe for over 23 years before being bottled by Bedford Park in 2024. It has been aged in a New French Oak Cask. So something a little different. The cask number should you be interested is 2205306. It has been bottled at Cask Strength of 54.8% ABV. The output is 402 bottles.

    The rum retails at £157.50 and is currently only available direct from North Point Distillery here. The label is designed by Toronto-born, LA-based illustrator / production designer Patrick O’Keefe, whose recent works include the animated Spider-Man films, Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse.

    So lets see how this one goes down………….

    In the glass we have a dark brown spirit with an orange tint. Nosing the rum, it is quite sweet and very fruity. Lots of Pineapple notes straight off the bat. Beneath this is a familiar Jamaican funk. However, this funk is a little refined, a little mellower than we often find with Hampden rums.

    There is a nice hit Gooseberry and some gentle oak spices. There is a hint of Pear Drops and a tickle of black pepper.

    Bedford Park Jamaican Distillery 2000 seems more refined and “rounded” than most Single Cask Hampden rums. It’s spent a lot of time in the barrel and the French Oak really seems to have knocked off all the rough edges of this spirit.

    Sipped the rum isn’t quite as sweet as the nose with some of the more astringent notes of Jamaican funk coming through on the initial sip. It’s intense with lots of flavour and it is reminding me a little of the early Hampden Yellow and Green bottles. What I am noticing is that this rum isn’t as dry as some Hampdens can be. The initial sip is a little bitter but further sips reveal a lot more.

    The second sip showcases more of the fruitier notes on the nose. So I am getting plenty gooseberry, pineapple and maybe a touch of Kiwi fruit. There is a really nice blend of rich, warming oak spices and a nice heat of black pepper and a touch of chilli.

    The mid palate has a really nice development from the fruitier notes into more intense oak and spice like notes.

    Bedford Park Jamaican Distillery 2000 rum review by the fat rum pirateThere are no off notes about this rum and whilst it is unmistakably a 100% Jamaican Pot Still rum it isn’t quite as “out there” as some younger (or higher marques) can be. It is a little mellow and the flavours are all beautifully integrated.

    The finish is long with notes of stewed fruits and English Breakfast Tea. It dries out a little to reveal some lovely warming oak notes (again!) and a gentle spiciness fades out beautifully.

    This is an excellent example of long aged Jamaican rum and it is a really lovely rum to sip on and savour.

    An excellent start from Bedford Park Spirits!

  • Chairman’s Reserve Spiced

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Chairman's Reserve Spiced St Lucia Rum ReviewAnyone who has bothered to read any of my rum related ramblings, will be more than aware of my love of Chairman’s Reserve.  Despite being a relatively young and inexpensive rum (freely available in Sainsburys supermarket for £20) it captured my heart very early on in my rum journey.

    The double distilled mix of pot and continuous still rum’s offer an authentic and unadulterated rum experience which at the £20 price point is difficult to beat.  With the success of The Kraken and Sailor Jerry I’m always a little miffed that Sainsbury’s have never stocked the Spiced Chairman’s Reserve as they do the standard offering.  I first tried this rum a couple of years ago.  In many ways I’m pleased I left starting my blog until I had tried a good number of rum’s.  I feel only now am I beginning to develop any kind of understanding of the various rum’s on offer.

    One thing I have always been quite pedantic about is presentation.  Not so much in that I demand it be amazing for every rum but in so much that I do like brand identity.  The Chairman’s Reserve range of rums (Finest, White Label, Forgotten Casks and Spiced) are all housed in the same size bottle.  One of my stubby little friends. Admittedly they come with a metal screw cap, but it is good quality and none of the rum’s in the Chairmans range retail for more than £35 (and thats if you pay premium price for the Forgotten Casks edition).  Other rum’s by St Lucia Distillers that are more pricey have excellent corked enclosures (Admiral Rodney, 1931 etc).  All the Chairman’s Reserve rums have similar presentation using the same logos and type faces albeit with different colours. I do like this in much the same way I HATED it when Oasis changed their logo…..(and the music suffered!!)

    As mentioned already the absence of this Spiced offering from our supermarket shelves is a bit of a mystery.  It retails online at around the £20 mark so it would easily compete with The Kraken, Sailor Jerry and even Morgan’s Spiced.  Still the absence of good spiced rum’s from the UK supermarket shelves is nothing new.  You’d be hard pushed to find a bottle of Foursquare’s excellent light bajan style spiced rum as well.

    Chairman’s Reserve Spiced (the bottle reliably tells me) is the same blend of pot and continuous double distilled rum’s as their flagship brand but it is infused with Cinnamom, clove, nutmeg, vanilla (all okay and understood) and, wait for it Richeria Grandis (?) known locally as “Bois Bande”.  Yip, I’ve got no idea either…

    Research reveals this seems to be some kind of tree bark or extract, with aphrodisiac like qualities.  So its wood that gives you wood…..

    It’s available in capsules etc from all good retailers I’m sure!

    Any hows on with the review.  In the bottle the rum is very vibrant.  A rich deep reddish almost mahogany like colour.  It is as bright as the photo, this is no shrinking violet.  The nose reveals everything that the rear label says it is infused with (apart from the wood, well maybe a little evidence of ageing).  It has quite a forward cinnamon aroma.  Similar, in many ways to After Shock or Fireball liquors.  It kind of dominates the profile. There is a little vanilla, clove and nutmeg but not much.  This isn’t a vanilla heavy spiced rum as so many are.  The nose reminds me very much of Wrigleys Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

    When sipped it does remind me of After Shock Cinnamon liquor albeit calmed down considerably, without the viscous liquor mouthfeel.  This Spiced rum has a mulled wine warming feel to it.   It would do nicely over here in the UK as a winter warmer, maybe with hot lemonade and honey as a remedy for cold.

    The rum is quite sippable, especially if you are found of cinnamon and nutmeg.  For me the After Shock notes give me a bad memories.  Drinking double After Shocks and vodka on a lad’s holiday led to me having a bit of a funny turn!  Its pretty smooth and doesn’t give much burn beyond the cinnamon kick.  The first time I bought this I thought it was fantastic.  Mind around this time I also still could tolerate Morgans Spiced.  It’s not very rough it has a fairly pleasant burn and as expected the actual rum used in the blend is a good standard (unlike so many Spiced Rum’s).

    To be honest on re-visiting this rum I’m quite disappointed.  I don’t really like the Cinnamon notes and overall the rum has a bubblegum like note to it.  As mentioned earlier Wrigleys Juicy Fruit is definitely going on with this rum.  It’s not really something I look for with rum.  I don’t really want chewing or bubblegum.  For British folk its a bit like blue Raspberry “pop” or sweets.  It’s a bit strange really.  As well as the spices mentions there are also orange and citrusy notes in the mix

    When mixed with cola the cinnamon notes calm down considerably and the rum reveals a few of its more subtle nuances such as vanilla and clove.  It makes a fairly pleasant mixed drink.  It’s slightly medicinal.  A bit like sweet cough syrup.  It’s not terrible but I feel it could have been done a lot more subtlety Foursquare’s Spiced Rum is the best example of less is more.  Whilst I’m not a fan of vanill-ey spiced rum’s I do think when it’s done well, like the much maligned Sailor Jerry it can be very good.  St Lucia Distillers have went for a different approach.  Thumbs up for doing so and giving us a different spiced rum experience.  However, I doubt it is an experience I will be trying again in any great rush.

    Overall there is a lot going on with this spiced rum unfortunately too much.  It has so much going for it but it all melds into a  cloying sweet and sticky bit of a mess.  To me its like maple syrup and bacon or barbecue sauce on ribs, or Chinese Sweet and Sour.  It just doesn’t work for me.  It’s drinkable in small amounts and goes down easy but it isn’t in the class of Foursquare.  It’s better than Morgans Spiced and The Kraken but then again what isn’t? Paint stripper? Meths?

    The Chairmans Spiced uses a very good rum as its base but inspite of this it still ends up being too sweet and cloying.  I wanted to like this but I have to be honest in my assessment.

    Disappointing and overdone.

    1.5 stars