House of Rum Trinidad Rum 2012. Today we have a new Independent bottler based here in the UK under the spotlight. Step forward House of Rum…….

I had actually come across this brand prior to being aware they were bottling Single Cask offerings – of which this Trinidad 2012 is. I noticed a couple of their blends on Amazon (of all places) – white filtered and a more aged blend if memory serves me correctly. They were quite reasonably priced and the packaging was quite distinct.

As you can see from the photos House of Rum are certainly looking to target the “Premium” end of the market with their Single Cask Releases. The presentation as you can see is top notch with a nice “cut out” cardboard sleeve and some very striking and very elegant labelling. The bottle design is also shouting “Premium” as is the chunky cork stopper which completes the look.

All in all this is the type of bottle that you can easily see being gifted to people.

It is certainly not more “rough and ready” like many of Scottish Independents – Cadenhead’s in particular. Let’s be honest they aren’t exactly stylish!

In all honesty I’ve not commented so much on a bottles presentation recently, for most of my reviews. However I felt the presentation for these bottles required a comment.

I do of course have some further information on the actual rum though so don’t worry about this being a powderpuff piece!

House of Rum Trinidad Rum 2012 is a rum from Trinidad Distillers Ltd, who by 2012 were just about the only remaining distillery on the island. Ten Cane aside possibly. It is a column distilled rum. THe rum was then aged for the first 9 years in Trinidad up to 2021 before being moved to the UK to complete its maturation. It was bottled in 2023. It has been aged in ex-bourbon barrel(s). I’m not sure if it was transferred from one barrel to the other when it changed location.

The rum is from cask R1023 and is noted as Cask #1. Which means diddly squat to me! Any information greatly appreciated though I doubt its really that significant. The rum is from a Single Cask which yielded just 264 70cl bottles.

House of Rum Trinidad Rum 2012 has been bottled without any additives at Cask Strength of 64.3% ABV. It is available direct from House of Rum and is also stocked by a few other retailers in the UK. It retails at £195.

The Independent scene tends to be dominated by releases from the Caroni Distillery rather than TDL. I’ve tried to look for reviews/bottlings of this 2012 vintage but I have found very little. Not many of my fellow reviewers have covered TDL rums from the 2010’s in any great detail. Myself included.

So without further ado lets pour a glass and see how this goes down.

House of Rum Trinidad Rum 2012 is a very typical golden brown colour with a slight orange hue. I feel like I’ve wrote that sentence a million times now……..

It shows a nice amount of ageing and certainly looks the part. Pretty much what I would expect.

On the nose I’m getting a lot of classic lighter rum aroma’s. Lots of vanilla ice cream and some light banana. Similar in many ways to a younger Foursquare say Doorly’s 5. It’s a nice clean and inviting aroma. It has a pleasant sweetness to it as well. A light dusting of icing sugar and some fruity pineapple.

What it doesn’t have is that sickly sweet almost perfumed note that TDL like to add to their aged Angostura range.

Which I think is one of the first problems this rum might encounter. You see a lot of Rum Enthusiasts really turn their noses up at Angostura. So buying a TDL bottling will not be something on their radar.

Which in all honesty is a bit of a shame. As we will see as I move into the tasting.

This bottling is a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The nose doesn’t suggest that you are going to get much more than a nice easy going gold rum. Great in mixed drinks but a bit one dimensional when sipped.

On the first sip I am taken back a little by the tobacco and heavily oaked notes that come at me. It tastes “strong” but in a good way. It’s quite boozy but again in a way I like. I know it will take a couple of sips to get the measure of this rum but I feel it will be worth it.

We are a few more sips on now and I am getting some of the more “Radio Friendly” notes returning to my senses.

I like the almost chewiness of the mouthfeel and the slightly charred oak flavours which mingle alongside some tobacco and smokiness. Beneath this I am getting more of the vanilla, banana and a dark toffee note.

I think the ABV of 64.3% is really allowing this column distillate to really show its true potential.

The mid palate has a nice development of oak and smoke which lingers with a little of the banana and some raisins and currants.

The finish is a really nice “fade” with a good weight of tobacco and oak. It lingers nicely and fades just in time for another sip.

This is (and I concede I have not had loads of rums from TDL) one of the best TDL rums I have tried. I’ve found the “lightness” of the distillate has been lifted a little by retaining the Cask Strength. Allowing more flavour than perhaps the standard Angostura line up permits

My concern is quite who will take a risk on this rum. Or rather who the target market is. How willing will be people to take a punt on this at the £200 price point?