Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum. Outlier Distilling Company first came to my attention at the 2023 (I think) London Rum Festival. There was quite a bit of talk at that festival about their bottlings. In particular this Overproof Rum.

I tend to take any kind of hype at London Rum Festival, or indeed any other rum festival with a pinch of salt. There are still a lot of people at these events who are very much in the Spiced/Flavoured crowd and also a lot of people still find the idea of anything over 40% ABV as something “strong” and almost unheard of. A novelty which they see as exciting and dangerous. So they talk about it quite a bit – partly out of excitement and partly because they aren’t used to it……..

At this stage I would usually give a bit of background on the rum but here instead I have a quote direct from the Outlier website

“Hurricane is Outlier’s step up from Hoolie. Fermented from molasses in our old milking shed distillery and double distilled in our wood-fired still, Hurricane blends overproof Hoolie rum with cask aged rum (also made by Outlier) to create a surprisingly smooth overproof that carries new American oak and Islay whiskey notes. Amazing in bold cocktails (think Zombie) or drunk  Neat as a sipping rum – squeezed wedge of lime optional.”

Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum comes in at a hefty 64% ABV. So we are in J Wray and Nephew and Rum-Bar Overproof territory. A 70cl bottle will set you back £44 direct from Outlier. As mentioned previously those on the UK Mainland may find a UK supplier cheaper as the P&P isn’t as high, even if the bottle cost is a little more. Swings and Roundabouts as we say round these parts.

I’ll be reviewing the orginal Hoolie rum in due course for those interested. Last time I reviewed an Outlier Rum – Millions of Peaches I got the 90’s Indie “Classic” (cough cough) “Peaches” by the Presidents of the United States of America into my head. Which was intentional by Outlier in the naming of that rum.

In this instance I am immediately thinking of a lesser known late 90’s tune by Warm Jets (named after the Brian Eno Album Here Come The Warm Jets) “Hurricane”. The song is pretty difficult, to find as the groups orginal record label is now defunct and Island Recotds haven’t kept the discography in print. You won’t find it on Spotify. Hurricane reached the Top Forty but the group is more famous for its lead singer Louis Jones having a brief relationship with DJ Zoe Ball.

I wonder if I can tie every Outlier rum review to some obscure 90’s Indie Track. I fancy I probably can………….

Anyway I digress to lets get on with the review. In the glass Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum is crystal clear as expected.

On the nose I am getting a lot of booze and very “chewy” heavt treacely molasses notes. Give it a bit time in the glass……

Which allows more aromas to come through and the “boozy-ness” to calm down. Some lighter toffee notes, a touch of black banana. Maybe a little fermenting pineapple. It’s still very fiery though. There is some smokiness as well and a touch of vanilla.

There is a strong mineral/stony note which gives it an almost metallic tang. Something which I am not overly fond of I must admit.

It unbalances this a little and makes it smell a little industrial. A little bit like bleach if I am being entirely honest. Maybe 64% is a touch high for this and the booze/ethanol has unbalanced it a little?

Not to worry the nose on a Overproof rum is rarely the showstopper. Certainly being able to smell Wray and Nephew’s pungent potency from 3 blocks away is not why I enjoy it in a TingWray so much……

Sipped at full strength? By all means give it a go but be careful. Don’t drink a lot like this and have water to hand.

In all honesty sipped this is a very hot, very alcohol heavy drink and the metallic mineraly notes are coming through making it difficult for me to drink like this. Some drops of water to dilute do make it more manageable and lessen the harsher elements of this rum. I was expecting it to be a little more refined due to the information Outlier provide but in all honesty I didn’t find that.

Overproof Rums should really only be used or “rated” as mixers or sparingly added in tropical cocktails. Often set alight for affect. Cask Strength and Overproof are too entirely different things.

So how well does Outlier Hurricane Overproof Manx rum mix? The answer is, thankfully a lot better than it sips!

It has a more molasses heavy profile than traditional Jamaican Overproof rums. Much more in keeping with some of the stronger white rum we have seen come from British producers over the past few years.

This works particularly well with fruit juices in more tropical cocktails. The molasses profile works well and the fruit juice means it doesn’t need the “funkier” profile of the Jamaican Overproofs. There is a Peaty and Smoky note which may also be contributing to the metallic note that I don’t fancy.

It works nicely mixed with Cola or Lemonade. There is still that slight metallic edge to it but its less of an issue now. I like how “boozy” this is without needing to add much to the drink.

A Daiquiri is really good with this rum I must admit and its a very “Daiquiri” rum. The Peat and Smoke is still there but it fits in a lot better.

All in all it does what it is designed to do – if the metallic edge could be negated a bit more I would certainly rate it a little higher.  It is perhaps a little Scotch Whisky like once you get pasrt the molasses. I’m not a huge Scotch Whisky fan at all. Certainly not Islay anyway. That said it istill clean and crisp and gives a very nice molasses hit where it is needed. It’s not Jamaican funk heavy but if you want a slightly “cleaner” Overproof profile – ideal for Daiquiri’s this might be a good choice.