J Gow Hidden Depths Vol 1

Bythefatrumpirate

J. Gow Hidden Depths Vol. 1 Rum Review by the fat rum pirateJ Gow Hidden Depths Vol 1. Another trip to bonny Scotland. Well one of the Scottish Isles anyway. Here we are with some more Orkney Haggis Juice following on from last years Fading Light release from VS Distillers.

This is the first 3 Year Old Aged Rum to come out of Scotland. As you will be able to see from the images Collin Van Schayk, owner of VS Distillers has provided a lot of information about the actual rum in the bottle.

He’s pretty much told us everything except the colour pants he was wearing when he distilled the rum. Going by Collin’s dress sense I’d image something about as tasteful as one of my RumFest shirts………

So lets see exactly what J Gow Hidden Depths Vol 1 is all about. All the information I need is on the bottle so here goes!

J Gow Hidden Depths Vol 1 is Scottish Pure Single Rum. Under the Gargano classification this means it is additive free and hails from one distillery. In this case we have 100% Pot Still rum.  This is a Single Cask rum. J Gow Hidden Depths Vol 1 is a run of 259 bottles. I have bottle number 69. Before anyone asks I didn’t request this particular number but Finbarr Van Schayk thought it to be amusing to send me this one. I’ll also clarify that I paid for this bottle.

J Gow rums are made entirely in Orkney. Using imported Sugar Cane molasses – you won’t find many sugar cane fields in Scotland. This is fermented for at least 7 days in a temperature controlled 2000 litre fermenter and 2000 litre pot still. The ability to ferment in the still, allows a stripping run as soon as fermentation is finished. This stripped molasses wash (low wine) is then returned to the still for a final spirit run.

Collin is looking to produce a variety of rums, using various fermentation techniques with different percentages of backset/dunder. Mainly focusing on heavier, more full bodied rums.

The rum has been bottled as Cask Strength 53.2% ABV and is housed in a very sexy tapered 3/4 stubby style bottle. The artwork is designed by Collin himself. He’s quite a talented young man really. The front label depicts some kind of eel like sea beastie. I quite like the chunky wooden topped cork stopper which has a wax “medal” on the top with a skull and crossbones. Which I assume Collin has produced by hand. The rum doesn’t come with a box but you do get a marble drawstring bag to store the rum in.

Moving onto the rear of the bottle we are given yet more informJ. Gow Hidden Depths Vol. 1 Rum Review by the fat rum pirateation. J Gow Hidden Depths Vol 1 has been aged for 3 years in an ex-Bere Whisky/OWC(Orkney Wine Company)/Rejuvenated oak cask. It is noted as Cask number #5. The rum was distilled in 2017 and bottled in 2020. It has been aged entirely at J Gow Rum Distillery 58.8 degrees North. A mere 2 metres above sea level and only 50 metres from the sea. No added sugar or colouring.

You might have to move fast to secure a bottle of this as, I understand it is selling very well. It is only available online here and direct from the distillery. It retails at £59.99.

So I think that explains all we need to know about this particular rum. So why don’t I move onto the fun part? Lets see how 3 years of ageing in Orkney influences the taste of a rum!

As with Ninefold’s 12 month old rum you get a lot of molasses/treacle and caramel as you are pouring a glass. It’s rich and pungent. Full bodied and quite “piratey” I guess.

In the glass J Gow Hidden Depths Vol 1 is light in colour. Little more than a straw/white wine colour. A shade or two darker. Nosing closer you get toffee, golden syrup and some Caramac (a sickly sweet weird kind of caramel chocolate concoction popular(Ish) in the UK).

Beneath this I am getting some influence from the whisky cask. It’s a kind of very light peaty note – it’s not full on but it does remind me a little of a Islay type of whisky. It’s got a savoury meaty note to it.

With time in the glass I am getting a mellow peppery spiciness. A touch of something slightly medicinal. A touch herbal maybe.

Sipped this is a lot heavier than the initial nosing at least suggested. At first when you pop the cork you get a lot of sweet molasses. This is quite a savoury type of rum and has a bit of Caroni about it. Not so much in terms of the more extreme burned tyres and petrol notes of a Caroni but certainly in it’s more savoury elements.

The initial burst of molasses is quJ. Gow Hidden Depths Vol. 1 Rum Review by the fat rum pirateickly brought into line by some very medicinal notes. A bitterness comes in alongside some heavier quite “whisky” like notes.

The mid palate has a herbal element and some slightly bitter tannic notes. It’s certainly not a sweet rum.

There is a lot going on with J Gow Hidden Depths Vol 1. It’s quite a challenging rum. It’s smoky especially towards the finish.

There is an almost burnt note as the finish builds. We have a nice length on the finish and the molasses flavour does hang in there amongst the smoke and heavier notes going on with this rum. There is just enough sweetness there to stop it getting too “whisky-esque” for my tastes.

This is a heavy, full bodied type of rum that people who like Scotch Whisky and some of the heavier styles of rum will really enjoy.

My bottle hasn’t lasted long. I actually drank for too much of it on a Sunday afternoon. It just seemed to hit the spot. There are times when I find certain rums really just go down far too well.

I even mixed it with cola. It was pretty mean and moody that way and I really enjoyed it.

In many ways this quite reminds me of Smith and Cross. At first with that rum I was little puzzled by it. Yet I found the flavour of it fascinating. I’ve got to admit that the first time I tried Smith and Cross I really didn’t know what to expect.

In time I found myself strangely drawn to it. I didn’t write reviews at the time so I was lucky that I never wrote down my initial thoughts. I recently picked up another bottle of the J Gow Fading Light and found I enjoyed it more second time around. J Gow Hidden Depths Vol 1 Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

It is going to be very interesting to see what J. Gow/VS Distillers produced going forward. LIkewise the likes of Ninefold and Sugar House also from Scotland.

Exciting times for Haggis Juice no doubt. I’d be keen to see what an unaged J Gow white rum might be like as well…

If you can secure a bottle then do so. This is great stuff. Definitely not pish………

 

 

 

 

 

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  • World’s End Rum – Dark Spiced

    Bythefatrumpirate

    worlds-end-spiced-rum-dark-2World’s End Rum Dark Spiced.  Now if I was going from name alone I would assume that this Belgian Spiced Rum was after some of the Kraken’s market share.  Perhaps another a Black Magic style knock off?

    Well yes and no.  For a start the rum certainly is like the Kraken – dark and indeed spiced.  However, the presentation does not seek to mimic the Kraken.  Even the illustrious Captain Morgan tried a similar knock off bottle for their Dark Spiced concoction.

    Instead of the stubby bottle and black and white seafaring theme, Lester Schutters owner of World’s End Rum has went for a more studied nautical route.  Rather than pirates and sea creatures (though they do mention Sea Monsters on the website none are present on the bottle).  The rum comes in a taller bar style bottle with a tapered base.  Also setting it apart from many spiced rums you get a corked enclosure.

    The rum is not commercially available in the UK as yet.  It is bottled at 40% ABV – again refreshing for a Spiced Rum. I have seen it retailing in Europe at around 33 Euros (I’d say around £25-30). I came across World’s End Rum at the Boutique Rum Fest in London.  I was taken by Lester’s honesty and willingness to give as much information as he could.  The rum in the blend is a 3 year old Trini rum and a 5 Year Old Bajan rum.

    Lester assured me that all the Spices used are authentic and natural with no essences etc being used. Lester advised me he was at the Boutique Rum Fest as he was looking for an importer/distributor in the UK.  World’s End Rum Dark Spiced has already won a Gold Medal at the German Rum Awards earlier this year.  So it does have some pedigree though I am always a little non-plussed by most awards.

    Worlds End Spiced Dark Rum review by the fat rum pirate So lets move onto the actual rum.  In the glass unsurprisingly it is a very vivid almost black “burnt” dark brown  – it also has a distinct orange/red hue to it. The nose is rich mixed berries, chocolate and there are some nice slightly floral spices which I cannot quite place.

    Despite the strong scents I can still nose a rum at the heart of it all. For a Spiced Rum World’s End is surprisingly pleasant to sip on its own.  It reminds me of Bristol Black Spiced in that it has that zesty Christmas Pudding flavour to it.  It’s nice and rich and tangy.  It’s very fruity oranges, lemons and mixed berries and currants.  Very warming and yes it is very sweet but enjoyable nonetheless.

    The finish is pretty short but it has a nice smokiness – which is also very pleasant. Mixed as no doubt 99% Spiced rums are drank it is all too easy to drink.  It works well with cola (though maybe a touch sweet) and with Ginger Beer.  It certainly works as well as Goslings Black Seal – in fact it makes quite a similar tasting substitute. With lemonade it isn’t bad but perhaps a bit overpowering and unbalanced overall.

    All in all I preferred it best at room temperature neat as a winter warmer (ideal weather at the moment). At Rumfest this was selling this for £25 a bottle if Lester can get it into the UK market at that price then I would encourage any Spiced Rum fan to give this a try.  It is certainly without doubt one of the best Spiced Rums I have tried.  And I’ve had a few. Oh did I mention? – No horrible artificial vanilla flavour either.

  • Red Bonny Dark Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Red Bonny Dark Rum Review by the fat rum pirateRed Bonny Dark Rum a rum which has been on my rader for quite some time.  I did expect to pick it up at a bit of discount at some point but that just never materialised.

    Costing around £23 for a 70cl bottle with an ABV of 40% this is not a terribly expensive rum.  It has surprisingly held a very rigid price online.  I fully expected one of the larger supermarkets to stock this rum at some point but this doesn’t look like it is going to happen either!

    The 70cl bottle is both ordinary and distinctive at the same time.  The large stylised typeface is consistent throughout and is also used on their website.  However more familiar is the standard bar bottle and the red screw cap.  Which seems very popular amongst cheaper spirits here in the UK.

    These dark mixing rums are very popular in the UK especially in the North and Scotland.  Brands such as Lambs, OVD, Woods and Watson’s are all familiar very dark Demerara/Navy style rums.

    Like Woods with their re-design the producers behind Red Bonny “When We Are Giants Spirit Co.” have attempted to “premiumise” their offering.  Out of interest does anyone else remember “Birdhouse in Your Soul” By They Might Be Giants? If you do apologies for letting that little earworm in your head again.

    Red Bonny is the name given to legendary pirate Anne Bonny.  She is an actual “real” figure and recently featured in one of the Assasssins Creed video games Black Flag (which was all about pirates and pretty damn good).  Despite my name I’m not really here to talk about Pirates, so if you want to k now more do a quick google.

    Moving back to the rum.  It is a Demerara and the front label tells me that it has been produced and aged in Guyana. Scraps of information indicate that this rum blend is at least 3 years old.  So the “dark” is more down to E150 than tropical ageing.  Which to be fair for a £24 rum is not surprising, unexpected or anything to grumble Red Bonny Dark Rum Review by the fat rum pirateabout. Not for me anyway.

    For those not too familiar with younger Demerara or Navy style rums they are (despite what anyone else might say) made primarily for mixing.  They are most popular imbibed with ice, cola and a squeeze of lime. Inexpensive yet capable of making a sweet, tasty and uncomplicated drink.

    As such competition is quite stiff and very price conscious.  Such brands are regularly discounted and are usually priced under £20.  So straight up Red Bonny has a bit of a fight on its hands.

    So what makes Red Bonny stand out from the crowd and why should I pay a few quid extra? Lets try and find out.

    In the glass Red Bonny is an almost mahogany like dark reddish brown.  It’s not as dark as other Demerara’s such as Woods or Watson’s but it is as it says on the label Dark Rum.

    The nose isn’t bad at all. Familiar notes of thick black treacle (molasses) dominate with hints of dark chocolate and a very slight sweet liquorice note.  All quite familiar and to be honest nothing remarkable.

    As a sipper it shows its youth.  It’s quite sweet initially but it soon becomes bitter and the heat from the younger alcohol just obscures any real taste or flavour in the rum.  A chunk of ice helps and a squeeze of lime but really you’re not going to enjoy a rum such as this as a sipper.

    Mixing it with diet cola (I find regular cola is too sweet and covers upto many flavours) is where I feel Red Bonny should be judged.  I can’t help feeling its aiming at the weekend mixer market.  A few pints of rum and coke after a hard week at work on a Friday and Saturday night.

    It’s pretty nice this way.  The fruitiness of what I suspect are the younger Coffey Still rums in the blend shine through.  Nice familiar fruity raisins and rich tarry treacly molasses.  There is a little twist of liquorice again in the finish and after taste.Red Bonny Dark Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    As you can see from my nosing and tasting notes its not a hugely complex rum.  It doesn’t have oaky notes or anything medicinal going on.  It’s quite straight forward.

    I like the fact that the rum is quite straightforward.  Their website recommends making a Red & Bonny by mixing the rum with Ginger Beer and a squeeze of lime.  That too works quite well and makes a decent drink.

    Red Bonny offers a very solid mixing experience.  It is better than Skipper Rum but I feel price wise Woods 100 would always be a better purchase.

    It’s slightly above average and pretty tasty.  Sadly its price makes it slightly less appealing in the wake of the competition.

  • Revolte Rum – White

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Revolte Rum White Review by the fat rum pirateRevolte Rum – White. Revolte Rum are a rum brand from Germany. Germany is perhaps more famous for its Rum Verschnitt and fledgling Independent bottling scene than any notable entries into the Rum Producer ranks.

    The brand have already started to make ripples in their native Germany and their rums are available in the UK via Urban Drinks. They currently have four rums/spirits in their line up – this White Rum, an Overproof White Rum, an aged rum and a Falernum.

    Revolte Rum is produced by Felix Kaltenthaler in Westhofen, Germany. It is produced using untreated sugar cane from Papau New Guinea. This is then fermented for 12-13 days using a proprietary yeast strain before being distilled on a hybrid copper pot/column still. It is then aged in Earthenware pots for six months before being bottled.

    It is bottled in an angular semi transparent 500ml bottle. The branding of Revolte is clean and modern. They have a website which continues the image of the brand. Bottled at 41.5% ABV a bottle will set you back just under £40 at Urban Drinks.
    Revolte Rum is a true small batch production. Each batch yields 500 bottles. My bottle is from batch 19 and is number 85. Revolte are another relatively new rum company who are very keen to press that they do not use additives. They are very proud of this and we fully commend this here at thefatrumpirate.

    Unaged or very young white rum has become a bit of a thing over the past couple of years. Velier’s championing of the Clarin’s from Haiti opened the door along with a continued appreciation of high strength White Agricole Rhums and Jamaican Overproof rum.

    So what can the German’s bring to the white rum table? Let’s find out.

    In the glass Revolte Rum is a crystal clear spirit. The nose is the first indication that this, however is a million miles away from a Bacardi Superior or a similar dry white rum.
    It has some grassy notes similar to an agricole. Fresh cut cane and some citrus notes – freshly squeezed lemon a touch of washing up liquid perhaps.
    There are some funky notes as well putting it more in the Jamaican Overproof camp. Albeit without the ABV.  Over-ripe bananas and sour pineapple. A touch of Green Olives but muted slightly.Revolte Rum White Review by the fat rum pirate

    Some sharp spicy notes also exist an almost chilli powder like hit which moves into a very metallic note. You can really “smell the still” with this – clean, sharp, copper. It’s quite strange but surprisingly pleasant.

    The nose is big and you would easily mistake this for a much higher ABV rum. You certainly wouldn’t confuse it for Bacardi Superior. It is not as grassy as a Clairin or a Rhum Agricole or as funky as a Jamaican. The metallic notes make it quite unique though.

    Sipped Revolte is very sharp and surprisingly clean. It’s very clinical in its delivery. Black Pepper a little oily, which gives way to a slight hint at Green Olives but with no real briny-ness so to speak. A dried Olive perhaps?

    Further sips reveal a really nice peppery spirit. There isn’t any real sweetness to speak of. The vegetal and grassy notes on the nose have dialled back as well. There is a touch of vanilla the more you sip but its quite faint.

    The finish isn’t overly long it’s not bad but does fade quite a bit. It’s quite smoky with notes of charcoal and a touch of turmeric.
    I’ve actually mixed this quite a bit. It works very well with fruit juices and even cola. As it doesn’t have a lot of sweetness it works surprisingly well and gives you a slightly funky and very spicy drink. You get quite a lot of peppery and spicy notes so it works really well tomato juice in a Bloody Mary.

    It might well lose its way a little due to being diluted down to 41.5% ABV. These kind of white rums do tend to work best at a higher ABV. It’s one of those rums that you aren’t to sure about to start with but once you get used to the flavour you really start to enjoy it. I often find the same with White Agricole. They just take time to get used to. If you are going to try Revolte try it as your first drink. It’s not a very good follower especially if it’s a lighter or sweeter rum you’ve had first.

    Definitely showing promise and I also have the Overproof variant up for review soon as well.

    Watch this space.

  • Appleton Estate 2003 Hearts Collection

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Appleton Estate 2003 Hearts Collection rum review by the fat rum pirateAppleton Estate 2003 Hearts Collection. My only hope with this review is that I have enough to write about to flesh out another full review. I fear I may have covered quite a lot of ground with my previous review of the Appleton Estate 1984 Hearts Collection.

    That said I’m sure I’ll find something to rattle on about. After all I’ve managed to review a whole host of Foursquare bottlings over the years and I (hope) I haven’t repeated myself too much.

    From the amount of views already on the post above, I am going to make an assumption that most of you have already read the review. If not the link is there for you. Based on that assumption I’ll move on. I won’t bore you all again with the details of how I came about trying these two bottlings.

    Now, upon publishing my review it came to my attention that a couple of other reviewers had scored the 1984 quite a bit lower than myself. It’s always interesting when reviewers, who I have respect for (they are a small handful, I must admit) have differing opinions to myself.

    The two reviewers in question are Serge Valentin over at Whisky Fun and Roger Caroni (not his real name) over at Le Blog a Roger. Both felt that the rum was too woody and dry. Whilst I can see where they are coming from, I just didn’t find that to be the case. Yes it was pretty dry and quite woody but I felt the intense fruity flavours and spicy notes still came through more than enough. It felt to me akin to the Velier Demeraras as opposed to the El Dorado range. It was just a much more concentrated/intense Appleton experience, than you would get from their standard range.

    I really enjoyed it and they enjoyed it less than me. This is why when reading reviews you should take notice of the notes made by the reviewer. As well as any score they may or may not give. It is not a case that one person is right and one person is wrong. They just taste things differently and (as all humans do) enjoy different things.

    Obviously in this instance I am right though……….

    There is no point asking me why another reviewer has given a different score or asking why I gave a higher score than the other reviewer. The only answers I can offer will come across as a touch on the blunt side! Or just plain rude.

    Anyway lets get back to the rum review………

    Appleton Estate 2003 Hearts Collection is a run of 5000 bottles. So like previous Hearts Collection releases it is not a Single Cask release. It is a bottling of various barrels of the same marque, maturation etc of rum.

    Appleton Estate 2003 Hearts Collection rum review by the fat rum pirateIt is a 100% Pot Still rum and Joy Spence once again will not reveal the marque of rum used in the release. The rum has been aged for 18 years in Jamaica in ex-bourbon barrels. The rum was bottled in 2021.

    For the geeks Total Congeners 688g/100 LAA. For those with deep pockets a 70cl bottle of Appleton Estate 2003 Hearts Collection coming in at 63% ABV will set you back around £218 from The Whisky Exchange. Using the 1984 as a guide the price of the 2003 seems reasonable enough.

    Now as mentioned already this Appleton Estate 2003 Hearts Collection rum does seem to have been more favourably reviewed/commented on when I have had a little look around the internet. By giving the 1984 a top score I haven’t given myself much wriggle room. That said if someone can tell me the difference between a rum scoring 96 and one scoring 95 I’d love to hear it……….(the answer isn’t 1 point smartarse)

    So lets get some of this in my glass………

    When poured the rum is a dark brown possibly slightly lighter than the 1984 but not hugely different.

    The nose is instantly more familiar than the 1984’s. It’s very typical aged Appleton and has much in common with the “new” 8 Year, 12 Year and the 21 Year “standard” Appleton releases. So you get a nice waft of treacly molasses, orange peel, citrus, toffee and some chocolate-y oak (?). Beneath this is a nice warming mix of all spice and Christmas Cake.

    It is undoubtedly more approachable and “easier” on the nose than the more intense 1984.

    Sipped it is a bit spicier than I was expecting and the initial sip is nice and fiery. I’m getting fair bit of ginger and a heavy hit of oak on the entry.

    However, as the palate adjust to the 63% ABV liquid the more the notes on the nose come through. The initial sip becomes much mellower. There is a nice intricate mix of honey, vanilla, toffee and chocolate going on.

    The mid palate moves into a more spicy and citrus led direction. There is a slight smokiness in the background. Although the oak is less prominent than in the 1984 the fruityness is similar. This time I feel we are getting more of the “warming” notes, I find in Appleton 12 Year. So more of the chocolate, a touch of coffee, maybe. It’s a bit like a nice warm hug in a glass really. It’s nice and beefy but it has a gentleness to it as well?

    As we move onto the finish we are treated to a long lingering spice and those wonderful chocolate, honey and vanilla notes. Which build nicely alongside a slightly herbal note and some orange no, hang on tangerine like notes.Appleton Estate 2003 Hearts Collection rum review by the fat rum pirate

    The finish is long and elegant and wraps this wonderful rum up nicely.

    I’m afraid I might look a bit like an Appleton Estate/Velier fan boy here but once again, I really don’t feel any reason not to give this a top score. It is dangerously drinkable even at 63% ABV.

    I’ll answer the question though which do I prefer the 1984 or 2003?

    I’d probably go for a bottle of this, given the choice – but I think both rums over something completely different. Both have been rums I have been really lucky to try and I am glad I was offered the chance.

     

     

     

  • Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength Barbados Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength Barbados Rum review by the fat rum pirateMount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength Barbados Rum. I don’t spend as much time reading about Rum as I used to. Two young children have partly seen to that! Due to this I was under the mis-conception that this new release from Mount Gay was only available in Barbados!

    I’m not quite sure why really maybe because it is noted as “Limited Edition”? Also, from what little rum viewing I was able to do on the Internet over the past few months I only really saw people returning from Barbados showing off this rum. A couple of weeks ago I noticed, however that a number of people in my Facebook group “The UK Rum Club” were posting and talking about this rum……

    Had I known on release that this was widely available in the UK and priced at around £35 a review would have been published a lot earlier!

    Anyway, never mind I have now procured a bottle via Amazon (£34.25 with next Day Prime Delivery) so I will share my findings. Long term readers of the site will perhaps be aware of my feelings around Mount Gay Eclipse. One of very few rums I have re-reviewed. In short, my opinion is that it is a bit “meh”. It’s okay when its on offer
    but other than that it is often way down my list of choices. Even when I am choosing a rum in the Supermarket – I can find better alternatives – Woods 100, Appleton Signature and even (moving over to the dark side) Jim Beam White Label to use as a weekend mixer.

    Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength Barbados Rum is a different blend to the standard or “Heritage” blend Eclipse. The Heritage Blend Eclipse is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rums aged up to 2 years. This Navy Strength offering is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rums with a higher percentage of Pot Still Rum in the blend. It is also a blend of rums aged between 2-4 years.

    In keeping with the Navy Strength moniker the rum has been bottled at 57.1% ABV. I won’t go into the historical aspects of Navy Strength and the discussion over what was originally a “true” Navy Strength. Needless to say this rum is a fair bit stronger than the Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength Barbados Rum review by the fat rum pirateoriginal Eclipse!

    As well as learning this “Limited Edition” was so widely available I was also very pleasantly surprised at the price point of this rum. £35 for a 57.1% ABV rum in the UK represents really good value, in relation to the amount of Tax and Duty imposed on higher proof products. Taking into account Mount Gay’s recent pricing “model” of their more limited releases I would have expect this to come in at least around £60.

    Mount Gay did previously have a 100 proof/50% ABV Eclipse Black which they fazed out a few years ago. I did obtain a sample of this a few years ago but unfortunately an accident meant I lost a few samples when a shelf fell down……so I never got to try it and review it. So I’ll make sure I get this reviewed now………

    In the glass Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength Barbados Rum is a classic light golden brown colour. Maybe a shade darker than the standard strength.

    One of my sticking points with the standard Mount Gay Eclipse was the heavy hit of “alcohol”. Particularly on the nose. It was very “boozy”. That unsurprisingly is present in this offering as well. I wouldn’t say it smells 17% more boozy though.

    It’s still an issue for me as it rather overwhelms the other aromas. It takes a long time in the glass for the bourbon esque aromas of vanilla and light oak to come through. There is also a bit of coconut and banana.

    Unfortunately the overriding aromas of alcohol make this rather underwhelming and it doesn’t feel very well balanced.

    Sipped at the full ABV this isn’t something that I would consider a sipper. Its just too harsh and has a slight metallic edge to it. It tastes a little cheap to be honest. Reducing it down to a more manageable ABV doesn’t really work for me either. I’m just left with standard Eclipse. Have I mentioned I’m not a huge fan of that rum?Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength Barbados Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    Joking aside I’m not overly disappointed with this as I wasn’t expecting anything fantastic. I would have liked to have been pleasantly surprised…..but I’m not so far.

    So how does it perform in mixed drinks? In all honesty I’d likely to struggle to really tell it apart from the standard Eclipse. Its much the same and although it has a higher ABV it was the rough boozy note of the standard Eclipse which I felt overshadowed the better aspects of Mount Gay’s rum making. This has perhaps an extra edge of bitterness in the after taste.

    It’s not for me I’m afraid. Very unlikely I will be buying another bottle. If you like Eclipse then by all means give it a go…..

  • Compagnie des Indes Jamaica New Yarmouth 12 Year Old (Danish Bottling)

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Compagnie des Indes New Yarmouth Denmark Rum Review by the fat rum pirateCompagnie des Indes (East India Company) Jamaica New Yarmouth 12 Year old rum. Compagnie des Indes are an independent bottler from France.

    So far they have not achieved fame for any particular bottling or style, the way the likes of Velier, Rum Nation and Bristol Classic have. Though they have established a reputation for bottling an eclectic series of single casks and their own signature blends.

    This Jamaica New Yarmouth is a different cask and bottling to the one I tried recently at the London Rumfest. This effort has been bottled exclusively for the Danish market. Compagnie des Indes have made a few Cask Strength expressions available only in Denmark.

    The New Yarmouth distillery came as a surprise to me as I had previously not heard of it. New Yarmouth is a part of the Appleton Estate. It is based in Clarendon Parish and produces the white unaged rum in Wray and Nephew Overproof. Operating both pot and column stills. It is not a small distillery, its just a bit like Hampden in that its rums appear more in blends and “branded” rums rather than their own line up of New Yarmouth rums.

    Jamaica New Yarmouth comes in your standard stubby Compagnie des Indes bottled. It is noted that this rum was distilled in 2005 and bottled in 2017. Noted as being 12 Years old. It is a single cask (so it is different to the standard 55% offering) the cask is noted as JNYD9 it is bottled at a very hefty 65.2% ABV. In Denmark it would set you back around 900-1000 Kroner or which Google tells me is around £107-120. As far as I am aware, this is a 100% Pot Still rum.New Yarmouth Sugar Estate

    Poured in the glass the rum is very light in colour -white wine to straw coloured. It clearly has not been coloured with caramel. Or if it has it hasn’t worked!

    The nose as one might expect of a 65.2% rum is enormous. It is high ester Pot Still Jamaican funk. When poured it absolutely reeks! You can smell it in the house next door! I’d imagine even after only a small sample of this you’ll smell like a brewery for the rest of the day!

    It is sweet like a Long Pond. Huge fruity notes of banana, coconut,  strawberries, apples and blackcurrants. It has those big varnish like notes but there is not as much burn as I was expecting. The age in the cask has certainly tamed it a little. It’s a huge nose but there is also a nice balance to it. There is a little spicy oak there and some calming vanilla. Touch of menthol – its very fresh and vibrant.

    Sipped it is jam packed with flavour. Everything on the nose transfers into the mouth. Even tiny sips of this are incredible. It is initially sweet with a lot of banana and funky sweet alcohol driven notes. The mid palate introduces a nice amount of oak and some spiciness from the cask. It is one of the most intense rums I have ever tasted.

    Even at full strength and taking into account the amount of flavour in the distillate it stills keeps itself in order. Once you get used to it its very easy to sip even at the full ABV. Each sip adds something else – mint, coconut, raisins, a touch of nail polish which gives these rums such a fresh taste.

    The more I delve into Jamaican rum the more I am taken by the Pot Still rums that come out of Hampden, Long Pond and now New Yarmouth. All are similar. I would have thought that this was from Long Pond but I have tried Hampden rums where I have thought the same. I do not think the differences in the rums from these distilleries are as big aCompagnie des Indes 12 years Jamica New Yarmouth 62,2s say Worthy Park. Worthy Park is a very modern operation and they produce a Jamaican rum which is quite a bit different to the rest, with no drop in quality it must be said.

    This rum caused quite a fuss at London Rumfest. I immediately pointed out to anyone listening to try it. Florent Beuchet who runs Compagnie des Indes gave a very telling smile when I commented no how good it was.

    Spending time with this rum at home I find this cask no less impressive than the one I had at London. This is rum for the more serious enthusiast. It’s not for everyone, miles away from Appleton 21 or Joy. Hugely funky, medicinal yet fresh and fruity. I really hope Florent has a lot more casks of this rum as it could becomes CDI’s signature…….

    Stunning.