Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum. Blended rum (particularly from multi islands) has been on the decline recently, in terms of new products. I can’t think of all that many multi island blends that have popped up recently. Unfortunately this has been mainly due to the sheer volume of Spiced Rum which is constantly entering the low and mid range of the market. You don’t need any multi island blend for much of that rubbish. Just cheap base spirit from Trinidad.

So its a bit of surprise that hot on the heels of reviewing Thameside Signature Blend I am again reviewing a multi island blend from a UK based bottler. Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum is the brainchild of Phillip Everett-Lyons.

After 18 months of research and development beginning in 2017 Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum finally entered the market in 2019.

Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum is a blend of 8 year old Pot and Column distilled rum from Barbados (Foursquare Distillery) and column distilled rums from Panama aged 6 years, Dominican Republic aged 8 years and Guatemala aged for 4 years. The majority of rum in the blend is the 8 year old Barbados rum. It is then blended with the softest Dartmoor spring water and reduced to 40% ABV before being bottled.

Presentation wise Hattiers comes in the now familiar stubby rounded bottle. The labelling is sleek and modern and the rear label gives information on the rums made up in the blend. A chunky cork stopper tops off the Premium presentation of this rum. It is currently available at The Whisky Exchange for just under £40.

Hattiers Rum is named after Philip’s daughter (who I presume is called Hattie? I’ve never met anyone called Hattiers? Unless it is her married surname). I will be meeting Philip at Rumfest this year so I will clarify!

Hattiers Premium Reserve rum has won a few awards the most notable being a IWSC Silver. So this shouldn’t be too shabby at all….

In the glass we have a golden to dark brown spirit with an orange hue. Sipped it is quite sweet on the nose. Notes of toffee, caramel, toasted coconut and some slightly perfumed notes. Further nosing reveals some stoned fruits and milk chocolate.

There is sufficient oak and spice to keep things interesting and not let the sweetness overwhelm the nose. It is accessible but not overly sweet and sugary. There are no suspicious artificial notes that you often find when the Dominican Republic makes an appearance.

There is a slight butteriness on the nose – shortbread and some corn flake like notes. All in all its balanced and approachable. It’s not a blow your socks off kind of nose but it isn’t weak or insipid in anyway.

Sipped, it is perhaps one of the easiest sippers I have ever encountered. It is smooth (in relative terms) but has enough spicy and oak to let you know it hasn’t been smoothed out by glycerol or sugar or any other nasties. It has a dryness which is nice, rather than a gloopy mouthfeel.

Sweet notes of caramel and toffee are met with big spicy notes of ginger and allspice on the initial entry. Vanilla and milk chocolate come into the mid palate and a very slight tartness of red wine makes a brief appearance. It’s very much an everyday easy kind of sipper. However, its the kind of rum you would need to start with rather than try and follow after some Cask Strength or “beefier” rums. In terms of profile it is probably just a bit sweeter and slightly less dry than a Foursquare rum. It’s not full on “South American” style but it is certainly a more approachable easy going kind of rum.

It’s nicely put together and has a really nice balance to it. Finish wise it is probably a touch on the short side and a little bit weak but there is at no point anything off or unpleasant about this rum.

It’s a bit pricy for a mixer but it makes a really smooth and tasty rum and cola. Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum is also pretty decent in most cocktails that call for a Latin Style rum or even some Barbados rum. It’s pretty versatile and will add a little finesse rather than a full on assault of punchy flavour.

All in all this is very different to the Thameside Signature Blend. Aimed I would say at a different segment of the market. Often I see Plantation’s 5 Year Old Barbados cited as a good entry to rum. Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum certainly fits the bill for me.

A pleasant surprise. There’s plenty life in these blends yet!