Habitation Velier Foursquare 2015 White Pure Single Rum

Bythefatrumpirate

Habitation Velier Foursquare 2015 White Pure Single Rum review by the fat rum pirateHabitation Velier Foursquare 2015 White Pure Single Rum. This is quite a rare rum and difficult to come by. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a sample from Steve at Rum Diaries Blog, who even more fortunate to gifted a partially drank bottle at London Rumfest a couple of years ago. At the time the rum was not commercially available.

It is my understanding (and please correct me if I am wrong) that when this was finally released earlier this year, with only 400 bottles were made available in Europe.

This Rum was produced using molasses from Barbados and distilled at Foursquare on their twin retort pot still. This is your only chance to currently get to try such a lightly aged (4 months in ex-cognac barrels) 100% pot distillate from Foursquare. It has been bottled at an ABV of 59%.

I have written so many reviews of Foursquare products and Habitation Velier that I am going to keep this review fairly brief.

In the glass the rum is a very faint straw/white wine colour – white wine and soda perhaps minus the bubbles.

The nose is full of Vanilla Ice Cream and Bananas. Toffee and Caramel Sauce layered over it. A further nose detects a bit of “menace” – the 59% ABV spirit is definitely still here. Much like the 2013 this is sweet but it sends out warning signals to you.

Further nosing reveals a hint of coconut some strawberries complete with stalks and a slight grassiness. Creme caramel and some sweet shortcrust pastry maybe even Cake Mix.

It also has a alcohol led sweetness which reminds me of the 2013 – I can’t quite put my finger on it but its there.

Sipping reveals a very potent but very flavourful spirit. It’s quite spicy and heated with a lot of ginger and chilli powder on the palate. Further sips see the toffee and caramel return along with the strong alcohol burn to give more balance.

It has an almost red wine like sweetness – maybe even Port like in many ways. Whether it is a sipper will be down to the individual. I diluted it a little but felt I lost some of the essence and point of this rum.

So I doused it with a bit cola…………

It worked surprisingly well and I got even more out of the rum than when I sipped it. More of the Pot Still muscle and whilst I joke I doused it – I really just added a splash of cola. Which worked really well and gave me a nice glass of rum and coke. Potent though, so go careful!Habitation Velier Foursquare 2015 White Pure Single Rum review by the fat rum pirate

This is a really tasty full flavoured rum. It won’t appeal to everyone. It is quite aggressive but it does have a real sweetness to it which works well. It’s intense but it’s not too much.

Having said that – it won’t be for everyone. Be careful what you are buying. Don’t just buy these Habitation Velier bottlings because you’ve heard the buzz about them. Do your homework. Some of these bottlings only really appeal to the 1% of the rum population that have went way off piste in their search of new and exciting rums. People who have tried every bottle in the supermarket, in local stores and hundreds online.

Proper nutcases.

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  • Chairman’s Reserve Finest St Lucia Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Chairmans ReserveThis 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.

    ACRThe 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!

    4 stars

     

     

     

     

     

  • Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Barbados 2005

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Barbados 2005 rum review by the fat rum pirateHolmes Cay Barbados 2005 Single Cask Rum. Holmes Cay are a new Independent bottler based in New York City. So for once US rum fans you have one over us Europeans! Add further insult to injury, this their first release is currently only distributed in New York. In part due to the US’s insane liquor laws.

    Which is a bit of a shame for anyone outside of New York but I am sure that the 504 bottles of this Foursquare 2005 bottling will sell out pretty quickly! So good news for Holmes Key and their founder Eric Kaye.

    You may well be wondering how I a native of the North East of England came by this particular rum. Well, I am reviewing this from a sample kindly provided to me by Eric at this years London Rumfest. Obviously before accepting this sample I ensure I knew exactly what I was getting in the bottle…..

    Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Barbados 2005 was distilled at Foursquare Rum Distillery. It was aged for 11 years in the tropics before being bought by an independent rum broker and shipped to the UK for a further 3 years, for what we now term continental ageing. As mentioned earlier there are 504 bottles available of this release from two different casks. So a Foursquare completist may seek a bottle of both. The entire maturation has been in ex-bourbon casks. It was bottled in October 2019. it is as most Foursquare rums tend to be a blend of both pot and column distilled rum blended together in the barrel.

    My sample is from Cask no.2 and was bottled at 64.3% ABV Cask Strength. No additives and no colourings required. The rum retails at $149.

    Should you require further information on Holmes Cay or want a list of stockists then their website is here.

    Now I’m not in the habit of taking samples direct from bottlers/producers. Whilst I have around 400 samples at home around 95% come from fellow enthusiasts. Thing is I know this is going to be a decent standard, so what the heck!

    In th glass we have a dark brown spirit with an orange/red hue. Holmes Cay Barbados 2005 has a very familiar nose. I’ve reviewed so many Foursquare rums over the past five years that I can tell straight away now when I am presented with a Foursquare.

    This particular offering has quite a lot of coconut on the nose. Ripe banana, vanilla, a touch of peach and some lovely well integrated oak spice. There is a little more oomph here than with the 40-46% ABV Foursquare’s but it still has a really nice balance on the nose.

    Further nosing reveals chopped nuts, a touch of raisin, red grape and a tiny hint of citrus. A very slight oily note as well.

    It’s all really good and really beautifully balanced. Comparisons to rums such as the Exceptional Cask Series 2004, 2005 and 2007 are ineveitable. I would also add Rum Sixty Six Cask Strength to that mix. Should you wish to know how Holmes Cay Barbados 2005 fared in a blind taste testing of other Foursquare rums then you should visit Rum Revelations for a run down.

    Sipped at full ABV Holmes Cay Barbados 2005 is initially a little bit too much. You need a couple of sips to get accustomed to the high ABV. You might even need a drop or two of water. It’s very much your choice to drink at a ABV that suits your palate. Not everyone appreciates rum at such a high ABV.

    Holmes Cay Barbados 2005 is a spicy and quite oaky rum on the initial sip or two. Lots of oak and spicy ginger mingles alongside a good hit of white pepper and some wood chips. The more you sip the more you notice the flavours that were on the nose.

    Vanilla and coconut creep back into the mix as your palate settles down to this rum. Stoned fruits and some red grapes give the mid palate a slightly tannic note. This is a big complex rum. Yes it is typical Foursquare and isn’t a hundred miles away from a lot of other Foursquare rums, but it more than holds it own.

    Holmes Cay Barbados 2005 is a really well balanced and well developed rum. The mix of tropical and continental ageing has worked really well in this instance. At 14 years in the tropics this might have got a bit too woody. This is pretty much perfect in terms of maturation.Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Barbados 2005 rum review by the fat rum pirate

    As you sip more you notice more complexity – almonds and peanuts come into the mix alongside banana and some ginger. The spiciness builds on the mid palate and as you move onto the finish you have a really complex and very long lasting array of spices and oak.

    A really good barrel pick from Holmes Cay. This is a great example of Foursquare rum. No second maturation all ex-bourbon aged. The base spirit really shines here.

     

  • McDowell’s No1 Celebration Deluxe XXX Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    McDowell's No1 Celebration Deluxe XXX Rum review by the fat rum pirateMcDowell’s No1 Celebration Deluxe XXX rum. A first for this site, in that I am reviewing a rum from a cardboard box…..The ethos of this site has always been that I’ll review pretty much anything that has rum written somewhere on the label.

    I know a lot of other review sites swerve from what they perceive as “inferior” spirits. At the end of the day the idea of this site is to try and inform your more average consumer. I like the idea that people can walk into a store and if they see something they are unsure of, they can search for a review online. Hopefully, they will come across a review from this site which will better inform them, whether to purchase or not.

    I’ve also got a ten point scoring scale and again, unike most reviewers I use the full scale on a regular basis. It is also worth pointing out that McDowell’s No1 Celebration Deluxe XXX Rum is one of, if not the best selling “rum” in the world. So, why have I put “rum” in inverted commas? Well I will explain exactly how this and many other dark spirits are produced in India.

    Indian-made foreing liquor or IMFL for short. This is the official government term which covers all types of “hard liquor” manufactured in India but not indigenous to India. The term also covers all bulk alcohol which is imported to India and then bottled in a licensed bonded warehouse in India.

    A common characteristic of “Indian Rum” is one which is consistent with IMFL. Most IMFL is produced from a neutral spirit which has been obtained from the distillation of molasses. This neutral spirit is distilled to 96% ABV. It is then reduced to 42.8% ABV (I have no clue as to why it is this exact volume).

    Then depending on the type of spirit being produced rum,brandy, whisky etc flavourings and sometimes other “real spirits” are added. It is then given a dose of caramel colouring.

    If you have tried Indian rums such as Old Monk and Old Port you may have notice they all have a very similar vanilla heavy flavour and very dark colour. I suspect a very similar process and ingredients are  used across the board. I think I may be updating those reviewMcDowell's No1 Celebration Deluxe XXX Rum review by the fat rum pirates soon.

    McDowell’s No1 Celebration Rum was introduced in 1991 and immediately began eating into the market share of it’s biggest domestic rival Old Monk. Since 2012 sales of McDowell’s No1 Celebration Rum have dwarfed those of it’s rival. This has lead to another rivalry with global powerhouse Bacardi for the official billing of top selling rum in the world. It’s worth pointing out that Diageo have over 50% of the shares in McDowell’s parent company.United Spirits of India.

    I’ve never come across McDowell’s No1 Celebratin Deluxe XXX Rum in the UK or Europe. If the production detail of IMFL is followed for this (and I strongly believe it is) then in line with the Croatian Domaci “rum” it would have to be labelled as something other than rum in line with EU law.

    That said Old Monk has no problem with distribution in Europe and whilst laws are in place. I must say enforcement is at times pretty lax.

    The 180ml carton of McDowell’s No1 Celebration Deluxe XXX Rum retails for 180 Rupees in India. This would equate to around £2 . Which by any standards is pretty cheap. This is the drink of the people. It is available in a number of carton/bottles sizes for the discerning alcoholic.McDowell's No1 Celebration Deluxe XXX Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    There is little information to be found about this rums. I’m guessing it is produced on a column still, most likely a multi-column.Age wise nothing is noted one review noted it is aged for 3 years in oak barrels but I can find nothing to back this up.

    With little else to say I may as well get my scissors out and get this little Tetra Pak opened.

    When poured I get pretty much what I was expecting. A very dark spirit with a very, very red tinge to it. It’s clearly not the barrels providing this colour unless they were fired with Cherryade.

    Nose – again I’m getting exactly what I was expecting. Wafts of vanilla coke and a sort of caramel/coffee aroma. It reminds me of Old Monk and Old Port. It is slightly different but it’s roughly similar. As silly as this sounds it isn’t actually unpleasant. It’s sweet but it’s not ludicrously cloying. I doubt I could drink much of it in one go but I’m not gagging. Not yet anyway.

    Sipped it’s actually a little bitter and nowhere near as sweet as I was expecting. The main “flavour” is just really neutral alcohol. It’s kind of like an aromatised vodka. I’m not getting any sense at all of anything approaching an aged spirit. It just tastes a little bit flowery very briefly and then it all just disappears into a very short burn with little else to distinguish itself. There is maybe a little toffee and caramel flavouring but it’s very hard to make out.

    I would imagine when this isn’t getting chugged down by tourists on beaches in Goa then it will be mixed. I’ve got some cola so I will see what I can do with the rest of the carton……McDowell's No1 Celebration Deluxe XXX Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    It tastes a bit like vanilla coke. To be honest it’s okay like this. It’s not cloying or overly sweet but it’s not quite as full flavoured as Old Monk. Whilst neither are really to my current tastes I think Old Monk is more flavourful.

    Another few mouthfuls and it’s all getting very flowery and perfumed.

    This isn’t good rum because truthfully this isn’t rum. As a drink it’s not something I would seek out either. It’s pretty poor really and in all fairness. It’s best if this stays in India.

    As Radiohead once said “No Surprises”

     

     

     

  • Bedford Park Single Barrel Fiji Rum Aged 19 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Bedford Park Single Barrel Fiji Rum Aged 19 Years review by the fat rum pirateBedford Park Single Barrel Fiji Rum Aged 19 Years. When Maison Ferrand teamed up with the Rum Co. of Fiji (South Pacific Distillery) a few years back, I was concerned about the future of Independently bottled Fijian rum.

    So far, there has been little change. Whilst Planteray have released their own take on Fijian rums, Independent bottlers are still consistently releasing quality products from the distillery.

    Today is Indie bottler Bedford Park’s turn. With one of the oldest Fijian bottlings I have came across so far.

    Bedford Park Single Barrel Fiji Rum Aged 19 Years is a 100% Pot Still Molasses based Rum. Distilled in 2004 at the South Pacific Distillery. The rum was aged in an ex-bourbon barrel until 2016.

    At which point it was moved to ex-rum cask (which will most likely be an ex-bourbon barrel!)

    It was bottled in 2024. Noted as being Cask Number 15. Which yielded just 223 bottles at 57.6% ABV. It is non-chill filtered with no additives.

    Availability of Bedford Park Spirits bottling is often split between Europe and North America. I’ve noticed the odd bottle for sale on Auction sites as well. In the US try Raising Glasses where it retails at $200. For Europe Bedford Park’s “own” website (ran by North Point Distillery) has it for sale at £120. They could do with separating their whiskies and rums or adding a search engine to make things easier to find.

    The artwork on the Bedford Park Spirits bottlings are particularly interesting. I’m sure you will agree. Certainly more interesting than some of the more austere European bottlers. This label was designed by The label is designed by Toronto-based artist Elise Conlin, whose early work while studying at the Ontario College of Art & Design caught their eye. Elise agreed to lend her talents to a series of labels, aptly named “Shady Grove”, for their first releases.

    In the glass Bedford Park Single Barrel Fiji Rum Aged 19 Years iBedford Park Single Barrel Fiji Rum Aged 19 Years review by the fat rum pirates a dark brown colour with a slightly reddish/orange hue. (I feel I write this a lot!)

    On the nose its quite grassy and floral. Not dis-similar to an aged Agricole Rhum. There is a slight hint of petrol on the nose and some more medicinal notes as well. Theres an almost floral sweetness running through it. Floral Gums (gum sweets) and a saccharin like note.

    It’s pleasant if slightly underwhelming. There is no sign of the more unpolished and fiery notes you often find with single digit Fijian rum.

    On the sip it is again quite sweet and a little on the floral side. Peach and Strawberry alongside a slightly perfumed note come through initially. It has a slightly oily mouthfeel which I enjoy

    Further sips reveal some very little tar and some slight petrol like notes. These are fairly faint though. As we move into the mid palate the rum begins to bear its teeth a little more.

    It’s spicier with some nice ginger heat and some cloves. There is a medicinal feel to the rum as the sweeter notes dissipate a little.

    The finish is a reasonable length and offers a nice mixture of spice and sweetness which fade out to leave a slight grassiness behind.

    I’ve compared Fijian rum to Caroni’s output in the past. For those of you looking for something akin to that then I would advise looking for something younger. Fijian rum is perhaps the distillate which seems to change the most in the Rum World. Especiallly Bedford Park Single Barrel Fiji Rum Aged 19 Years review by the fat rum piratewhen we get into the higher teens in terms of age.

    It would be unfair to say this is a sweet easy going sipper – without giving that some context. It’s certainly not a Zacapa or a Diplomatico style rum. It is probably more similar to an aged Foursquare in terms of profile.

    I like this quite a bit but I’m pleased to have had chance to try it before buying it. I would have expected more oomph from a Fiji rum if I had bought it blind.

    Another very good bottling from Bedford Park. Just maybe not what you might have expected.

     

     

  • Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Foursquare Distillery Aged 13 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Foursquare Distillery Aged 13 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateDràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Foursquare Distillery Aged 13 Years. The success of the Foursquare Distillery is ongoing. Bottles in the Exceptional Cask Series are now being available only via a ballot at some of the bigger UK retailers. To be honest the very idea of a ballot, whereby you enter a raffle to actually spend your own money is pretty mind boggling in the rum world. However, it has been fairly common place for some time in the world of Scotch Whisky.

    As a result of this popularity I am noticing an increasing number of Independent bottlers are releasing single cask bottlings.

    Now until recently I haven’t taken that much notice of such bottlings. I’ve certainly not attempted to collect them all or anything like that! Having said that I’ve still managed to review a fair few. Thanks mostly to samples from friends and other enthusiasts.

    In fairness Independent bottlings have usually been a more Premium price than Distillery bottlings. For example a few years ago you could pick up a bottle of R L Seales 10 Year Old rum for around £35. A similarly aged rum from an Independent bottler would have set you back in excess of £50.

    Whilst it isn’t the case for a lot of distilleries – I am beginning to see an increasing number of Independent bottlings from Foursquare that are very keenly priced in comparison to “similar” distillery bottlings. I use “similar” in quite a broad sense.

    Today I’m reviewing a 13 Year Old Rum from the Foursquare Distillery, Barbados which has been aged in ex-Bourbon barrel and an ex-Scotch Whisky cask. It is noted as being cask number #3 and it has been bottled at 60.9% ABV. The rum is a blend of Pot/Column distilled rum as is very much the Foursquare style. There were 277 bottles released.

    It has been released by Dràm Mòr Group an Independent bottler of Scotch Whisky and now rum from Dumbarton, Scotland. The group have been in operation since early 2020. They are a small company ran by Viktorija and Kenny MacDonald.

    I was going to review Foursquares own recently released 2009 but its pretty much sold out everywhere. So as you can still buy this bottling (and can even pick up 2 at the same time) I thought this review might be more useful?

    Currently you can only order this rum via the wonderful people at The Good Spirits Co. You can order online or pop into one of their Glasgow stores if you are in the area. Heck you can probably ring them up and order over the phone as well, I’m sure.

    Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Foursquare Distillery Aged 13 Years is priced at £64.50 which in todays market I don’t think is bad at all. Refreshingly the rear label of the bottling also reveals more details about the ageing. So it has been aged for 8 years in an ex-bourbon barrel in Barbados and a further 5 years in an ex-Scotch Whisky cask in the UK.

    So lets see how this particular Foursquare offering is.

    In the glass we have a slightly hazy medium golden brown liquid. It’s not especially vibrant and doesn’t have any hue around the edges. In all honesty I don’t worry too much about what a rum looks like. Unless its green or something. Then I might worry.

    On the nose – it’s about as Foursquare as Foursquare can be. Instantly recognisable. So we have some light oak spices and some bourbon like notes from the time in the barrel. There is also a slight savoury/scotch like note as well. These aromas are held together by the familiar coconut notes attributed strongly to both Foursquare and Mount Gay.

    Further nosing reveals some milk and dark chocolate notes, a touch of cocoa powder and little icing sugar. There are some fruity aromas – a touch of sultana and some red plum. There is also a white pepper note which really tingles the nostrils.

    So far so good.

    Sipped it is a little more fiery than I was expecting from the nose. I’m trying it initially at full strength. I may need a drop or two of water. We’ll see.

    It has a hot, quite spicy entry. It’s quite peppery and has a youthfulness about it I wasn’t expecting. It doesn’t seem quite as integrated and balanced as usual for a Foursquare.

    It’s quite woody and pretty dry on the mid palate. It’s not a very sweet rum. There’s quite a of influence from the oak.

    Finish wise it has a nice gentle fade out and is a good length. More of the coconut and some hints of banana are present.

    I’ve quite enjoyed this rum at full strength but I am wondering if a couple of drops of water might be in order with this bottling. I feel like something is missing.

    A couple of drops maybe a teaspoon seem to be doing the trick. The rum is visibly lighter and less cloudy in the glass now and I’m getting much more of what was promised on the nose.

    The entry in particular whilst still keeping its spicy heat is much better as it is now getting a good blast of those coconut and chocolate notes. A little bit of cinnamon and some toffee was well as we move onto the mid palate.

    Dràm Mòr Single Cask Rum Foursquare Distillery Aged 13 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateFinish wise – it is perhaps a touch shorter but the improvement to the rest of the experience means I’m not so bothered about it. I’d thoroughly recommend anyone who buys this bottle does add a drop or two of water. It’s not always necessary or indeed beneficial but it really does work well with this bottling.

    It is interesting to try this rum bearing in mind it has spent some time in an ex-Scotch Whisky cask. I’m not the biggest Scotch Whisky fan and whilst it does have a little impact on the profile it is not for me, hugely noticeable. It’s perhaps slightly different but nothing radical.

    A really nice bottling at a really good price.

     

  • Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria review by the fat rum pirate Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria. I have deviated from the true title of this bottling slightly so not to confuse English readers, who may not have a second language. The true title of this rum is Ananas Victoria. Which is the word more commonly used around the rest of the world, for what us English speakers call the Pineapple.

    I remember seeing a post on Facebook a while back highlighting how, just about every language aside from English and Spanish, uses Ananas or a close variant on the word.

    Anyway, enough of my anecdotes lets look at what we have with this bottling from Guadeloupe producer Damoiseau. Rhum Arranges literal translation into English is “Rum Re-Arranged”. It is not a regular rum and it can’t really be classed as a flavoured rum either due to the lower ABV. Rhum Arrange is often noted as being a digestif or aperitif or even a liqueuer. It is versatile and can be served in a number of different ways.

    Rhum Arranges are extremely popular in France and the French speaking islands. Macerating molasses rum with fresh fruit is not as widespread as it is in the Agricole world. What we have here is white unaged Agricole Rhum from Damoiseau, which has been macerated in the bottle with Freshly Cut Victoria Pineapples and a pod or two of Vanilla.

    Now you could regard this as a gimmick. However, as mentioned it is extremely popular. As far as ageing is concerned this is not an aged rhum. The white rhum is fresh unaged Agricole Rhum. The maceration period – well when you buy the bottle it still has the fruit in it, so it will still be active and will still be adding flavour to the rhum. The fruit used is hand picked and hand bottled at Damoiseau. It is quite different to our previous Damoiseau review their Millesime 1995.

    Traditionally Rhum Arranges hails from the French Oversea’s Territory of Reunion Island – a nation currently earning high praise for it’s own take on Agricole Rhums,  “Grand Arome” from Savanna.

    Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria is being imported into the UK along with the other regular Damoiseau rhums by Skylark Spirits. They were promoting Les Arranges at various Rum Festivals throughout the UK last year, obviously this year has been more challenging but the team have put together various online virtual tastings Damoiseau Les Arranges review by the fat rum pirateand Rum Festivals, to help promote this and the other r(h)ums in their portfolio.

    Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria is presented in clear stubby rounded bottle with a short neck, with a chunky cork stopper. You can clearly see the fruit in the bottle. It is presented at 30% ABV (hence why we cannot call it a Flavoured Rum – ABV is below 37.5%) and retails at £41.95 over at Master of Malt. Alternatively Drinks Supermarket are also stocking it and if you type in the code “FATRUMPIRATE” you will receive a 10% discount until 31 August.

    In the glass we have a yellow spirit a shade or two more “yellow-y” than straw or white wine. The nose is very sweet with lots of pineapple. It smells like a diluted Pineapple squash with a hint of soft vanilla. There is a slight note of the agricole rhum beneath the pineapple – though I may just be imagining this because I know it’s there. A very slight grassy note when you nose a little deeper. Nothing like covering your schnozz in Pineapple first thing of a morning……….

    Aside from the Pineapple and Vanilla aromas you do still get a good boozy aroma on the nose. The Pineapple does dominate though, but it’s very nice juicy, fresh tasting Pineapple. None of the anemic undersized shite we get in our supermarkets. It does taste authentic – this is Fresh Pineapple Juice not sugary concentrate. The sweetness is all natural from the fruit. The vanilla pod seems to add a little extra refinement and a touch of complexity. An extra dash of sweetness.

    As this is at a fairly low ABV there is little by way of burn. Having decent rhum at the heart of this will also help in that respect. Despite that it still has a reasonable length to the finish. The fade out of the Pineapple is enjoyable and it has just a bit of a kick from the rhum to keep things interesting. I confess I’ve added a bit of Damoiseau 50% ABV to the mix for a couple of my drinks. The extra oomph is very nice I must say.

    You can’t taste a whole load of the Agricole Rhum at the heart of this drink. However, there is a slightly grassy/floral note at the back of the throat and despite only being 30% you still get a bit of a boozy kick married alongside the Pineapple flavour.

    You can’t argue with what this does. It delivers flavours of Pineapple and Vanilla nicely.Damoiseau Les Arranges review by the fat rum pirate Very nicely in fact. It is dangerously drinkable (even more so with more Agricole added). I would probably like to see a higher ABV variant on this one. This might allow more of the agricole notes to flow through. That isn’t the intention of this though. It’s meant to taste of Pineapple. Not everyone is a rabid boozehound or a pisspot like me needing a huge boozy hit…….

    For a bartender this kind of drink will prove very useful, as I would imagine a small amount of this will deliver a hefty kick of pineapple in a cocktail. It works great neat (or on the rocks if you insist), or with soda water/lemonade. As pictured you can also get a Mango and Passion fruit edition as well.

    A very nice refreshing drink. Not rum as strictly decreed by the EU but rummy enough for a review.

     

3 Comments

  1. Hi,
    I was very impressed by your description of this rum and decided to try it. However, then I came across someone else’s review of the same rum (https://rumdiariesblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/04/habitation-velier-foursquare-2015-pure-single-rum/). It is hard to believe that you describe the same product:
    Nose
    You: Vanilla ice cream, bananas, toffee and caramel sauce, coconut, strawberries, creme caramel
    Rumdiaries: Acetone, brine, salty black olives, smoke

    Palate:
    You: Ginger, chilli powder, toffee and caramel, red wine or Port-like sweetness
    Rumdiaries: Black olives, salty brine, salty liquorice, oily citrus

    Of course I understand that you are not responsible for someone else’s impressions, but could you comment on this glaring discrepancy?

    Thank you

    1. Crikey now there is a question and thanks for the analysis! It is the same product though as my sample was from Steven who is a good friend of mine. I often read tasting notes that I don’t get myself. I don’t know how we found it so different – I didn’t re-read his review prior to writing mine. Maybe such intense rums are more difficult to judge than say more standard “familiar” 40% offerings. How did you find it?

      1. Thank you for your reply!
        I haven’t tried the rum myself yet. I wanted to after reading your review (it is available in small samples on excellencerhum), but Steven’s review scared me off, because I don’t like that kind of profile. Frankly, his description fits what I would expect from an almost unaged pot-still rum much better. I guess I’ll have to try it myself after all.

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