Foursquare LFT White Barbados Pure Single Rum

Bythefatrumpirate August 7, 2022

Foursquare LFT White Barbados Pure Single Rum. Whilst it is fair to say, all releases from Foursquare Rum Distillery are very sought after this is perhaps one of the most anticipated releases of 2022.

It’s not out yet (I’m just lucky enough to have been sent a very generous sample) so I can’t advise on the bottle numbers or the price. It is going to be released as part of the Habitation Velier series of rums.

So it will likely prove even more popular. Particularly to speculators and “collectors”. As usual I just hope enough drinkers can get their hands on this and enjoy the rum.

Due to the prolific nature of Foursquare since this site began (a very “nervy” interview is here when I hadn’t met Richard in person!). – I am sure any regular readers will be familiar with the distillery’s output and the views and opinions of the owner Richard Seale. In order to try and keep things interesting, I’ll not go over old ground in the opening part of this review. Instead I will give Mr Seale’s insights into this particular rum and its name.

“If any of you have listened to my recent discussions on our Habitation Velier “high ester” white rum, you will know that I am not comfortable with the name. It was simply the least worst choice I came up with to call it “high ester”.

Not that it is not “high ester”. By Jamaica standards, anything over 300 g/hl abs alc has left the “common clean” category (incidentally they do not like that category name either). At 555 g/hl abs alc, it is certainly high in ester content.

But the reference to Jamaica explains the problem. High Ester Rum is Jamaica terminology. I do not like using it. You cannot be an advocate for IP rights and steal the IP of others. While it is true that most of the Islands produced what we would consider “high ester”, it is really Jamaica that has kept it alive, made it famous and codified it. They own it.

It was the least worse name I could think of in haste. It is not agricole (its not 100% juice and more importantly its not produced in the French Islands). Grand Arome would also be a misappropriation. Heavy rum could be a fit (its got lots of congeners), save for the fact, thanks to Caroni we associate that more with a heavy, oily, tails heavy rum in the Trinidadian style.

I think what Savanna do with HERR is very clever. No overt use of the words “high ester” but a clever way of communicating the nature of the rum and emphasizing its their version.

So taking a leaf from their book, I will also use an acronym – LFT – Long fermentation type – an early distinction in rum making once fast fermentation (with added cultured yeast) came into play.

See the attached description from the 1908 Royal Commission – where it was debated whether traditional long fermentation and new short fermentation type rums were both entitled to be called rum.

After all, that is what we are trying to do – make a long fermentation style rum. High ester is just a natural corollary of that and the Jamaicans have their own way, very distinct to ours and quite unique to them.

For the record, we have made rums of over 1,900 Esters – this blend is to strike a balance between power (for your next cocktail or rum cake) and palatability for those who want it neat.

To be released soon.”

Foursquare LFT White Barbados Pure Single Rum is 100% Pot Still Distillate. Unaged and distilled back in 2021. It has a 555gr/hlpa Ester Count. If you want to compare this to another “High Ester” rum then Hampden HLCF (Hampden Light Continental Flavoured) comes it at between 500-600gr/hlpa.

Just to note for the purposes of this review I won’t be looking to compare this rum from Barbados to Jamaican rum. It will be reviewed on its own merits – not as some kind of “copycat”. I think that would be a pretty stupid thing to do.

The rum has been bottled at 62% and as noted in the picture to the right it is a blend of cane juice and molasses based rums.

The molasses based rum was fermented with a cultured strain of yeast for over 72 hours. The cane juice rum was fermented with naturally occurring yeast for several weeks.

I’m not going to claim this really makes a lot of difference to me as I’m not hugely into the whole distillation process etc – I just comment on the end result! I claim no expertise in this area. I figured, however a lot of “Rum Geeks” will appreciate this type of information.

In my glass I’m getting a completely transparent rum – so unaged white rum as expected.

I’m kind of expecting something akin to Veritas with this rum but I’m not 100% sure quite what to expect. I’ve not tried any cane juice rum from Foursquare before.

Vanilla – very heavy on the vanilla. Sweet chewy toffees, varnish and some light grassy notes. Given this blind I might well have said it was Jamaican rum. Or perhaps a blend of Caribbean rum.

Time in the glass and the rum shows more menace, notes of petrol and varnish become more noted. The vanilla subsides a little. It’s intense though and quite sweet on the nose. Certainly much less “savoury” than most high ester rums. For me its a bit more agreeable version of Savanna HERR.

The nose is intense and whilst quite sweet it also has a really nice intensity of flavour and complexity.

Sipped it is markedly less sweet – quite spicy with notes of chilli pepper, salted caramel and some cinnamon. Black Pepper and an almost Vindaloo like heat especially on the first sip.

A few sips in and you begin to get more of the sweeter molasses notes and a hit of sugar cane juice. Lightly grassy but with lots of toffee and caramel. For me it seems more like a high intensity mixer than an actual sipper.

It’s not bad but being unaged it is a bit fierce. There’s loads of flavour and a lot going on but its something I feel will work better in a Daiquiri or a Ti Punch.

The mid palate is a little peppery but you get more vanilla and toffee. The finish doesn’t really evolve much from the mid palate. It takes a while to fade out due to the powerful nature of the rum. That said it doesn’t really seem to add much to the overall experience.

I might not sound all that enthusiastic about this. I think I just prefer a more aged offering from Foursquare. Especially bearing in mind this will be as expensive as a lot of well aged rum.

I’ve still got a bit left from my sample so I’ll give it a bit of a mix……….

BOOM! A rum and cola is quite frankly a bit insane with this rum. It’s a huge flavour overload of toffee, molasses,vanilla and caramel. Alongside a hard hitting whack of floor polish, petrol and varnish. It’s pretty fantastic.

Ti Punch it works excellently as well giving a really sharp yet sweet hit to the drink. A Daiquiri is a bit mental as well.

As a sipper I’d probably look elsewhere but as a mixer Foursquare LFT White Barbados Pure Single Rum is pretty intense stuff.

Chairmans Reserve Finest St Lucia Rum

Chairman’s Reserve Finest St Lucia Rum
Bythefatrumpirate March 3, 2014August 17, 2015

This is without the doubt the most difficult rum review I have done so far. When I first got into rum this was the first rum I bought online.

Confused by all the information available on the Internet and still with little understanding of dark, golden, demerara, pot still, column still, agricole (god help us) etc I decided to try a bottle of Chairman’s Reserve. I’m still at a loss as to exactly why I decided to try this particular rum. Was it the unusual dumpy bottle? The mostly positive reviews? The price? The awards? Was I drunk? Who knows I really cannot remember……

I plumped for a bottle from Amazon. I think it cost my including postage and packaging about £23. Which considering this was someone who had bought only supermarket rum was pretty expensive! I’m not sure if I bought it to convince myself that supermarket swill was just as good or whether I was really intending to try every rum I could get my hands on.

The rum could have been a massive disappointment. It was coming up against Cockspur 5 star Fine Rum. That was setting me back about £13 a bottle a the time so it had to be good because I could get two bottles for the same price!

It’s difficult not to biased with regard this rum. It was the rum which made me realise just how good rum could be. It convinced me that a more expensive rum could actually be worth the extra money. It’s the bottle that led me to write and set up this blog. Over two years on I find it amazing that I’m sitting sipping this rum (I’ll add cola soon don’t worry) and contemplating just how I’m going to actually review it. Anyway here goes……….

Chairmans Reserve is produced by St Lucia Distillers it is aged in Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Buffalo Trace barrels. It is aged for around 5 years and is blended using continuous and pot still rums.

The rum is quite a dark not navy or demerara rum dark but definitely darker than say a Mount Gay or Bacardi Gold. The extra ageing is noticeable.

The bottle itself is one of the dumpy style rum bottles. The rum is around the £20 mark and whilst it would be brilliant if it had a cork stopper it doesn’t it has a metallic stopper. A shame but not a surprise at the price.

On the nose Chairman’s is quite smoky and reminiscent in many ways of the drier Bajan rums such as R L Seales 10 Year Old. It is not a sweet smelling rum though it does have a notes of tropical fruit. It isn’t, like many of the younger rums laced with sugar. It doesn’t have any caramel or treacle notes like many cheap mixers.

Clearly, I’m quite sentimental about this rum but that is not without good cause. It’s the first rum I tasted where I thought “wow”. It’s an excellent rum. It’s sweet and fruity but has a bit of smokiness to it as well. For a 5 year old rum its quite complex. It can be sipped and it isn’t rough or harsh. There is a bit of an alcohol burn but even that is quite smoky and pleasant. To me this is what rum should be. To complain it isn’t smooth (many peoples definition of smooth is rum that has been heavily sugared). This is real rum done properly. It has the ACR (and whilst that doesn’t always mean its unadulterated – this definitely has no additives)

Chairman’s is now available in Sainsburys for £20 and I will be ensuring that I have a constant supply of this rum. It’s really a bargain at this price.

St Lucia distillers seem to be quite overlooked on the Internet and world of rum blogging this may be because their rums don’t seem to be available to readily in the US of A so here is a link to their website.

http://www.saintluciarums.com

I would also recommend the Chairmans Reserve White Label and Forgotten Casks also Admiral Rodney. In fact I would recommend anything St Lucia Distillers produce. It’s all been excellent for me thus far!

Related

Read More Chairman’s Reserve Finest St Lucia Rum
Articles | Articles

Geographic Indications (GIs) : The Barbados Rum GI Explained
Bythefatrumpirate March 26, 2026

Geographic Indications (GIs) : The Barbados Rum GI Explained

The proposed Barbados Rum Geographical Indication (GI) sets out to define what can legally be labelled as “Barbados Rum”.

A geographical indication identifies products whose characteristics, reputation, or quality are essentially attributable to their place of origin. In this case, the GI aims to ensure that Barbados Rum reflects production on the island itself.

The proposal has been developed by Barbados producers and government bodies, although discussions are ongoing (Barbados Today)

Geographic Scope

All stages of production must take place in Barbados. This includes distillation, maturation, blending and bottling.

This means that rum labelled as Barbados Rum must be entirely produced on the island.

Raw Materials

Rum must be produced from sugarcane-derived materials. These include:

• Molasses
• Sugarcane syrup
• Fresh sugarcane juice

There is no allowance for other fermentable bases.

Fermentation

Fermentation may be either long or short. There is no restriction on fermentation style

Any yeast may be used. However, non-Saccharomyces strains must be native to Barbados

Distillation

Rum may be produced using:

• Pot still distillation
• Column still distillation
• A blend of both

There is no restriction on still type, reflecting historical production methods on the island

Water

Water used in production must be sourced from Barbados

Maturation

Maturation must take place in Barbados.

Rum may be aged in:

• New oak casks
• Refill oak casks
• Approved ex-wine or ex-spirit casks

Vats cannot be used for age statements.

Tropical maturation is considered integral to the character of Barbados Rum

Additives

The use of additives is restricted.

The following are not permitted:

• Sugar
• Flavourings

Caramel colouring is permitted within defined limits

Age Statements

Any age statement must reflect the youngest rum in the blend

What the GI Protects

The GI protects:

• The name “Barbados Rum”
• Rum produced entirely in Barbados
• Traceability and authenticity

What the GI Does Not Protect

The GI does not apply to:

• Rums partially produced in Barbados
• Rums matured or bottled outside Barbados
• Production methods not defined in the GI

Industry Discussion

There is not full agreement within the industry.

Some producers support strict on-island production requirements, including Mount Gay, Foursquare and St. Nicholas Abbey. Others have argued for flexibility, particularly regarding maturation outside Barbados. This is one reason why the GI has not yet been fully finalised

In Summary/Key Takeaways

The proposed Barbados Rum GI requires that rum labelled as such:

• Is produced, matured, blended and bottled in Barbados
• Uses defined sugarcane-derived raw materials
• Follows specific production and labelling rules

The intention is to ensure that Barbados Rum remains clearly defined and linked to its origin.

As with previous articles this is presenting the information as it is publicly available. Free from any contrived narrative or re-shaping of history. It deals solely with facts rather than opinions.

Related

Read More Geographic Indications (GIs) : The Barbados Rum GI Explained
Kill Devil Jamaica 24 Year Old

Kill Devil Jamaica 24 Year Old
Bythefatrumpirate September 13, 2016

Scotch Whisky bottler Hunter Laing and Co Ltd, released their range of Kill Devil rums early in 2016. Not so hidden amongst the interest were a number of comments on the strength of the rums.

All the rums released initially were bottled at 46% ABV. This disappointed quite a few rum connoisseur’s who had hoped to see Cask Strength releases.

Quick to recognise this and following the success of their first releases (both critically and commercially) the team at Hunter Laing have returned with some Cask Strength offerings.

The presentation of the rums remains the same aside from a slight change in colour scheme. The lozenge labels are now a deep reddish/purple colour instead of grey.

As well as releasing rum at Cask Strength Kill Devil have also used one of their older stocks from an iconic Jamaican distillery. Famed for its Pot Still rums this Cask Strength release will be for many rum lovers an essential purchase.

Which is probably just as well for Hunter Laing because this rum retails at around the £200 mark in the UK. For this you get a 62.4% ABV rum which was distilled back in April 1992 and bottled in 2016. So you are getting a Single Cask Jamaican Pot Still Rum. Only 234 bottles of this are available worldwide so despite the price tag some people may still be left disappointed.

From the information available I am unable to determine if this is all pot still rum or a blend. From what I can gather Hampden Estate have only 4 Muller Pot Stills at the distillery. I’m fairly certain this is Pot Still only.

Hampden Estate rums are best known for being high ester. If you aren’t sure what is meant by the term ester I’ll direct you here. They explain it way better than me. Tastewise it means the rums are very “funky”. There are a number of articles about Hampden Estate and their processes. Again as it has already been explained better elsewhere I’ll direct you to Rum Connection who have visited the distillery.

This is very much a rum for someone who knows specifically what they are looking for. If you want to try high ester Pot Still Jamaican rum then I wouldn’t advise beginning with a bottle as expensive as this. You might get quite a shock.

In the glass the rum is a light gold/straw colour. I might have perhaps expected a darker rum considering how long it has been aged. As far as I am aware this rum has not been treated to any finishes – its spent its 24 years maturing in an ex bourbon cask. It’s difficult really to determine what colour rum really should be – so many commercial bottlers colour theirs with caramel.

The nose on this Hampden is huge. You can smell it from across the room. Unlike unaged Jamaican overproofs however it doesn’t smell quite as “boozy”. It’s not as alcohol forward as you might expect as such a proof.

Big wafts of black banana and mango combine with rich unsweetened slightly bitter toffee and caramel notes. Despite all the big high ester Jamaican funk it also displays evidence of its time in the oak.

There is a nice spice to the nose – hints of sweeter bourbon and some nice oak notes. The oak notes are quite light and fragrant. It is better and more rounded than the younger Hampden rums such as Hampden Gold or for instance Smith & Cross.

So onto the sipping. Like many whisky commentators I will always advocate adding water to any spirit which is more than 50% ABV. I am more than happy drinking a spirit at between 46-50%. I personally feel that any higher any my palate simply does not pick everything up from the rum it should. I try rums such as this at Cask Strength for review purposes but I don’t routinely drink them at that strength.

At Cask Strength you get a very big complex rum. However, I add a couple of drops of water and I feel I get more from this rum.

Everything that was found on the nose translates through with this on the sip. It’s a big pot still rum but the ageing really has developed it beyond just that.

It has a lovely spiceiness to it, full of flavour and sweet/sour notes which compare to the Foursquare 2004. Slightly savoury and at times slightly bitter. There’s a lot of fruit and the finish is long, balanced and warming. Some notes which might not sound quite as appealing (but work surprisingly well to give this rum its complexity) would be varnish, shoe polish and even a little astringency.

The sweet fruit flavours make this rum very moreish yet the finish is so good you feel like you mustn’t rush it too much. You get that nice funky Jamaican black banana and tropical fruit hit, good notes of toffee and unsweetened caramel.

As so few bottles of this are available I sincerely hope that the 200 or so people lucky (and rich) enough to get their hands on this fully appreciate what they are getting. I hope it doesn’t fall into the hands of someone looking for another Ron Milonario XO or a replacement for his Zacapa XO.

Expensive but rums this age from Hampden Estate do not come up very often.

Related

Read More Kill Devil Jamaica 24 Year Old
Compagnie des Indes Caraibes

Compagnie des Indes Caraibes
Bythefatrumpirate April 14, 2018

Compagnie des Indes Caraibes. The French Independent bottler Compagnie des Indes have been making great strides over the past couple of years. They have expanded from releasing rums at 43-46% ABV and are now moving into Cask Strength bottlings.

A fair few of these have went to the Danish market and have been pretty difficult to come by in the UK and mainland Europe. Generous samples from enthusiasts in Denmark have helped me try some of these rums. Fortunately Compagnie des Indes Caraibes is/was a little easier to access.

In the UK a bottle would set you back around £34 for the usual 70cl. Caraibes is bottled at 40% ABV. It comes housed in the usual CDI stubby style bottle with cut out card sleeve. Presentation wise all is well and I like the CDI branding.

It is a blend rather than a single cask rum. Rums from Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad make up that blend. With 50% of the rum coming from Trini and 25% each from Barbados and Guyana. Aged for between 3-5 years this is very much a “mixing” rum. Having said that you never know it may work as a cheaper sipper as well.

In the glass Caraibes is a very vivid golden brown with yellow and orange tinges.

Nosing Compagnie des Indes Caraibes blend reveals a very easy-going, approachable blend of rums. Its light and sweet – banana, apricot and some chocolate raisins. The influence of oak ageing is minimal and there is little by way of spiciness.

Its all quite nice and has a good balance to it but it doesn’t carry much weight and isn’t all that interesting.

Sipped its pretty sweet – for some reason I never conducted a Hydrometer Test on this one but it does taste as if some sugar has been added. It has an almost saccharin note to it. It’s pleasant enough and agreeable but its not really holding my interest to be honest. Milk chocolate, raisins and demerara sugar are the main notes. Again very little oak influence. NB Indeed 15 g/L of organic cane syrup has been added as per their website. Fair play to Florent for the disclosure. Though I do wish he hadn’t done that. While we are at it they also added some Caramel Colouring.

Guyana and Trinidad are the main players in this blend flavour wise. The Bajan element is likely just providing a bit of balance and maybe some of the vanilla notes. Though they are hard to pick out from the sugary elements of this rum.

The finish is virtually non-existent – again no oak influence or much spice from the barrel. There is nothing unpleasant about the finish but its pretty short and not all that exciting. It’s all a little muted by the sugar-making it a bit one-dimensional and a bit dull.

Despite saying all this it’s not a bad little mixing rum albeit slightly expensive. It makes a decent enough rum and cola and works well in cocktails. I’d probably use this as a weekend mixer – if it were a little cheaper and available locally. Sipped it’s just not complex or interesting enough to hold my attention.

It’s all just a bit to simple, to polite, to “entry level” to get excited about. You can get much better rums for 2/3 of the price of this in most supermarkets.

It’s worth pointing out that this bottling dates from 2015. It is not indicative of the time of rum Compagnie des Indes usually produces. They do have blends of white and aged rums but they focus mostly upon single cask bottlings. Please read my other reviews of CDI bottlings before jumping to any conclusions. Like any Indie bottler they can be a bit hitty miss with their cask selections but they have put out some really top-notch rums. Particularly in the past year or so.

Related

Read More Compagnie des Indes Caraibes
Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rare Gold Rum Aged 8 Years

Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rare Gold Rum Aged 8 Years
Bythefatrumpirate July 24, 2018

Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rare Gold Rum Aged 8 Years. As far as I am aware and there is nothing on their own website to disprove this, this rum is a re-packaged version of the existing Bacardi 8 Year Old rum. It is not a “new” rum as such.

I reviewed a bottle of their 8 Year Old rum back in 2014. Even since that bottling, Bacardi had changed the presentation of the rum once already. Such is the size of Bacardi’s operation, you will still readily find bottles presented in the style I reviewed. I do not expect bottles of the more recent variant, with the new typeface to disappear any time soon either.

Bacardi are a curious beast and quite stubborn. This “new” bottling highlights this. This is the second time they have re-branded this rum in around 3-4 years. Other than variation from batch to batch, it is essentially the same rum, made to the same profile with no alteration to the ABV. Nor it would seem a change to the amount of additives/sugar. Once again we see 12g/L of additives.

Now, there is no point debating over the marketability of Bacardi. They are one of the top sellers of rum by volume and the brand is universally recognised. If not always immediately identified by all consumers as actually being rum. Bacardi and Coke drinkers do not always realise it is rum and not just Bacardi. That is how powerful the Bacardi marketing is. That we cannot dispute nor would I ever try to.

However, one area where Bacardi don’t really make much head way is the small, perhaps 1% of the market where the “Rum Geeks” lurk. An 8 Year Old column distilled rum bottled at 40% ABV, with some additives is not what this kind of anorak is seeking. Even for £30. Which is how much this rum is retailing at. It simply has no appeal.

Bacardi have decided to use supermarket chain ASDA (part of Walmart let us not forget) to help launch this expression on the UK market. It is easily and readily available, in most large and medium sized ASDA supermarkets. As is the 4 Year Cuatro Anejo which I reviewed earlier this year. Once again Bacardi are trying to “Premiumise” the market.

Presentation wise, Bacardi have upped the game with this one. The rounded stubby sized bottle has the Bacardi bat logo embossed on the bottle and the synthetic cork stopper is substantial. A nice wooden topped stopper which has the Bacardi bat printed on it. The bottle also has the “Bacardi y Cia” embossed into the glass along with “Reserva”. This is reminiscent of the Bacardi Superior Heritage bottling, which was released a few years ago, in an attempt to recreate the early 1900’s style of Bacardi.

To the none “Rum Geek” this bottle screams expensive, “Premium” rum. Casual or less committed ASDA shoppers, willing to pay £30 for a bottle of rum will definitely be swayed by the presentation. Amongst more casual consumers it will still create a buzz when brought out at a party. So much of the UK market sees Bacardi Superior as a “Premium” rum and the likes of Jack Daniels No7. and Absolut Vodka are still viewed as top drawer products. Anything above Supermarket own brand is premium to many in the UK.

Now as much as I have bemoaned the fact Bacardi haven’t actually changed the rum in this blend, it is still the “Family Reserve”, they have actually included a bit more information on the new bottling. Information which “Rum Geeks” should at least see as a step forward. The age statement has been firmed up to state it is a blend of rums at least 8 years old. The youngest rum in this blend is from 2009 (do the maths) and they have provided a batch number for this as well.

So how will I find this rum 4 years and probably about another 300 rums on in the review process?

Let’s find out. Last time I gave Bacardi 8 Anos 3 stars which means it was a good solid example at the price point.

In the glass the rum is a dark to golden brown. A good “Premium” rum colour.

The nose is familiar – sweetness married with a touch of tobacco and fusel oil, in typical Bacardi Style. It’s light, slightly floral. It’s quite a fresh nose with a lot of vanilla and light milk chocolate.

We are getting some stoned fruits – apriciots and peaches and a little mango and passion fruit. For my sensibility its probably a bit too sweet, and far too light. It’s quite cloying and the tobacco and smokiness of the rum is a little off for me. I’m reminded of Havana Club 7 there’s just something I don’t quite like with this rum’s nose.

Sipped, fortunately it isn’t as sweet as the nose. It’s quite nicely balanced with a good weight of oak and spiciness on the delivery. There is a real sweetness but its more of a young alcohol hit, rather than as a result of excessive dosage. Tobacco, shoe leather and some fiery marmalade are also making an appearance on the mid palate.

There is a honeyed sweetness with this rum which does become a little cloying at times. That combines with a slightly bitter finish which becomes a touch over oaked. I don’t think this rum is as well-balanced as it perhaps should be.

In all fairness I pick out faults in Bacardi Reserva Ocho but at 40% ABV many of the “competitors” in the Premium Rum category will totally mask their rums rough edges with all manner of additives. Bacardi have added 12 g/L of sugar/additives to the Bacardi Reserva Ocho. As it is a latin style I am pleased to still report that the rum does have a bit of an edge to it. It’s quite spicy and a bit fiery even at this ABV.

The finish isn’t all too much to write home about either, it’s just a kind of mellow fade. We start with some oak spicing and it just descends into sweet honey before disappearing with a hint of ginger.

This is okay as a sipper in small doses but it actually works best as a mixer. Though you have any amount of cheaper Bacardi offerings that can do that for you.

This is an average rum in a pretty bottle. It will appeal to a Bacardi drinker as it does give a “better” (read smoother) experience. That said it’s not stellar and it’s not really that “premium”.

Bacardi don’t make dreadful rum as some might have you believe but they aren’t quite as wonderful as they might want to have us believe.

Related

Read More Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rare Gold Rum Aged 8 Years
Dead Reckoning Rum HMS Antelope

Dead Reckoning Rum HMS Antelope
Bythefatrumpirate February 6, 2022February 18, 2022

Dead Reckoning Rum HMS Antelope. This is the third release of Dead Reckoning Rum” from Australian Rum Enthusiast and Importer Justin Boseley who heads up La Rumbla Imports over in his native Australia.

Not content with bringing the likes of Mezan, Mhoba, Privateer and Sampan to Australian shores, Justin has also set up his own rum brand in the shape of Dead Reckoning Rum.

At present their rums are really only available in Australia. In fact I’m not entirely sure even if you are in Australia, if you will find much of the first two Dead Reckoning Rum releases. Both were limited editions. The releases up to now at least are “single batch” rather than continuous ongoing expressions.

With this release their is arguably scope to produce a more continuous product but as it stands this HMS Antelope is also a Limited Edition. As you can see from the photo there are 705 bottles in this release. My bottle is number 403

Which tells you its not a Single Cask Rum – it’s actually a blend of rums. More specifically its aimed at being a Navy Blend of Rums. It’s very much paying homage to Justin’s Grandpa Sidney Bosley, who was born in Kent, England and took part in World War 2. He was onboard the HMS Antelope as a sailor. For more information on the HMS Antelope take a look on Wikipedia.

So that’s the reason for the name but what about the juice in the bottle? Well it’s a blend of rums from ex-British colonies. So the usual suspects are to be found.

So we have rum from Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Barbados. There is a slight curveball, though not an entirely unexpected one – in that we have some rum from Queensland, Australia in the blend. It has been documented that Australian rum was historically used in some rum supplied to the Royal British Navy but it is not the first Port of Call many people would think of.

I don’t know the exact ratios of the blend, Dead Reckoning have not went all Black Tot on us and given us every tiny detail of the blend. So we have in the blend as follows

4 Year Old Pot Still rum from Australia. The distillery isn’t disclosed by Dead Reckoning but I will take and educated guess and say its Beenleigh Distillery.

3-5 Year Old Column Still rum from Angostura, Trinidad.

3 Year Old Pot Still Rum from Worthy Park, Jamaica.

2 to 5 Year Old Pot/Column Still Rum from Diamond Distillery, Guyana.

and finally

2-5 Year Old Pot/Column Still Rum from Foursquare, Barbados.

So taking all things into consideration we are looking at a rum with an average age of around 3-4 years depending on the ratios etc. We aren’t talking a really long aged rum blend.

Price wise and Australia is possibly even more expensive for spirits than the UK this retails at around the $150 Australian Dollars mark. Which is a shade under £/€80 for those in the UK and Europe. It has been bottled at 55% ABV, which also plays a part in the price. Like the UK tax varies dependant on certain ABV thresholds. I’m not going to claim to be an expert on alcohol prices/taxation in Australia. If you wish to make some kind of comparison to get a feel for the price Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof rum is $99 from La Rumbla Imports. If we say Pusser’s is £35 in the UK then Dead Reckoning Rum HMS Antelope is around £52.50. (Not that we would EVER get it over here at that price!)

I do know from personal experience it was pretty expensive to drink when I was over there over 10 years ago. Not so much in the bars but certainly in terms of picking up something to drink in the hotel room – you weren’t saving much at all. That said I didn’t have a car when I was over there so never really ventured into a Supermarket. My options were mostly limited to the “onsite” bottle shops attached to most bars in Sydney and Cairns. So this might also have played a part in the prices I encountered. Anyway I digress…..

Back to the review. Dead Reckoning Rum HMS Antelope comes in a rounded stubby style bottle. The seal on the lid has some wax over it. Whenever I get wax on my lid (ooooooh Matron!) I expect a cork stopper. Apart from when I buy miniatures from Master of Malt. So I was a little surprised to find (after looking for a “string pull”) that their was no cork just a black plastic screw cap. The bottle has a nice heavy base and the package is nicely put together.

That said its good quality its not a metal screw cap and the “threading” is on the glass bottle. So its very secure and should keep your rum nice and fresh. I rarely have a problem with this myself as it never usually lasts long enough to get tainted etc.

As far as the label goes the front label gives us all the relevant information on the make up of the rum and the label goes right around the bottle giving more background about HMS Antelope and Sidney Bosely.

I’ve written nearly 900 words already! So I best get on with the tasting and nosing before this turns into War and Peace.

In the glass Dead Reckoning Rum HMS Antelope is a golden brown. The rear label also points out that it is has not been sweetened or coloured and it is (I always hear Ralfy’s voice when I read this) non-chill filtered.

I think the sweetening of rum continues to be a big talking point in the rum world. I know Justin like myself is pretty much against it. Now whilst some people get their knickers in a twist over colouring – I tend not to get as upset about that. Chill Filtration – the process does sound like it would take way some of the flavour of the rum so it’s re-assuring to see that has not been carried out as well.

The nose delivers a lovely fruity sweetness – Apricots/Peaches, nice fruity raisins and some coconut milk. I’m also getting a milky chocolate Worthy Park like note coming through. There’s some Pineapple juice and a nice hit of Jamaican “funk”.

There is also a good weight of spice with some ginger and a touch of nutmeg. I’m getting some nice oak notes but they are quite light and almost fruity rather than very woody.

At 55% ABV the nose is surprisingly approachable, even as the first drink of the day. It has a oily/mucky kind of vibe to it as well. I’m not quite sure which of the rums give it this but I often find this with younger Demerara. There’s a kind of young Versailles Still “menace” going on in this blend. There is something a little “sharp” about the rum which I rather like. I don’t like my rum like sugary water…….

More time in the glass seems to make the nose sweeter. I’m now getting an almost candied Strawberry note and a big dollop of Cornish Vanilla Ice Cream.

As you can see from the notes – there is a lot going on with this nose and I have to say I’m more than enjoying just nosing this for now.

Needs must though and I must get this review completed. So I guess I best take one for the team and give this Navy Blend a sip or two.

A sip of Dead Reckoning Rum HMS Antelope is certainly not a disappointment. It delivers a lot of complexity. It’s quite dry – the Demerara rum is not the dominant player in this Navy Rum.

There is an initial sweetness on the sip – touch of icing sugar. However, this quickly moves into a richer, slightly savoury in some ways delivery. I’m getting more of the spices and definitely more oak. It’s quite “peppery” and the ABV does show itself more than on the nose. It’s hairs on the chest kind of rum. You could imagine sailors drinking something quite similar to this.

The mid palate evolves and some of the sweetness returns – dark chocolate, milky slighty bitter tea, some stewed fruits, maybe a touch of marmalade and orange zest?

I think the Pot Still Rum from Beenleigh delivers quite a lot of the “oomph” in this blend. It has an almost whisky like kick which gives it a touch of something a bit more malty which seems to meld nicely with the funkier Jamaican Pineapple and Mango notes (?). It reminds me a little of The Duchess Beenleigh release I reviewed last year.

The Angostura and Foursquare elements of this rum are probably supplying the more subtle notes and some of the fruitier elements. Adding a little sweetness to the blend.

Finish wise it has a surprisingly good length to it. The ABV obviously helps with this but you aren’t just left with a boozy blast. It has an almost medicinal and slightly tannic finish with lots of cocoa and some cough medicine like notes. The Jamaican and possibly the Beenleigh rum return in the shape of some funky notes of Pineapple, mango and some guava.

It’s a really interesting rum in that time taken between sips – really seems to make a difference to the profile. If you take a couple of quick sips the overall profile remains quite fruity. More time in between and your palate seems to pick up more of the complexities.

I think from the notes (and the size of this review) that it is pretty obvious that I have enjoyed this rum – a lot. In a blind tasting I would have put this as being at least twice its average age. It drinks very much like something aged for at least 8 years.

Hats of to Justin on the blend as this is a pretty awesome assembly of what is essentially not really “old” or well aged rum. It works well though. Rum from quality producers – even at a relatively young age will beat those 25 Year Solera Additive ridden concoctions all day long for me.

Excellent. Highly recommended – if you do come across a bottle buy one!

Related

Read More Dead Reckoning Rum HMS Antelope