Havana Club 11 Year Old Small Batch Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange

Bythefatrumpirate August 11, 2023December 9, 2025

Havana Club 11 Year Old Small Batch Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange. This is a world first. Havana Club, the iconic Cuban distillers have never previously released a bespoke expression for a single retailer.

Whilst Havana Club might not be everyone’s cup of tea (or glass of rum) and a lot of their “mystery” is due to not being easily available to one of the worlds biggest spirit markets – the US of A. They are without doubt one of the better producers of light Cuban style rum. Not that really says a great deal if we are being entirely honest.

Yes, they do on occasion like to get the “special sauce” out and add it to their rums but I have always rated their Seleccion de Maestros expression in particular. Their 7 Anos has also grown on me over time though I still think its fairly average.

I can’t quite believe it is almost 9 years since I reviewed the SdM bottling. I have had the expression since. More often than not because it has been far and away the best bottling to be had at the Duty Free! Again sadly not a huge endorsement of the product.

Like the Seleccion de Maestros, we have a bottling which has been developed by the “Maestros” in this instance it is the “Maestro del Ron Cubana” Asbel Morales. Asbel has held this position for over 15 years and has also worked on many other Cuban rum brands such as Varadero and Legendario – which are regularly seen for sale in mainland Europe.

Havana Club 11 Year Old Small Batch Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange is a blend of Single and Multi column rums. Cuban rum is typically produced on column stills rather than pot stills. It has been aged entirely in Cuba in “white oak barrels” (ex-bourbon). The producers have advised that no additives are present and the rum has not been chill filtered.

The rum has been bottled at 50% ABV, which again is unusual for Cuban rum which is typically bottled at between 38 and 41% ABV. Havana Club advise that this 50% offering is Cask Strength. So we have a couple of points which might persuade those who do not usually buy Cuban and Cuban style rum to give it a try.

As noted already this is a Whisky Exchange exclusive so is only available directly from them The online store currently has this in stock priced at £74.95. Bearing in mind the price of some “limited edition” rums recently, from other major producers – isn’t a bad price.

There are 2400 bottles of this rum available so it is not a single cask release.

With my information exhausted why may as well move onto the fun part….

On the nose we are presented with a pretty sweet, almost floral nose. I’m getting a nice hit of raisins and some orange blossom. A smoky note of tobacco and some cocoa nibs. Honey, Apple and some notes of Peach Melba (a very sweet dessert cake).

In terms of the colour this rum is fairly dark with a yellow/orange hue running through it. As the producers claim this rum comes additive free according to the hydrometer at least.

It is pleasant and easy going the extra ABV. For a Cuban style ate least adds a nice bit of extra bite without detracting from the otherwise easy going “light” style of rum.

From the nose I think you would guess this was from Havana Club. It has a note that I can’t quite explain a bit like a sweet tobacco? Which is common in their aged rums.

Sipped the rum is fairly spicy with a nice hit of tobacco, leather and some dark chocolate. Further sips reveal more of the sweeter notes – apple, peach and some darker fruits, such as blackcurrant and cranberries.

The mid palate gives way to a light grassiness or a hint of sugar cane. Along side smoky notes and a lot of well worn in leather. It’s pretty dry but at the same time very refreshing and enjoyable.

I’m enjoying this taking very small sips. It is nicely refined and it has quite a long finish. Smoky and heavy on the dark chocolate.

It is a rum which has been very much shaped by the barrels it has been aged in. No messing around with this one. It isn’t a massive flavour bomb like a Jamaican nor does it have the vanilla/bourbon led character of a Bajan rum. It does what it knows best.

I’m not sure how much more I enjoy this than the Seleccion de Maestros as I haven’t tried that expression for some time. This is very pleasant though, a little easy going but that is what it is meant to do.

It’s a very good example of this type of rum. It doesn’t knock my socks off but its a solid if unspectacular sipper for me.

Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum Aged 15 Years by Velier

Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum Aged 15 Years by Velier
Bythefatrumpirate June 29, 2016

Caroni Aged 15 Years is the older brother of the Aged 12 Years I reviewed earlier. Both bottlings by Velier standards are relatively inexpensive.

Both rums are example of the “heavy” style of Caroni/Trinidad rum.  Angostura do not produce “heavy” style rum under their own banner.

This rum was distilled in 1998 and bottled affer 15 years in 2013. In the UK a bottle of this rum costs around £55 – which is reasonable for any 15 year old rum. Let alone a piece of history. It is botled at 104 proof on the label – 52% ABV.

Like the 12 Year Old is comes in the 1940’s vintage style Caroni bottle. As with most things Velier it comes in an opaque bottle. The 12 came in a see through traditional glass bottle The retro feel of the bottle adds a nice touch. It is halfway between a stubby bottle and a tall wine style bottle. A 3/4 bottle if you like.

I’ve reviewed another similarly aged Caroni – an independent bottling from Scotland by the name of Ancient Mariner.  This rum was designed to replicate the taste of Navy issue rum. That was aged for 16 years. I am expecting a rum with more in common with that bottling than the 12 Year Old Velier. Having said that this is rum so anything goes and I could be very wrong…………

In the glass the rum is noticeably darker than the 12 year old – a good shade or two darker. A very nice copper colour where the 12 was almost gold/straw.

The nose is familiar Caroni – however it is less smoky than some Caroni’s, It is much less “petrol-ey” than the 12 Year Old. It is more rounded with more fruit and a lot less of the more “intense” industrial notes that some Caroni’s have.

Zesty marmalade and lemon rind give the rum a fruity note. This runs nicely alongside the heavier notes of oak and the almost varnish aroma that is common with heavier Caroni’s.

The rum is sippable even at 52% and offers a very complex sip. Dried fruits – almost a sweet raisin note are alongside more flavours of zesty orange and lemon peel. Less of the slightly astringent smoky and petrol like notes.

The 12 and 15 variants of these rums aren’t brothers – they come from different molasses distilled in different years. This 15 year old was distilled in 1998 and aged in Trinidad until 2013. It was then moved to Scotland to be bottled. It was released in 2014 and bottles of this are still available.   The 12 year old was distilled in 2000 from the last of the Trinidad molasses.

I prefer this to the 12 year old. Both the added complexity of the fruitiness in the profile and the smoother overall profile of the rum. It’s a rum which offers a lot of complexity and shows yet again just how much of an impact tropical ageing can have on a spirit.

This rum is available at a really competitive price point. I feel its relatively low price may be why it hasn’t yet sold out. It really does seem in some ways to good to be true. I’m not sure how many bottles of this rum were available from the start. I suspect it is a blend of Caroni rums that have been married at a young age and matured together. I could be wrong about this – its just a guess really as “single barrel” etc is not denoted and it may explain the lower price point? Possibly a lot more bottles

This is another top notch bottling from Velier and it really is a step up from the 12 year old. My review of the 12 year old is one of the most viewed on the site and consistently gets views every day. I sincerely hope that a few of you read this review and decide to buy this rum while you still can.

You won’t be disappointed.

Related

Read More Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum Aged 15 Years by Velier
Jack Tar Alpha and Omega Triple Cask Enmore 1988-1990

Jack Tar Alpha and Omega Triple Cask Enmore 1988-1990
Bythefatrumpirate July 2, 2022

Jack Tar Alpha and Omega Triple Cask Enmore 1988-1990. For the first time I will be reviewing more than one bottling in a single review. However, I am not going down the route of many reviewers, who put several rum reviews into one article. Although this “batch” of rum comes in two different bottles – Alpha and Omega it is the same blend of 3 rums in each bottle.

So whilst I am reviewing two different bottlings the liquid in each is the same. Jack Tar Alpha and Omega Triple Cask Enmore 1988-1990 is available as a set of two. So you get one Alpha bottling and one Omega bottling. There are only 101 Alpha bottles and 102 Omega bottles (not sure how that will work as they sold as a pair?).

In total the three casks used in the blend produced 503 bottles. It is noted on the rear label that 300 bottles are being held by Jack Tar Assets. So presumably they will be released at a later date or have been returned to a barrel for further ageing. In truth I don’t know the answer to this.

The three casks used to produce this Enmore blend are as follows

Cask No 42 distilled at Enmore Distillery in 1988 cask strength 51.2% ABV

Cask No 40 distilled at Enmore Distillery in 1990 cask strength 54.8% ABV

Cask No 55 distilled at Enmore Distillery in 1990 cask strength 53.3% ABV

For clarity the still which produced these three casks of rum was the EHP (Edward Henry Porter, an early owner of the Enmore Estate) Continuous Coffey Still – the only remaining working wooden Coffey Still in the world. The still is often referred to as “Enmore” as that was its original home at the Enmore Estate. Since the closure of Enmore Estate around 1993/94 the still has been housed at Uitvlugt Estate and is now at Demerara Distillers Limited (Diamond Distillery).

Alongside the Port Mourant and Versailles stills the EHP makes up Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) three “Heritage Stills”.

As mentioned Alpha and Omega come as two piece set and retail at €700 directly from the Jack Tar website. Along with the bottles, you also receive a wooden stamp, a quote card and a material pouch with an Α and Ω overlapping as inseparable logotypes.

However I have also noticed that Excellence Rhum have an allocation of the bottlings available singularly priced at €370. So you do have a choice of picking up just one of the bottlings should price be an issue.

Which to be fair it might be as these rare rums are unsurprisingly not cheap. Being distilled at the original location of the still at a now defunct distillery is also of interest to the collector/enthusiast.

In terms of ageing Jack Tar Alpha and Omega Triple Cask Enmore 1988-1990 has been both tropically and continentally aged in ex-bourbon barrels. There are no finishes or secondary maturations in different casks with this particular bottling. As trendy as that has become of late.

Once the rum was “blended” the overall ABV clocks in at 51.6% ABV cask strength. By way of an explanation of “Alpha and Omega” the Jack Tar website offers us the following

“We always care about an extraordinary story that accompanies to the liquid you are tasting. This time, we usher to look at a life from a different perspective. Let Alpha and Omega be our look through the life as it is – with all our hopes, uncertainties, successes and failures. Our days are often constant like “π”. Some of them are surprising like “Δ”. They sum up “Σ” to a beautiful book of life. Many times we begin “A” new chapter with fear. Many times we are hurt. Will we win? Will we be happy and balanced? Let the Moirae guide us. Let them show us the path until our “Ω” comes, and beyond.”

I’m probably best off not commenting on this – so I think we’ll move swiftly onto the contents of the bottle and see if my “Ω” comes………..

In the glass Jack Tar Alpha and Omega Triple Cask Enmore 1988-1990 is a vivid golden/dark brown with a reddish orange hue.

The nose is rich and deep. Tarry almost. Medicinal certainly with a lot of concentrated raisin and sultana. There is also a slightly tannic briny/red wine kind of note as well. It’s quite a big nose in that you can smell it without having to get your nose right into the glass.

It’s clearly a well aged rum as you would expect. I’m pleased to report it hasn’t suffered from the long ageing and become overly woody. At least not on the nose anyway.

Rather than a lot of oak I am getting spicy notes of cinnamon, all spice and something slightly herbal. It’s quite complex and interesting.

Sipped the rum is less sweet than the nose suggested. Again its not particularly dry or woody. It has a nice spicy introduction and the flavours again are concentrated. Stoned fruits and raisins but its not overly sweet. Again there is a slightly tannic, drier note running over the top of the rum which gives it more of a savoury note.

The rum as mentioned already isn’t dry nor woody nor is it overly sweet. It has a slightly musty flavour to it especially on the mid palate.

The long finish is perhaps the spiciest and most aggressive part of this rum but even this is well balanced and very enjoyable.

I’ve sipped this at the cask strength 51.6% and I really don’t think this needs any water. It’s a good example of a long aged Demerara from the EHP heritage still. You can tell it has had some continental ageing (I would imagine a fair portion) but this has perhaps prevented the rum becoming over oaked or tasting “old”. It’s still quite fresh tasting considering how old it is.

It’s dangerously drinkable and slips down quite easily.

Related

Read More Jack Tar Alpha and Omega Triple Cask Enmore 1988-1990
Plantation Stiggins' Fancy 1824 Recipe

Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy 1824 Recipe
Bythefatrumpirate May 8, 2016

Stiggins’ Fancy 1824 Recipe Pineapple Rum has finally hit UK shores. Plantation the makers of this rum have certainly created a real buzz around this and the sole current stockist of this rum have been overwhelmed with demand for this product.

Rum brand Plantation is owned by Maison/Cognac Ferrand and whilst they may not be quite in the same league as industry giants Bacardi International and Diageo they certainly know how to market their Plantation line of rums.

Regular Gold award winners at perhaps the worlds biggest Rum Festival – the Miami Rum Renaissance they have a very visible presence in the rum world. Regulars at many other events such as Tales of the Cocktail (where this rum was first exhibited back in 2014) they are also responsible in conjunction with Monin for the strangely named Underground Punch Pong League (UPPL)!

Over the past few years Plantation have been working with UK supermarket/clothing chain Marks and Spencer – M&S for short. M&S’ own label Bajan and Guatemalan rums are supplied by Plantation and in turn M&S also stock Plantation’s own 3 stars White Rum. As a result of this collaboration M&S have exclusivity on the initial release of Stiggins’ Fancy in the UK.

Stiggins’ Fancy which is bottled at 40% ABV – good to see in a “flavoured” rum is available at £34 for a 70cl bottle. On initial glance at a bottle of Stiggins’ Fancy you could be forgiven for thinking it is a “bootlegged” bottle of Plantation’s Original Dark as it appears a big sticker has been placed over the original label. However on closer inspection and on looking at the rear of the bottle you will release that this isn’t the creation of some rebel bartender!

The presentation is the now familiar Plantation full length bottle with the Plantation logo on the neck and Plantation emblazoned across the bottom. A decent quality synthetic stopper tops of the presentation. The rear label gives a LOT of information on Pineapple rum and Stiggins’ (actually Reverend Stiggins’ who features in Dickens Pickwick Papers). According to the label Pineapple rum was very much a sipping delicacy back in 19th century England. So what sets this flavoured rum from the other’s such as Captain Morgan’s own Pineapple concoction?

Well its pretty much how it is made. In France Rhum Agricole particularly white agricole is often infused with fruits. Indeed the Facebook group La Confrerie du Rhum produced a limited release Pineapple Infused Rum around a year ago. As with the “dosage” (adding sugar as they do with Cognac) Plantation have decided to use another French technique – Rhum Arrange.

Like the Confrerie release Stiggins’ Fancy is made with Queen Victoria Pineapples from the Reunion isles – widely noted as the best quality pineapples.

Plantation teamed up with renowned cocktail historian David Wondrich to create a serious pineapple rum that focused completely on flavour, rather than sweetness. Made by infusing the flesh of pineapples in the standard Plantation Dark Rum. Then, seeking more aromatics, Ferrand distilled the pineapple rind with their white rum Plantation 3 stars, then blended the two and matured them for an extra period in barrel.

I must confess I am always a little sceptical of flavoured rums but if this has been made in the manner that is reported with no artificial flavourings, then its certainly worth trying!

As a result of how this rum is made it has been released in limited batches. The batch we now have in the UK is the fourth, made with 3.5 tonnes of pineapple, and there are plans to produce the fifth batch before the summer. Such is the demand for this produce which Alexandre Gabriel never actually planned on releasing!

So as you can see there is a lot of “hype” surrounding this rum. It has quite a lot to live up to and here it is being reviewed by someone who really does not like Plantation Original Dark………….

Fortunately for Plantation it is also being reviewed by someone who hasn’t actually tried the newer Original Dark which is now a mix of Jamaican and Trini rum rather than just Trini stocks.

Which is apparent right from the start with this rum. The colour unsurprisingly is a very nice reddish/copper colour but its the nose where you immediately note the Jamaican component in this. Like the Original Dark I wasn’t a huge fan of the Plantation Jamaica, I tried a while back but I have to say it works nicely in this spirit.

The nose is sweet but not overly so and nowhere near as bad as I had expected. It smells very much of fresh pineapple as opposed to sweetened tinned pineapple, the rum however is not overpowered by the flavour. This is not like a flavoured vodka whereby the spirit tastes entirely of the flavour – the rum is still very much there. Big treacly notes of Jamaican rum and you also get some of the lighter sweet notes from the 3 stars white. The nose is quite fiery and does indicate this is perhaps more of a mixer.

It actually sips a lot better than the nose suggests. It’s slightly bitter this way especially on the finish. A cube of ice tempers the youth of the rum and makes it a pretty nice dessert style drink. Like the nose you still get a lot of nice rich treacly rum alongside the pineapple flavour. It’s a lot less sweeter than the nose suggests as well – less sweet than some regular Plantation rums as well!

As a mixer is perhaps where Stiggins’ Fancy is probably how most people will use Stiggins’ (It was premiered at Tales of the Cocktail after all). I mixed this with the usual cola and whilst it was okay I didn’t really feel the need for a Pineapple-y flavoured Rum and Cola. It wasn’t bad but the two really didn’t work that well together.

Where I initially found joy with the Stiggins’ is with a splash of Lemonade and an ice cube. It’s dangerously drinkable – a very nice authentic Pineapple flavour with a very nice hearty hit of rum. The lemonade carries it very nicely.

However, I was urged to try a Daiquiri and the result (please note the picture is courtesy of Steve James at Rum Diaries Blog) mine didn’t look quite so good.

The recipe I used is as follows:

50ml Plantation Pineapple, 20ml fresh lime juice, 15ml simple syrup (1 to 1 water to sugar), shake and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.

Easy peasy even a fool like me managed it and very tasty it was too.

Plantation will be getting more stock of this available in the UK in August so if you haven’t tried this already I would urge you to try and pick up a bottle. Obviously this is dependent on you liking Pineapple (and rum) if you do like Pineapple and rum then you should find this very tasty.

For once the hype is fully justified – this is a flavoured rum which encompasses both the flavours of the Pineapples and the rum base. The rum base a mix of the 3 stars and the “new” Original Dark works very well giving a nice satisfying rummy hit and at 40% you won’t find many “flavoured” spirits hitting this ABV.

A real winner from Plantation and definitely one which deserves all the fuss. The score may change in time the simple answer to not scoring this higher is that I haven’t tried enough rums like this so I don’t want to overscore. Its very good stuff though! No doubt.

Related

Read More Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy 1824 Recipe
Bounty Fiji Rum Premium Overproof Rum

Bounty Fiji Rum Premium Overproof Rum
Bythefatrumpirate December 13, 2018

Bounty Fiji Rum Premium Overproof Rum. It might well be the case that we never see this rum for sale in Europe (or the US). It seems to say firmly in the Oceania area of the Southern Hemisphere.

So when I saw this on an Auction site I was quite determined to get it. I was pleasantly surprised to pick it up for £40. I’ve tried a few Independently bottled Fiji rums but never an official bottling.

There are bottlings available in Europe – some of these bottlings are under the Ratu brand. They arrived around 2 years ago and after a very brief appearance they seemed to all but disappear. I found this quite strange but we will discuss that a little later in the review, when I show you a photo which explains why…….

Bounty Fiji Rum Premium Overproof Rum is produced at the South Pacific Distillery by Rum Company of (Fiji). It is denoted as small batch – which I take to mean it is a Pot Distilled spirit. It is a molasses based rum. This is noted as a blend of the best aged barrels on the rear label. However, I cannot find any information on the actual age of this rum.

The presentation is to be honest pretty uninspiring. A standard bar bottle is topped with an admittedly decent quality black screw cap and the gold black/grey colour scheme is okay if a little old fashioned. The picture of the pirate ships is terribly cliched though and unimaginative. They could have made a real statement of Fijian culture with this bottling so a chance missed for me.

Bounty Fiji Rum is actually distributed in Australia (where this bottle orginates) by Coca-Cola. As mentioned already a number of rums from the Rum Co. of Fiji appeared on UK shores. Under the Ratu and Bati brand they did a couple of Rum Festivals and they were available briefly at a few retailers – none of the big boys seemed to stock them. Before quickly disappearing again – aside from some left over stock you may still find online. Quite why and how a group as large as Coca-Cola gave up on such a venture so quickly I am not so sure. Maybe sales in Fiji and Australia were sufficient not to need Europe and the US.

Was I do not notice on the back label is that this 700ml/70cl bottle which has an ABV of 58% yet it states that is contains 32 standard drinks. The formula used in Australia is as follows size in litres multiplied by ABV multiplied by 0.789 (the specific gravity of eythl alcohol). An Australian standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol. Guidelines recommend no more than 2 standard drinks per day to avoid any potential health risks. So you have 16 days worth of booze here……..

In the UK we tend to see a 25ml of 40% spirit as 1 unit so a 70cl/700ml bottle of 40% spirit would have 28 units. So if we use 28 units divided by 40 and multiplied by 58 we would get 40 UK units. I do not guarantee this mathematical calculation is correct.

Anyway enough of the maths. Let’s get on with some tasting.

In the glass Bounty Fiji Rum Premium Overproof is a dark brown with an orange tinge.

The nose is familiar – both in terms of the general Fiji style and when compared to other rums. It isn’t adultered so we are getting a true spirit here.

For those not familiar with Fijian rum it sits roughly between a Jamaican and a St Lucian Rum. It shows a lot of similarities to Jamaican rum but has a briny/salty and slightly herbal note reminiscent of St Lucian rums.

Menthol on the nose – it clears the nasal passage nicely! It’s strong and aggressive and quite “boozy”. Black Olives, tar, a touch of varnish blend alongside some sweeter notes of coconut (a trace) and banana. Maybe some pineapple juice as well – maybe a touch fermented.

For an overproof it does have a certain balance to it and some interaction with the oak it was aged in which gives a slight note of vanilla and spice. This balances the rum somewhat.

Sipping its pretty fiery stuff. Hot spicy notes on the first sip. It’s a very savoury rum. Very much influenced by the oak cask. Lots of woody notes and dry spices. A touch of zesty lime. Not very fruity at all. Very dry.

Further sips reveal a touch of chocolate and some sea salt on the mid palate. It’s quite herbal with some slightly vegetal notes.

The finish is warm and intense and very spicy. Ginger, cardamom and some hot curry powder. It’s long and once the spices fade you are left with a slightly numb tongue but the warming sensation is actually quite pleasant.

As a sipper I doubt it would win any awards. It’s not bad but a bit too rough and ready to really enjoy I feel – even diluted you still get the same flavours just in a less intense way. I would prefer more fruit if I was looking for a balanced sipper.

As a mixer it fairs much better. It’s dry and spicy profile make it ideal in a Rum and Ginger Beer. It works nicely with cola as well and most fruit juices. I tried it with Ting and it worked surprisingly well.

As a mixologist you would probably use something like this if you are are looking for a drier less fruity Overproof. I think it could be a useful addition in a bar.

This is certainly something worth looking out for. It might not be the best Overproof on the market but it does offer something a bit different. It’s not a bad introduction to Fijian rum either.

Related

Read More Bounty Fiji Rum Premium Overproof Rum
El Dorado Rare Collection - Versailles 2002

El Dorado Rare Collection – Versailles 2002
Bythefatrumpirate June 16, 2016

Eariler this year Demerara Distillers Limited announced some new rums in their El Dorado range. Limited edition releases of rums from single stills. This one is from the Versailles (VSG) still.

It seems that Demerara Distillers have set out a very different direction for their US and European bottlings. Last year the US were treated to a range of wine finished expressions of their flagship 15 Year Old rum. The European market was treated instead to three Rare Collection rums. This Versailles 2002 is one of them.

The news that Velier would no longer be bottling Demerara rums from DDL was met with great despair by many rum enthusiasts. Concerns were that DDL might release rare or limited edition rums but they might well be heavily sugared like their El Dorado range – unlike the Velier bottlings.

Interestingly Velier owner Luca Gargano does have a financial interest in DDL, so whilst these rums might not be released under the Velier brand I would imagine that he has had some kind of influence over these releases.

Although no numbers have been given it is though that around 3000 bottles of each of the 3 Rare Collection rums are available. Online retail prices vary but this rum averages at £160.

Bottled at a whopping 63% ABV and aged for 12 years. Its perhaps coincidental that the El Dorado 12 Year old is heavily reliant on the Versailles still in its blend. The Versailles or VSG is a single wooden pot still.

The rum is presented in a sturdy cardboard cut out style box (similar to Rum Nation).

To the rear of the box there is a story about the three stills used (the box used is the same for each release). The bottle is a stubby style, very expensive looking and like the Velier releases it is opaque. The familiar El Dorado ship is embossed into the glass.

It’s all very classy but to be fair that should be expected at this price point.

I enjoy the El Dorado 12 Year Old and to my knowledge, I have yet to try a rum from the Versailles still. I am a little disappointed to find that (unless there is a proofing error on the bottle) that it appears some sugar or additives are in this rum. Shame and I could say it never happened in Veliers time BUT Drecon.dk shows different………a Velier LBI 1985 is listed with 16 g/L. Following a Hydrometer Test I found that this rum came in with an ABV of slightly over 61% so the added sugar (or additives) g/L is around 8 g/L. Above the accepted tolerance of 0-5.

One of the reasons Velier’s own Demerara rums got such a good name was that they benefitted from tropical ageing. Most if not all other Independent Demerara bottlers see their rums spend some (if not most) of their time maturing in colder European climates. Tropical ageing produces much richer rum and whilst the possibility of being over oaked increases with such ageing – this rarely seemed an issue with Velier’s output. It also cranks up the “Angels Share”.

Like the Velier rums before them these Rare Collection rums benefit from full tropical ageing at DDL.

This Versailles still rum is a 12 year old bottled in 2014. It is curious to note that the three rums in the Rare Collection mirror the age of El Dorado’s exisiting premium rums – 12,15 and 21 years old.

Anyway enough waffling, lets get down to how this rum appears, smells and tastes.

First up the rum is quite a surprise when poured as its pretty light in colour considering 12 years Tropical ageing. The rum presents itself in the glass as a rich golden brown with a lovely reddish hue running right through it.

The nose immediately reminds me of Enmore rums I have tried in the past and the El Dorado line up. Classic Demerara notes of raisins and chocolate. At 63% ABV I was expecting a nose with more alcohol. There is little by way of fumes and whilst it is in no way “soft” it certainly doesn’t carry the nose you find with most cask strength or overproof rums.

The rum in this bottle I would probably describe as a lighter style – I’m reminded of the excellent Uitvlugt 1996 Modified GS from Velier. That is not to say it isn’t big on flavour. It is a very rich almost treacly rum. Rich plump raisins and dried prunes with a very nice molasses/liquorice undertone. It’s just not a very fiery rum even with the ABV of 63%. At least not on the nose anyway.

Moving onto the tasting and the ABV really begins to come through. Whilst not undrinkable at 63% ABV, I personally find too much burn to really appreciate the rum. I would always advise at least trying once, a little added water with rums over 50% ABV. It really can open up the rum and make the sipping experience much more rewarding.

Without added water I find this sprit to be too spicy and the liquorice notes become overpowering, making for a very bitter tasting spirit. I few drops of water certainly decrease the spicy notes. It also dulls the liquorice/molassess notes (think Myers’s Original Dark) down to more manageable levels.

Disappointingly though the lovely classic Demerara notes that were so present on the nose don’t translate once you start sipping. The raisins and chocolate have went AWOL and have been replaced with oak and the bitter liquorice/molasses notes remain the dominant player in the rum.

In all honest this rum tastes slightly over oaked and it isn’t as sweet as I expected. The liquorice notes are not the only ones making themselves known, there are also some very heavy red wine notes -which are a little vinegary.

As you can probably tell from the tasting notes – this isn’t one of the best Demerara rums I have had. It certainly suggests also to me why Velier didn’t bottle too many rums from the Versailles still. The rum does have some redeeming qualities. It is by no stretch of the imagination an awful rum. I can see how rums from this still may benefit from being blending with others.

I don’t even think that the possible added sugar has really impacted this rum. If it had come up clean on the Hydrometer Test I wouldn’t have been at all surprised.

It’s just not complex enough and overall it is just too bitter to be a classic.

Related

Read More El Dorado Rare Collection – Versailles 2002
Kill Devil Guatemala Aged 8 Years

Kill Devil Guatemala Darsa Distillery Aged 8 Years
Bythefatrumpirate May 2, 2016December 9, 2025

Kill Devil Guatemala Darsa Distillery Aged 8 Years. Kill Devil is an old fashioned term for rum but this is a very new rum brand. Coming from independent whisky bottler Hunter-Laing. I came across these distinctive bottlings for the first time on a German website 4finespirits. I was interested in trying them but importing spirits into the UK can be a bit of minefield (the German’s also have a different rate of VAT which further complicates things) so I passed over buying them straight away.

As luck would happen Master of Malt picked up some very limited stocks of these rums and I was quick enough to snag a few bottles. The rums are Single Cask Rum and they are limited to approximately 350 bottles per release. All the rums I have seen have been bottled at 46%. This might not please everyone (I’m not hugely bothered about higher ABV’s to be honest) but it keeps costs down and these offerings are very competitively priced.

The bottling I am focusing on today is slightly unusual, which is why I picked it up. This is an 8 year Guatemalan rum from the Darsa Distillery. Prior to this bottling I had no idea what or where the Darsa Distillery was. For many, Guatemalan rum begins and ends with the Ron Zacapa range of rums. Some more knowledgeable rum fans afollow the Ron Botran brand but both come out of the same distillery or group of distillers Industries Licoreras de Guatemala.

With both Zacapa and Botran much is made of the high altitude ageing and use of the “Solera” system. To be fair amongst rum fanatics Zacapa is seen as a little bit of a marketing myth and the make up of the rum is continually questioned.

In the case of this rum the “solera” ageing is certainly not an issue as this is single cask – so not a blend of old and younger rum. So that leaves the question where is it aged? At high altitude? The honest answer is I’m not that sure and the information on the Darsa Distillery is a little vague and what exists doesn’t feel me with much hope for this rum.

Darsa should really be printed as D.A.R.S.A it translates into English as the Alcohol and Rum Distillery. Further information is even more disappointing and is published here. It sounds pretty industrial. Certainly not the picture painted by Zacapa and Botran!

The reason I bought this rum was that I wanted to try a rum from Guatemala which does not have any additives. Zacapa is sugared – amongst other things and Botran has been noted as also having additives. The only other Guatemalan rum I have seen is from Planatation and again they add sugar. I basically just want to see what a Guatemalan distillate taste like – is it actually any good?

This Kill Devil offering cost me just over £40 – pretty reasonable for an 8 year old single cask. The presentation I really like. The slightly macabre “spirit” on the bottle is good instantly giving you the feel of a kind of “Kill Devil” and the labelling is uncluttered and gives you some information on the rum. Though to be honest not a great deal unfortunately – no information on still used etc. The back label has a nice story about “Kill Devil”. I like the opaque squat bottle and it has a very nice synthetic stopper. You also get a very sturdy cylinder to store your rum in and keep the Kill Devil trapped perhaps!

The back label states that these bottlings are hand selected and them imported and bottled in Scotland. Which kind of indicates they are aged at source but hey maybe not. This is one of 333 bottles.

So enough of the pre-amble lets get down to trying this mysterious spirit!

First up in the glass Kill Devil Guatemala Darsa Distillery Aged 8 Years is a fairly standard golden brown. Although no additives in terms of taste are in these rums, I’m pretty sure like most bottlings this has caramel added for colour – which is not something that overly worries me. I don’t really go with the idea that it has an impact on the flavour.

The nose is quite delicate and fragrant. A nice balance of oak and vanilla are present and a nice delicate almost floral sweetness comes to the fore. There is a slight oaky char to the rum, which I quite like and seems to open the rum upto some sweet/sour Bourbon like notes. My thoughts are how nicely balanced this rum seems. A nice example of a good well aged column distilled rum.

Sipping the rum is quite a spicy experience. Despite the ageing its pretty hot and there is quite a lot of burn. Having said that although there is a definite tingle on the tongue its not entirely unpleasant or rough. The overall hot and spicy feel leaves the sweeter notes that were on the nose almost impossible to detect. It’s not as balanced as the nose suggested and it has a lot of heat followed by lot of spice and not really a great deal else going. It leads into a very oaky and long finish with a slight bitterness.

It’s not a great sipping rum but its not without its merits. It’s certainly nice to try a Guatemalan rum sans sugar or other additives. I presume this has been aged solely in ex Bourbon casks maybe a Port or Sherry Finish may add and extra layer of complexity to this. It’s pretty one dimensional and doesn’t have a great deal of flavours beyond oak and peppery spice.

At £40 its out of my price range in terms of a mixer but I have mixed a little of this rum just to see how it works.

The result is not bad – the cola tones down the spicy pepper and the oak goes nicely with the rum. The cola however doesn’t really develop the rum in anyway – you don’t get any fruity flavours you sometimes get with rums when mixed.

An interesting rather than a good start to my experiments with the Kill Devil bottlings but I have a couple more reviews coming soon. I have high hopes for those rums as they are from distilleries which I am more familiar with – so I expect the standard to by high.

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