Foursquare Rum Distillery Premise

Bythefatrumpirate

Foursquare Rum Distillery Premise rum review by the fat rum pirateFoursquare Rum Distillery Premise. Another intriguingly named rum from Foursquare. Premise – a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion. Cryptic, very cryptic.

Foursquare Premise the eighth bottling in the exceptional cask series. It is one of three bottlings released in 2018 alongside Dominus and 2005.

It has just made it to the UK and is available via The Whisky Exchange it is priced at £45.25 with an ABV of 46% and your usual 70cl bottle. Foursquare Premise comes housed in the usual Foursquare stubby bottle complete with synthetic cork closure.

In terms of legacy it is perhaps this years “Port” or “Zinfandel” cask (two previous Foursquare exceptional cask bottlings). Though rather than call it “Sherry Cask” Richard Seale has opted to give this rum a more intriguing/interesting name.

Foursquare Premise has been aged for 3 years in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to ex-sherry casks where it was matured for a further 7 years. 10 years in total. It was bottled in January 2018. It is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rums.

There was a time when a Foursquare rum bottled at 46% ABV would have been a real talking point. It is quite hard to believe just how far the Distillery has come in the past 3 to 4 years. Clearly with the amount of aged stock – and the acquiring of various casks and barrels many years ago, the Exceptional Cask series has been a long term and very deliberate strategy.

It may have been seen as a risk at the time but it is certainly paying off now. Foursquare are leading the way in the rum world make no mistake about that.

With these rums – I will include Port Cask and the Zinfandel Blend I believe Richard is trying to showcase to rum consumers that true unadulterated rum can also be “sweet” – it is not all “dry” and “oaked”. I also believe keeping these rums sub 50% ABV will ensure less experienced drinkers are not “scared off” by excessive burn. I’ve not actually asked Richard about this but I believe that rums such as this one could perhapsFoursquare Rum Distillery Premise Rum Review by the fat rum pirate be used as “Gateway Rums”. Helping people move onto what many enthusiasts might consider to be the “best” rums. Rather than having them waste money on fancy XO decanters of adulterated multi column crap.

Anyway, I digress. You are here for a rum review after all.

In the glass Foursquare Premise is an orangey to dark brown colour. It certainly looks the part.

The nose on Foursquare Premise is wonderful. It is light and fruity with notes of fortified wine. There is enough vanilla, oak and light slightly zesty spice to counteract the sherry notes and stop them becoming overbearing. Bringing great balance to the rum and a nice “weight” to the nose. Red and White grapes, green apples a touch of peach and some red berries. Very approachable yet complex. Hugely inviting.

Sipped it is a little more spicy than I was expecting. There is a touch more “oomph” to this than I perhaps expected. There has been real interaction with the cask to deliver a intense and rich spiciness and a real warm “red wine” like note. Thick lemon peel and just a squeeze or two of lemon juice, hints of Shiraz – stoned fruits.

Further sips reveal more of the lighter sweeter notes – a return of the Sherry and some lighter white fruit – apples and grapes. Hints of marmalade and just a drop of Angostura bitters.

Much like its predecessors the Port and Zinfandel rums it can seem a little to “light” at times. It’s very easy to drink and ridiculously sippable. In most cases such rums fall rather flat on the finish as they are to light in body.

Not Foursquare Premise. This is very complex but deceptive in how easy it is to drink! Trust me you will want more than one bottle of this. The finish, whilst not huge is long lasting and very pleasant. Gently, well balanced spice and oak mingle along nicely with just enough of the sweet fruits and sherry notes. It all remains in the mix till the end.

This is a very moreish and very easy to drink rum. You will buy a bottle but don’t expect it to last long. Such is the glut of Foursquare releases and the increase in ABV may mean that a few people see this as “weak” or think Cask Strength etc will be better. Honestly, don’t buy into that. This is another example of just how good “real” rum can be.

I’ve already mentioned the difficulty in scoring these rums. Maybe I should have given Dominus a full 5? Maybe I should be giving this a lower score because it isn’t a full blooded 50% plus rum? Maybe I do like the “sweeter” pure rums? Maybe, maybe……

Maybe picking your favourite Foursquare rum is a bit like picking your favourite child?

All I will say is spend as much time with all of them as you possibly can. This is stellar stuff.

PS Photos will be updated when my bottle arrives.

 

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  • Cockspur XO Master’s Select

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Cockspur XO Master's Select Rum review by the fat rum pirateCockspur XO Master’s Select. Up until a couple of years ago, you would have been lucky to find a range of Cockspur branded rum in the UK. Aside from the gold Cockspur Fine Rum. Which was available quite readily in a couple of major supermarkets.

    Before this the VSOR and/or 12 was quite readily available but this dried up considerably over the past 5 or so years.

    In 2019 Cockspur was re-booted. Presumably to take advantage of the increase in interest in Barbados rum. You can now find the following expressions in the UK market – Platinum, Fine Rum, Old Gold, VSOR (very recently re-introuduced) and this XO Master’s Select.

    Cockspur rum is produced at West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) but it is a licensed brand that they produce for the domestic and export market.

    Cockspur XO Master’s Select is a blend of the very best vintage rums available to the Master Blender at WIRD. These rums have been aged in ex-American Oak Barrels. Each batch is limited to 98 barrels. The rums are blended and matured in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks. My bottle is Batch Number 00013/001.

    There are no age statements attributed to Cockspur XO Master’s Select. It is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rum. It has been bottled at 43% ABV.

    As you can see the presentation is modern and understated. The Cockspur cockerel is present along with a little information on the front of the bottle. The rear label gives some tasting notes and serving suggestions.

    The bottle is a 3/4 stubby style bottle with a short tapered neck. The rum is sealed with a tightly fitting synthetic stopper with a dark wooden topper. In the UK a bottle retails at around the £43-45 mark. It is available from Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange amongst others.

    Cockspur XO Master's Select Rum review by the fat rum pirateI would usually at this stage advise checking the companies website for further information but in the case of Cockspur Rum’s website. I really wouldn’t bother. It’s quite out of date.

    So I don’t really have much else to say about this rum so lets move on and see how good it is.

    In the glass we have quite a dark spirit. With a reddish/orange hue running through it. It came up nil for additives as per the Hydrometer but I think it may have a drop or two of caramel colouring. Which to be honest isn’t even in the top ten of problems in the rum world! It’s certainly not really something I concern myself with.

    Nosing Cockspur XO Master’s Select it is quite woody to begin with. I’m getting a lot of barrel char on the nose. This is running alongside a sweet very sherry like note. This reminds me a little of sherried scotch whisky. Beyond this is an almost perfumed, floral note. Some redcurrants and a touch of caramel and toffee.

    Further nosing reveals some lighter vanilla notes and some raisins. It does however have quite a large hit of what I can only really describe as alcohol. Which doesn’t seem all that well integrated and seems a little medicinal and overly chemical like.

    Overall the nose isn’t bad but this note I am finding a touch odd.

    Sipped, again it is quite woody, almost chewy with what tastes like oak staves and barrel char. It’s not as woody and bitter as it might sound but it feels like the ageing has been forced a little.

    After a couple more sips the rum smooths out a little and seems less woody. Notes of orange marmalade, dark chocolate and a floral sweetness come through. With varying success to be honest. The floral note just makes it taste a little perfumed, which is throwing it off kilter for me.

    Despite the woodiness of this spirit, it’s remarkably smooth in terms of mouthfeel. It doesn’t have a great deal of bite beyond the initial bitter woody notes. The oakiness of the rum rather than fade out nicely into the finish, seems to disappear rather abruptly.

    Cockspur XO Master's Select Rum review by the fat rum pirateAs a result the mid palate and finish are a bit of disappointment. Short and not a great deal of development going on there I’m afraid. Whilst I wouldn’t say this is a bad rum it tastes a bit generic, a bit pedestrian. Almost like its a Jack of all Trades but sadly a Master of None.

    It’s an average rum which might have stood out a little 10 years or so ago. Obviously in todays market, I think most people know which Barbados producers are currently pulling up trees.

     

    To date WIRD is not currently one of those producers. This will rum will do little to convince anyone otherwise.

  • That Boutique-y Rum Company Monymusk Distillery Aged 13 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    That Boutique-y Rum Company Monymusk Distillery Aged 13 YearsThat Boutique-y Rum Company Monymusk Distillery Aged 13 Years. I’ve a “Zoom Tasting” of Rum and Whisk(e)y later today, so I thought I would dig through my sample boxes and see if I had anything outstanding to review from That Boutique-y Rum Company.

    I was quite surprised to come across this particular sample still intact. Today I am reviewing one That Boutique-y Rum Company’s older releases. You can actually still buy this particular bottling but it is in very short supply over at Master of Malt.

    This is a 100% Pot Still Rum which was distilled back in September 2004. It was shipped unaged to the UK where it has been aged in “recycled rum casks” (I’m assuming these are ex-bourbon casks which then stored other rums) up until 2014. The rum was then re-filled into more “re-cycled rum casks” for a further maturation of just over 3 years.

    The artwork is suitably bizarre in keeping with the That Boutique-y Rum Company’s usual look – this time we have dogs riding the London Underground. Something which hints at where the rum was matured is what is hinted on in the description at Master of Malt.

    As with all (bar the Signature Blends) this rum is in a 50cl size bottle or half litre if you prefer. A carafe of rum maybe? This means less rum but a higher outturn of bottles. It retails at £59.95. This initial batch of rum was a release of 473 bottles. That Boutique-y Rum Company Monymusk Distillery Aged 13 Years has been bottled at 55.4% ABV, which I assume is Cask Strength or near enough!

    For those unfamiliar with Monymusk/Clarendon they produce a lot of rum for major producers such as Diageo – Captain Morgan and Myers’s for example. However a lot of this rum is their column distilled rum. Their Pot Still rum is still very well regarded and is very popular with rum enthusiasts. It is a popular choice amongst Independent bottlers such as That Boutique-y Rum Company.

    So lets see how this particular bottling rates.

    In the glass the continental ageing is immediately apparent. After 13 years in the tropics it is fair to say that the rum would be a lot darker! What we have hear is a very lightly coloured spirit. Straw coloured. It could almost pass as a “white” rum in some circles where producers don’t mind a yellow tinge.

    The initial nose is slightly salty and carries a nice hit of pineapple. Salted Pineapple? Is that a thing?

    Beneath this I am That Boutique-y Rum Company Monymusk Distillery Aged 13 Yearsgetting some notes of what I can only really describe as beer. It smells a bit like the bottom of a pint of bitter. Quite hoppy and malty. Nice though!

    Further nosing reveals some light chilli heat and some hints of smoke and tobacco. There is also a bit mixed fruit jam lurking around adding a bit sweetness.

    It’s a reasonably funky nose but its nothing stupid. I guess it midway between a Hampden and an Appleton. Probably more in keeping with a Worthy Park in that it has that refined note to it.

    Sipped the rum is quite spicy on the initial palate but it has a fruitiness that carries the spice along nicely. Pineapple, banana and some apricot stand out alongside some chilli and black pepper. A touch of cardamon as well. Therres something quite menthol about the rum with a bit liquorice.

    The mid palate remains vibrant with some more oak spice and further fruity notes and to the spicy heat on the tongue.

    As the mid palate moves into the finish you get some vanilla and more waThat Boutique-y Rum Company Monymusk Distillery Aged 13 Yearsrming oak. As the rum begins to fade out into the finish you get a lot of fruitiness again with the pineapple and apricot leading the way.

    The finish is a good length and is pleasantly fruity but has a good weight of oak and spice as it begins to fade.

    It is safe to say that whilst this is a reasonably “funky” rum in the overall way of things – its not a huge Jamaican funk monster. It’s not Hampden level DOK.

    It relies less on the oak ageing than Appleton but it does seem to have “mellowed” over time into something, which is a bit more refined than you might expect from 100% Pot Still Jamaican Rum.

    Not entirely sure why I hadn’t reviewed this before. I can only think I got mixed up and thought I had already reviewed it.

    Still a couple of bottles are still available if you are quick.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • FAIR 10 Year Old Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    FAIR 10 Year Old Rum Review by the fat rum pirateFAIR Spirits are the first line of socially responsible spirits, so the tagline on their website goes.

    This 10 year old rum hails from Belize a Central American country which shares it eastern shoreline with the Caribbean sea.  I have reviewed a couple of rums previously from Belize.  One bottled directly by their largest rum operation Travellers and one which was produced for a third party – much like this FAIR rum.

    The 5 year old FAIR Belize rum is still widely available but this 10 year old is not part of their usual line up and cannot be found on their website at present.

    So what is it exactly that makes this rum FAIR? Well it is produced using Fair Trade Certified Sugar Cane.  Hence making it socially if not environmentally responsible.  It is transported from Belize to France for bottling and further distribution.  Like most rum it has a huge global footprint!

    If you can still find this rum (it is still stocked in the UK by Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange) it will set you back around £45-55.  It comes in an attractive stubby bottle with clean sloped edges.  For your money you get 70cl at an ABV of 40%

    The 5 year old has gained quite a bit of attention and is widely seen as being pretty decent (I take more notice of feedback from key people on Social Media than Awards).  Personally I was quite surprised by this as I’ve been very disappointed with the rums of Belize so far.  Both products I have tried were altered one to the point where it really was pushing it to describe it as rum.  For anyone who hasn’t read my review of 1 Barrel – please do before you consider buying that particular “rum”.

    The rum has been aged for 10 years in ex-Bourbon barrels – I have no details on how the rum has been distilled (pot/column) unfortunately.

    fair-10-year-old-rumSo moving on to the nosing and tasting.  FAIR Belize 10 Year Old has a very familiar nose.  It’s around about 90% Bajan with nice light notes of vanilla and toffee, a little spiced oak.  The remaining 10% is more a slight added sweetness when compared to drier Bajan rums.  This made me think that it could be sugared as it reminded me most of English Harbour 1981. (I originally nosed this completely blind and came to the conclusion that it could be English Harbour 10 as it didn’t seem as oaky as the 1981)

    Bearing in mind this blind nosing was done without ANY options whatsoever – my wife had acquired the rum for me with no input from myself (I’ve never even spoke about this rum before) I was pretty pleased with my guess and I don’t think I was far off in terms of profile at all.  Though I concede I was very surprised to learn this was something from Travellers.  Just goes to show what good rum they have their on the island and have no need to go down the 1 Barrel route or trot out the Small Batch Claims of Tiburon.

    As awful as this may sound the nose was so familiar that you could almost say it is a little safe.  Slightly boring,  I’ve been here before with a good few rums.  Having said that this rum does appear to have been made the right way.  It’s not Bajan but its as close as you will get.

    A quick sip, the FAIR rum is nice – it’s pretty dry and very oaked.  It doesn’t burst with fruit flavours and the taste is actually quite “boozy” and a little young. On the tongue it still hold the vanilla but once sipped the throat is coated with spicy oak flavour and little else.  It has a nice tingly warming finish with not much burn but it doesn’t offer a great deal.

    To me this rum seems to have been “watered down” too low.  At 40% it seems a little thin and insipid.  It doesn’t do a great wrong and you feel you are drinking “proper” rum, problem is I could do the same for £20 with a bottle of Doorlys 5 Year Old.  I can get Cockspur Fine Rum for £11.50.  Both do pretty much the same job as this 10 year old FAIR rum.  At £45-55 it is really lacking, its flat and just not at all exciting.

    I would imagine this would make a perfectly competent mixer but at this price you would regret doing that.  As a sipper I doubt it will inspire.  It is more of a palate cleanser than a complex sipping rum.  In many ways it suffers in the same way Cruzan Single Barrel rum does.  It’s just not all that exciting or different.

    Everything seems to be in order with this rum but ultimately it falls way short of greatness and the price due to the Fair Trade side of things means you are likely to be left disappointed.

    2.5 stars

     

     

  • Havana Club Ritual Cubano

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Havana Club Ritual Cubano. This Havana Club release has been around since 2012. It was created for the Spanish market. In Spain light Cuban or Latin style rum is very popular.

    Cuban Rums such as Ron Varadero, Ron Caney. Legendario and Ron Mulata are popular and common place in Spain. Some of these brands are relatively unheard of in Cuba. Some aren’t even sold in Cuba.

    The popularity of such rums, particularly these brands “Anejo” or entry level rums is due to the way they they are consumed in Spain. Which is the reason Havana Club Ritual Cubano has been created for the Spanish market. This is a rum formulated to be drank with coke, ice and squeeze of lime juice.

    Havana Club Ritual Cubano is bottled at 37.5% ABV, its quite common for Cuban rum to be bottled below 40% ABV. It is a column distilled rum in the typical Latin Style. In Spain the rum is around 15 euros for a 70cl bottle. It can often be found for nearer 10 Euros making it pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things. The few bottles that have been imported into the UK would set you back around £30. Quite a mark up and difference in price. Especially when you bear in mind you can get Havana Club 7 Anos quite frequently for little over £20.

    The rum is presented in a tall rounded bottle with squared off shoulders and it is topped with a screw cap. The label has the Havana Club Malecon and the picture depicts Havana’s seafront boulevard.

    Havana CluHavana Club Ritual Cubano Rum Review by the fat rum pirateb have created a sheet (in Spanish) to show you how to create the perfect “Ron Ritual”. I think I pretty much bottomoed out how best to prepare a “Cuba Libre” or Rum and Cola quite a few years ago so I won’t worry too much about getting this translated.

    It will be quite interesting to see how this Havana Club offering differs from the Anejo Especial which is the “mixing” rum more commonly found in the UK. On my most recent trip to Spain I don’t recall seeing many Havana Club products other than the Ritual Cubano and the Anejo Blanco. I certainly don’t recall seeing the Anejo Especial. Though to be fair it wasn’t a rum I was looking for.

    Anyway lets crack on the with the nosing and tasting.

    In the glass Havana Club Ritual Cubano is a straw to light golden brown colour. The nose is quite oaky with notes of tobacco and a touch of tar. It is still quite light though and pretty sweet. It’s not as Vanilla heavy as the Anejo Especial though which I welcome. The sweetness is more of a light caramel – Demerara Brown Sugar. It’s not a bad nose as far as entry level “ron” goes. Its quite welcoming.

    Sipped Havana Club Ritual Cubano is so-so. Though it’s way better than the Anejo Especial. Although sweet it tastes more “sugary” than “Vanilla-ed”. It’s a little bit spicy upon entry but nothing really too heavy. It’s all very nice, light and well, sweet. The Havana Club Cubano Ritual Rum Review by the fat rum piratefinish is a little bit oaked but it really doesn’t last very long at all.

    It’s all just very agreeable. No real challenge here.

    Mixed with cola (as recommended) it delivers a very sweet, but strangely tobacco heavy drink. Like the Havana Club 7 it just has a bit of a “queer” taste to it. Especially in the after taste. Something just jars a little.

    It’s not particularly complex. For me its to sweet, to light and generally just not very interesting. Of the Latin Style rums I tried when I was in Spain I would take the Ron Vardero over this everytime without hesitation.

    I’d drink this if i was stuck but not out of choice. It’s alright but nothing to get excited about.

     

     

  • Rhum Barbancourt Reserve Speciale 5 Star 8 Year Old

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Barbancourt 5 star rum review by the fat rum pirateHaiti occupies the smaller Western part of the Island of Hispaniola (the island is shared with the Dominican Republic.  Despite this Haiti is the most populated full-member state in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).  It is famous for exports of cotton clothing, coffee, mangoes and to a lesser degree r(h)um.

    Barbancourt or 5 star as this particular rum is more popularly known has gained popularity (especially in the US) from its associations with hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean who as well as being a successful solo artist was also in the “ground breaking” (doing versions of other peoples songs seemingly) hip hop trio The Fugees.  Anyway Ready or Not here we go with the review……..

    Rhum Barbancourt is often noted as being an Agricole Rhum.  Agricole Rhums are popular on French speaking islands within the Caribbean.  As opposed to most molasses based rums they are produced by distilling sugar cane juice (or honey).  Barbancourt is produced from sugar cane juice and is definitely a cane juice rum.  It does differ in its production to, in particular Martinique agricoles in that it is produced using sugar cane juice and syrup.  There is a very interesting article on the Barbancourt distillery here.  I would advise reading it very interesting stuff.

    My reluctance to try Barbancourt was influenced by dislike, so far of Agricole rhum and other cane juice/honey/syrup spirits such as Cachaca.  I just do not enjoy the vegetal/grassy aroma and flavour.  Agricoles are pretty expensive as well in comparison to molasses based rums.

    The presentation of Barbancourt is either classic or dated depending on your Barbancourt 5 star rum review by the fat rum pirateviewpoint.  I understand that they have recently updated to a more modern, clean white look with their labelling.  I think it will be a while before the UK stocks run dry and we get the newer bottlings.

    I’m quite happy with my bottle.  I like the retro styling.  The rum is actually slightly dumpier than your usual bar room bottle and the neck and cap are much wider.  This gives an old school feel to the rum.  The writing on the bottle is also, all in French with no translation.  It’s all very nice and you could easily think you had a very old bottle in your hands…..if it wasn’t for the pink HMRC duty paid sticker.  Never mind.

    As a cane juice rum/Agricole I was expecting to get a lot of this when nosing the 5 star.  The nose is surprisingly “molasses” like.  No not in that it has that treacly molasses heavy smell like Myers’s or an aged Demerara but more in that the more vegetal and grassy notes are very subdued in the nose.  The nose has a lot in common with a light Bajan rum.  Nice citrus notes, a little lime, a hint of lemon moving onto a more fruity green grapes.  In some ways it has a little of a cognac/wine type aroma.  It also has aromas of both good oak and ageing and vanilla.  The nose is as good as I have experienced and there is a distinct lack of alcohol “fumes” coming from the glass and transferring to the nose.  It’s very noseable.

    Moving onto the tasting at 43% it has that little extra oomph which seems to give classic rums such as RL Seale’s, MGXO and El Dorado 15 that little punch some others lack.  I will state at this stage that Barbancourt does show 6g/L of added sugar.  Not a huge amount by any standards but evidence that something is added post distillation.

    Barbancourt is twice distilled and the second distillation is performed in Copper Pot Stills. (More detailed info at the link I provided earlier)

    Barbancourt 5 star rum review by the fat rum pirateOnto the tasting.  It is fair to say that I have not tasted a rum like Barbancourt.  It is unlike almost any other r(h)um I have tried.  I have tried more Agricoles than I have reviewed (and Cachacas) just never in volumes sufficient to merit a review.  Whilst Barbancourt stylistically is arguably an agricole rhum it is probably more fairly described as a Cane Juice Rum.  I drop the “h” in rhum because tastewise in particular it seems to have more in common with molasses based rums.  Comparisons between this other than by sheer quality alone are very difficult.  It’s best not pigeon holing Barbancourt.

    Barbancourt is a very easy sipping rum.  It is just the right side of smooth and is slightly dry.  It still gives that rum kick I believe most proper rum drinkers enjoy (as opposed to liquor level smoothness).  It’s sweetness is slightly reminiscent of a cognac or brandy.  It has a nice oaky layer as well in the profile.  The vanilla and citrus remains.  The finish is long and despite the slight dryness the oak remains in the palatte and offers a lovely silky smooth exit.  There is a spiciness throughout a little hint of ginger and white pepper.

    This is not a rum which I would recommend mixing.  If you cannot enjoy something as good as this without a mixer then I’m not quite sure what “sipping” experience you are looking for.  This is a beautifully crafted rum which is wonderfully well balanced and dangerously easy to drink.

    A bottle of Rhum Barbancourt 5 star will set you back just over £30 for a 70cl bottle at 43% ABV.  This is an excellent rum and an absolute bargain at that price.

    It’s a must try.  Please do not delay because you don’t like Agricole.  This is very different.

    5 stars

     

  • Saint James Rhum Vieux 7 Year Old

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Saint James Rhum Vieux 7 Year Old Rum Review by the fat rum pirateSaint James Rhum Vieux 7 Year Old. Saint James are a Rhum Agricole producer from the island of Martinique. Back in 2014 they revamped and released a range of specific age statement rhums. A 7,12 and 15 year old made up the range. Today we will be looking at the youngest of those rhums.

    Saint James have featured on the site before. I reviewed their Saint James Heritage rum which was a puzzling blend of caribbean rums and their own agricole rhum. I also reviewed their more regarded Rhum Ambre. This is a review I need to re-visit as my appreciation of Rhum Agricole has risen considerably since I wrote that back in 2013/4.

    In the UK, Saint James seem to suffer from distribution issues. We were inundated with the Heritage and Reserve blends but we don’t seem to regularly get what is regarded as their good stuff. I’ve never seen them present at a UK Rum Festival. They have a confusing array of rums on offer. Admittedly I’ve only dipped my toe into exploring the brand.

    Should you find a bottle of this in the UK expect to pay upwards of £50. The rum comes in the familiar square tall embossed Saint James bottle. A cork stopper and a wooden display box complete the look. Saint James do have consistent branding on their bottles.Saint James Rhum Vieux 7 Year Old is aged for a minimum of 7 years in small oak casks. It is bottled at 43%.

    In the glass the Saint James Rhum Vieux 7 Year Old is dark golden brown the red flashes.

    The nose is quite puzzling – its very fruity – pineapple, melon and some red apple. There are next to no signs of the grassier style of agricole rhum I was expecting There is a strange kind of mustiness a little bit like ash running through the nose. It’s not a particular big nose but you get enough spice and fruitness to make it pleasant enough and nicely balanced. It’s light and sweet.

    Sipped the rum is very approachable and easy to get along with. Again its quite fruity with white fleshy fruits such as red and green apple and honeydew melon. There is a really nice array of fruity zest and spice from the oak barrels which really makes this quite a complex little sipper. Vanilla, allspice, ginger and lemon all float in an out of the mix.

    It’s a really easy going and nicely balanced rum which floats along nicely the more you sip the more you note. It has a really nice almost toffee and chocolate note on the initial entry which runs through the rum to the finish.Saint James 7 Year old Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    The finish is quite good as well. Not overly spicy but enough of a finish to satisfy. It’s a medium length which fades nicely in time for another sip. It is very similar to a Bajan style rum in terms of balance and the elements which display a healthy interaction with the oak barrel. It has however enough vibrancy and freshness to remind you it is a Cane Juice product. It’s fresh rather than overly grassy and its a really good rhum.

    I’m very fond of this particular Agricole Rhum and I think it is a very good example of the style.

    Really impressive.

15 Comments

  1. Is it possible the blending was different from the US bottles? I must say this is the worst of the marks released by far. Don’t get me wrong its not a bad rum by any means it good but not up to their current releases. This I must say though is the worst mark released by far.

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  5. I just opened my bottle a couple of hours ago. You are quite right, this is extremely drinkable at 46%. Pot and column still character coming through and it’s obviously the Foursquare distillery style. The ex-bourbon and ex-sherry maturation undergoes a certain alchemy when combined with quality rum distillate. I’ve said it before but these top end rums are competing with, and often exceeding, single malt whisky for the same money. I’m glad I bought two.

  6. thanks all- think i managed to reserve the last bottle at the covent garden shop. Would have been furious had i missed out on this.

    1. I may be a bit late here but it’s the best Rum I have tasted in 2019, just ordered another bottle…

  7. Folks,

    Like i Said yesterday, you can find it on
    Rombo.dk I’ve ordered there and the service is very good. 2004 too!
    I think even https://www.excellencerhum.com has them by now. Never ordered from that site though.

    Cheers

    Cristian

  9. Thanks for the review- can’t seem to find it on whisky exchange is it released yet? Dominus is already up.

      1. Just as well. I was seriously pissed off with myself for not getting one yesterday when it was in my Whisky Exchange shopping basket. I was stunned to see it sold out today. I really hope the speculators aren’t buying it (but they are). I actually preferred the 2004 11 year ex-bourbon to the Criterion last year so I’m looking forward to your review of the 2005 ex-bourbon.

          1. True, I should have just pressed the button. I’m cross with myself but fingers crossed I can redeem that error. By the way, there’s a YouTube whisky commentator called Conor Strang that has just got a job at Foursquare. A cracking young man and I’m so pleased for him but……I wish it was me on that island. Cheers my friend.

          2. I agree, I think it’s the drinkers buying this. Up until recently the Port cask was still knocking about and the 2004 and Zin cask are still for sale on TWE from 2 years ago. The Premise sold out very quickly, I picked up all 3 bottles before they were advertised (on sale but not on the front page or “new additions”) and the Premise had all gone when I checked back 1 hour later – I did notice they were not restricting bottles for this one though.

            Big thanks to Richard for pricing these at the same levels as the previous release despite the increasing demand. A rare thing to have a producer looking out for the little guy!

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