Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum 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 Single Cask Rum 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.

This 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 Single Cask Rum 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.