Levy Lane Rum Co Tamosi Karaya

Bythefatrumpirate

Levy Lane Rum Co Tamosi Karaya rum review by the fat rum pirateLevy Lane Rum Co Tamosi Karaya. This review will round up all the releases to date that have been put on the market by Levy Lane Rum Co so far. From what I understand there are plenty more to follow.

As well as having a “regular” Tamosi rum. Which is a blend of Caribbean rums, Levy Lane Rum Co also released, a limited release Port Cask finished Cask Strength version of roughly the same blend. This is the second of two single casks Demerara rums they released.

Karaya is the Taino word for moon. She held immense power over people, and had a habit of enchanting those who lent her their gaze for too long.

Levy Lane Rum Co Tamosi Karaya is the oldest rum in their portfolio, so far. So old, in fact they can legitimately call it an Uitvlugt rum. As it was actually distilled their. Way back in 1998. I don’t want to repeat details I have given in previous reviews, so I will instead direct you to the Tamosi Rum website. This should help should  you want to learn a bit more about the brand. You can of course read my previous reviews as well.

This rum was distilled on the iconic Port Mourant Double Wooden Pot Still. This still is now housed at Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). The Uitivlugt Distillery closed around 1999/2000.

This rum was aged for 2 years in Guyana before being moved to Europe for a further 20 years of Continental Ageing. It was bottled in 2020, so it is 22 years old in total. Levy Lane Rum Co Tamosi Karaya comes in at Cask Strength of 61.1% ABV. I’m not sure how many bottles were produced but as it was a Single Cask we can take a guess at around the 250 mark. It has, unsurprisingly sold out pretty much everywhere but you can still find a bottle at retail price here.

A 70cl bottle at original retail price will set you back around £/€180. In the grand scheme of things that is obviously a pretty price to pay but it’s certainly not expensive for what it is. Levy Lane Rum Co Tamosi Karaya rum review by the fat rum pirate

So as we’ve covered Levy Lane Rum Co and Tamosi quite a bit lately, I’ll crack on with the nosing and tasting now. Does that grab you at all? Yes…..ok then.

In the glass Levy Lane Rum Co Tamosi Karaya is a light to medium brown colour. It is yellow-ey brown, if you like. Which will be partly due to the Continental Ageing. It also shows that this was pre-DDL. So no “caramel” or “molasses” (depends on who’s telling the story) was added pre/post distillation. nor where the barrels coated prior to ageing.

On the nose this is unmistakably a Port Mourant rum. The immediate slightly tannic notes alongside the familiar liquorice and aniseed aromas. Unsurprisingly, for a rum of this age it is quite “musty” and has a fair hit of woodiness on the nose. There is a really nice development of marmalade, cinnamon and raisin. This all seems to be wrapped up in something quite floral and spicy. A bit like Christmas cake.

The nose is complex and has a lot going on. There is a brininess and a touch of tar. I’m getting some fresh mint and something a bit herbal which reminds me a little of Saint Lucia Distillers output.

Sipping Karaya at Cask Strength, it is initially a bit more savoury and oak forward than the nose suggests. However, subsequent sips reveal a very concentrated almost floral sweetness. This balances incredibly well with the heavier tarry and briny notes that come into play on the mid palate.

It has a really nice “orange” note running right through the rum from the initial sip right through to the finish. This works alongside the salty liquorice and deep dark fruit notes of blackcurrant and redberries.

Each sip seems to be giving me something different to experience. This is indeed a very complex rum. One which is best taken very slowly and savoured to appreciate fully. It has some aspects I haven’t tasted before with a Port Mourant distillate. There is quite a big hit of citrus going on almost like a sweet Tangerine or Mandarin. Were it not for the spicy oak and brininess going on, this could have knocked this off kilter a little. It doesn’t thoLevy Lane Rum Co Tamosi Karaya rum review by the fat rum pirateugh, it just adds an extra layer and gives you something else to reach out for and enjoy.

In terms of the finish it’s long and warming. The orange and Christmas cake like notes remain throughout. They fade a little as the finish develops into a much more savoury end. Salty liquorice and brine take over and the rum ends with a kind of pastry-like note.

It is fair to say that the Levy Lane Rum Co and the Tamosi brand have made a pretty successful entry into the rum market. I must say I am looking forward to see what is coming next from them as they haven’t put a foot wrong so far!

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  • The Real McCoy Aged 10 Years Limited Edition Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    The Real McCoy Aged 10 Years Limited Edition Rum review by the fat rum pirateThe Real McCoy Aged 10 Years Limited Edition Rum. It’s proving quite dificult trying to keep pace with the output from the Foursquare Rum Distillery. Not content with various re-vamped releases from their existing portfolio such as higher ABV offerings of R L Seale’s, Doorly’s 3 Year Old and Doorly’s XO. Foursquare have also added further aged Doorly’s at 12 and 14 Years old and numerous (we are now up to release number 12) Exceptional Cask Series rums in the past 5 years alone.

    So you might have thought that their collaboration with Bailey Pryor and The Real McCoy brand might have led to a more static brand. That has definitely not been the mistake as the ABV has been increased on these offerings as well. A couple of Limited Edition rums have also been released.

    Today we have a 10 Year Old rum, which proved fairly difficult to source over here in the UK. Either we didn’t get many of these over here or I just completely took my eye of the ball when they were released. I finally found a bottle online at The Whisky Exchange. I paid a very exact £66.25 for my 46% ABV 70cl bottle.

    The Real McCoy Aged 10 Years Limited Edition Rum is presented in the standard stubby style bottle used by all The Real McCoy rums. It has a bulbous neck. The Real McCoy rums contain a lot of information on their labels. They are pretty much transparent. So we learn that this is a Single Blended Rum (Blended Pot and Column distilled rum from a single distillery). My bottle dated 2017, is one of 3000.

    It is also worth noting that the rear label of this rum notes that the blend of rums is aged seperately for 12 years in American Bourbon barrels and 10 years in Virgin Oak. So the age statement notes the minimum age of the rum in this bottle. Do we expect anything less from Mr Seale?

    The Real McCoy rums have been aged in heavily charred oak cask, to perhaps. differentiate them from the official Foursquare bottlings. It is also noted that this blend of rums has a high ratio of Copper Pot Still distillate. So we should be in for a pretty flavourful blend.

    I can’t think of anything else to add at this stage, so I think I will pour myself a glass and see how I find this.The Real McCoy Aged 10 Years Limited Edition Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    In the glass we have a deep dark brown liquid almost mahoghany. With a orange hue.

    Nosing, I immediately notice are more woody profile. Definite wafts of freshly cut timber (says he who has never chopped a piece of wood in his life). Further nosing reveals dark chocolate, intense cacao and some stewed breakfast tea. Barrel char is evident on the nose as well.

    This is not a particularly sweet nose but if you go deep enough you’ll find some dark fruits – plums, redcurrants. Surprisingly there is little by way of vanilla, coconut and banana. Still it is quite a nice nose just a bit “woodier” than usual.

    Sipped, I’m finding it very heavy on the wood. The first couple of sips are a bit of a challenge and I find them quite bitter and just a bit too heavy on the char and wood. My palate, however seems to recover from the initial woody onslaught.

    A little anyway. I first tried a rum aged in Vigin Oak at London Rumfest in 2018. It was from Worthy Park. A number of people were raving about it. I just didn’t like the overall balance, it was just too woody.

    This isn’t as bad, as I recall the Worthy Park offering but it is still more bitter, more charred and more woody than I enjoy. Some of the balance and softness I enjoy with Foursquare rum has been lost a little with this.

    It does calm a glass or two in but it’s still not my favourite Foursquare. The initial bitter, cacao heavy, charred entry does give way to a little milk chocolate sweetness on the mid palate. Unfortunately this quickly switches back to the more charred woody influence.

    The Real McCoy Aged 10 Years Limited Edition Rum review by the fat rum pirateRather than improve this rum, I think the 10 Year Virgin Oak blend is actually drying the overall profile out. It’s thrown it out of sync. I’m not getting the vanilla, toffee,banana and coconut notes I enjoy in other aged Foursquare/The Real McCoy releases. This is bone dry and I’ve really struggled with it.

    There are of course far worse rums around than this but (and in a perverse way I’m kind of glad, as it might show some of my doubters that Foursquare don’t always get an easy ride) I won’t be handing out any plaudits for this Foursquare offering.

    Finish wise, it’s got a good length to it but it seems to dry up and leave behind only woody notes. I didn’t get a great deal of complex spices or much else unfortunately.

    I don’t think Virgin Oak is the way forward for me. I’ll be honest had I tried a sample of this, I doubt very much I would have bought the bottle.

    A very rare disappointment. This just did not work for me. I would definitely plump for the 12 Year Old given a choice.

  • Ron del Barrilito 3 Star

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Ron del Barrilito 3 Star Rum Review by the fat rum pirateRon del Barrilito 3 star. This is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and controversial “rums” in the rum world. On researching this rum, it seems history has been re-written time and time again with regards as to what exactly this rum really is.

    A lot of the confusion is caused by “word of mouth” and people passing on information from brand ambassadors, fellow enthusiasts and on occasion the actual producers of Ron del Barrilito. If you try and research this rum you are left with the impression, this could be anything from the greatest rum ever, to a very average “spiced” rum. As with most things, the truth when such polar opposites exist is perhaps more somewhere around the centre of the argument!

    At this point I am going to make a disclosure with regard this rum. Anything I write after this regarding its composition, could be complete rubbish. My tasting notes and the Hydrometer Test I conduct are the only parts of this review I will stand by. Anything else can (and will) be changed if someone can convince me I have got something wrong.

    Ron del Barrilito 3 Star is not readily available here in the UK. It is easier to find in Europe but its easiest to find in the US. From what I can see it retails at around $30-35. Were it to come to the UK, I would probably expect to pay the best part of £45 for a bottle. Ron Del Barralito when it does appear tends to be in a US sized 75cl bottle. Rather than the standard metric 70cl UK/Europe bottle. It is bottled at 43% ABV.

    It is understood to be a rum produced by Serralles (Don Q).However, more up to date information suggests the company behind Ron del Barrilito source their base rum now from Bacardi. Ron del Barrilito 3 star is a blend of column distilled rums aged up to 6 years. It is “blended” and aged in “seasoned sherry casks”. The hydrometer detects around 8g/L of additives – so this would suggest the “seasoned sherry casks” are not 100% clean when the rum is blended………

    The brand have their own website. Upon entering this you are first hit with the fact that Ron del Barrilito is Puerto Rico’s Oldest Rum. It also notes the 3 star as being a blend of rums aged between 6 and 10 years old. As I said earlier researching this brand has proved very…..interesting/frustrating.

    The website also states the following “Every single bottle of Ron del Barrilito holds premium rum that has been crafted by hand using the same methods since 1880. It’s always been made in very small batches. Absolutely no artificial ingredients or colorings are used. It’s aged to perfection in vintage american white oak sherry barrels.”

    Ron del Barrilito 3 Star Rum Review by the fat rum pirateRon del Barrilito is produced by the Fernandez family at the Hacienda Santa Ana. They state that both their “regular” rums, the 2 and 3 star are produced in small batches. Last year they released a very expensive 5 star version, which again proved quite controversial and provoked a lot of very differing opinions! Mostly due to the price point! You can read about the 5 star in more detail here. $750 per bottle though…..

    Presentation wise Ron del Barrilito 3 Star comes in a standard bar style bottle with an old style “Cuban” kind of presentation. I quite like its vintage look and I would probably pull a bottle from the shelf if I was out shopping.

    In the glass we have a dark brown spirit with an orange hue. Nosing Ron del Barrilito 3 star is a pleasant experience. It is a very “Cuban” style of rum with lots of tobacco, tar and some sweet milk chocolate notes.

    Further nosing reveals some sweet sherry which become quite dominant on the nose. It’s a very fruity nose with lots of raisins and currants. There is a slightly peppery spice mingling alongside the sweet sherried notes.

    It’s all quite nicely balanced and overall quite pleasant.

    Sipped Ron del Barrilito is very smooth and very easy to sip. It has a mouthfeel which is perhaps a touch more oily than I would like and it has a confected air to it. It’s a pretty sweet rum. The tobacco and tar that were evident on the nose have been totally taken over by the sherried fruit sweetness. This does in many ways taste like an aged sherry rather than a rum.Ron del Barrilito 3 Star Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    The initial sweetness fade into a fairly short mid palate which has a little ginger and cinnamon. The lightness of the spirit means it quickly disappears and has a fairly short finish. Tobacco and smoke and a very quick fade.

    I found this okay as a sipper, though for me it’s just too light. As a mixer it works nicely with cola making a very pleasant rum and cola or rather sherry and cola. If you are familiar with aged sherry such as Torres 10 Year Old you will find a lot of similarity with this rum. If you like a brandy and cola you will find comfort in this rum.

    Overall it’s not a terrible experience and I can understand why it has so many fans. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really taste all that “rummy” to me and has a confected air to it and the sherry influence is just a little bit more than I would like. We aren’t in Dos Maderas territory here in terms of additives but its still quite a sweet spirit.

    I’m pleased I have tried this rum. That said I wouldn’t break my back to try and get a bottle in the future.

     

  • Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos rum review by the fat rum pirateRon Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos. This rum has pretty much all the suspicious marketing terminology, that pretty much guarantees a no purchase for me nowadays. That said I’ve got a sample of this particular rum, so I might as well see what Ecuador, has to offer the rum world.

    Ron Canuto brand themselves as the “Highland Rum”. Ecuador isn’t the first place I think of when I think of “The Highlands” but fair play to them they are up there and at quite a high altitude. 700 metres plus.

    This is a local molasses based rum which has been aged in ex-bourbon casks. It is produced at the Zhumir distillery, which was formerly known as the La Playa distillery and was originally set up in 1966.

    It is noted as being a Pot Still rum and the bottles have individual barrel and bottle numbers noted on them. Whether this really denotes single cask type production – I’m not convinced. I think this is a blend of rums (the rum has certainly been blended with something 35g/L of undisclosed additives) and I’m not convinced at all its 100% Pot Still either.

    Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos has had some limited availability here in the UK where it retails at around £32.95 for a 70cl bottle with an ABV of 40%. It comes in a sleek 3/4 rectangular bottle with a heavy base to help with its premium credentials. It looks pretty much like a lot of other similarly priced “rons” on the todays market. The chunky cork stopper completes the look.

    Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos rum review by the fat rum pirateI’ve noted in some “reviews” of this rum that is their youngest rum – however I’ve seen precious little evidence of them releasing any older rums under the Ron Canuto name. Even on the Zhumir website I can only find this “7 Anos” release and some Aquardiente. As pictured the bottle used on the site is a different presentation to the one pictured elsewhere.

    So as is often the case I am not left with much else regards any information on this particular rum. Fair play to Canuto at least they haven’t come up with some fanciful back story involving some tenuously connected historical figure. Makes a change.

    So lets get on with the nosing and tasting.

    In the glass I am presented with a golden brown spirit. Likelihood this has been coloured as it has that “classic” aged rum colour.

    Upon nosing Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos, I am immediately hit with a very familiar very sweet note. I’ve nosed similar before in the likes of Ron Millonario and Ron Santos Dumont. It’s a very sweet, almost cloying fake banana note. Like those cheap foam banana sweets. Only with a more confected, sweeter overlay. It’s synthetic and a bit weird to be honest.

    I’m also getting some vanilla, marzipan and some brasil nuts. It’s sweet and nutty like one of those “health bars” that are full of nuts and fruit but are covered in sugary syrup.

    It’s almost perfumed on the nose. Pot Still Rum you say? Must be the lightest Pot Still rum ever. There is a faint peppery spice and maybe a hint of some kind of woody/oak spice. You’re definitely searching for anything particularly “rummy”.

    The sip is initially every bit as sweet as the nose would suggest. There is minimal burn of any kind (always a big give-away when a rum has been adulterated). It is just a quick blast of sweet vanilla and banana sugar water.

    I wouldn’t say the mid palate evolves into anything in particular but once the intial sip has faded you get a slight astringency and a bitter, woody note. It’s a kind of woody Ron Canuto Seleccion Superior Ron Premium 7 Anos rum review by the fat rum piratesaccharin which really isn’t particularly pleasant.

    Finish wise – small mercies its very short and pretty much non-existent. If you have a sweet tooth and/or prefer spirits (it’s liqueurs’ you really like I’m afraid) that are “sweet, smooth and easy going” this is for you. Mind that bitter note might put off some of the truly clueless “rum” drinkers out there.

    Sadly this kind of rum continues to flood the market – ten a penny. They are priced reasonably, well reasonably for what they claim to be. They look pretty and will appeal to those buying gifts. Good sellers at Christmas.

    Insipid, sweetened, sugary water. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Boring

    1 star

     

     

  • That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada

    Bythefatrumpirate

    That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 GrenadaThat Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada. I’m not sure whether the Boutique-y Rum Company are purposefully attempting to have the longest name for a rum ever put on a bottle, but they seem to be doing a good job if they are. Catchy is not a word I would use to describe their bottlings. Though the company name is quite quirky and the designs on the bottle are very distinctive.

    Luckily though, what the Boutique-y Rum Company do focus on is sourcing quality and at time quite unusual rums. Rums that perhaps other independents would shy away from bottling. They have a number of “Secret Distillery” bottlings. This is not a gimmick on behalf of  Boutique-y Rum Company.

    The rum world has changed over the past few years. Caribbean (in particular) distilleries are beginning to see the true value in their own distillery botttlings. No longer concentrating on satisfying just the domestic market with inexpensive, relatively young bottlings. They are now producing their own aged products, for the worldwide market. Focusing particularly on Europe and the US.

    Previously Independent bottlers would buy aged products from rum brokers such as E.A Scheer and proudly display the name of the distillery. Often more boldly than their own logos etc. As a result some producers began to question the use of what they began to see as their “brand” (ie the distillery name). Whilst an outright ban on using distillery names hasn’t been legally enforced a number of distilleries have requested that Independent bottlers do not use the distillery name.

    As a result and in accordance with these agreements That Boutique-y Rum Company are, when requested using “Secret Distillery” and the country of origin only to identify where the rum has come from.

    This practice hasn’t translated to all distilleries so you can still hazard a guess at where a rum might have come from. Today I am reviewing “Secret Distillery” #4 Grenada.

    So do I have any more information about this rum? Yes luckily I do. First up it was produced on a Traditional Coffey Column Still.That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada is from a Single Distillery. It has been aged for 20 years (I’m unaware where it was aged). It has been bottled at 52.3% ABV and their are 212 50cl bottles available of this rum priced at £98.95 over at Master of Malt.

    Identifying the distillery this might come from leads me down the route of picking from 2 of the 3 distilleries on Grenada. It can’t be from Renegade Rum Distillery as it wasn’t around 20 years ago. So that leaves River Antoine Estate which produces Rivers Royal rum and Grenada Distillers who produce rums under the Clarkes Court brand.

    There is of course also Westerhall Estate but they no longer distill any rum they merely blend imported caribbean rum. I suppose as this is 20 years old it could be from there?

    The only further bit of information I have is the GMWE rum marque. To be honest the G in the marque makes me think this rum is likely to have come from Grenada Distillers. They are the biggest producer on the island and the style of rum they produce seems in keeping with this bottling. Trying not to pre-empt the review but my nose suggests this is a rum from Grenada Distillers.That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada

    This is one of 3 brand new releases from That Boutique-y Rum Company that I am to review over the next 3 days (as pictured).

    Of course I could be wrong, it did happen once before……….

    So lets see how That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada  goes down.

    In the glass we have a golden brown liquid – a few shades darker than straw but not quite what I would call dark. This suggests some element of continental ageing.

    The nose is light, sweet and very approachable. Notes of toffee, milk chocolate and some spicy ginger. Sweet fruits such as strawberries and peaches are also in the mix. Slightly syrupy but not overly sweet. It smells sweet but not sweetened…….

    This is confirmed by the Hydrometer bobbing between 52-53% ABV.

    Despite its overall quite light profile it is still quite complex. Nosing is a very pleasant experience. The higher ABV than I have experience before with output from Grenada Distillers gives the nose much more depth. There is also more oak and spice on the nose from the long ageing.

    As a sipper it opens up with a spicy salvo of bourbon-esque notes and spicy ginger and oak. Vanilla and honey come through once the spicy introduction begins to lead you into the mid palate. The oak and spice remain giving a spicy char. You get a real taste of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes on the mid palate. Peanut and cashew nut really come through. It’s not as sweet and fruity as the nose but you still get some strawberry and vanilla ice cream. It’s really nicely balanced this rum.

    That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #4 Grenada

    The finish on this is really nice as well. It fades out beautifully with some notes of black pepper and a spicy woody note which fades out slowly.

    This is a rum which would be a good introduction to drinking something at a higher ABV. It is light but it isn’t as sweet or as straightforward as you might expect. It’s not got any “off notes” though or anything which might alienate someone feeling their way into Cask Strength offerings.

    It also harks back to a simpler time as well. Many people do not realise, that historically column distilled rum in the Caribbean is just as popular (if not more so) than the heavier Pot Still rums and blends we focus more on nowadays.

    Better than I was expecting a very tasty drop. I’ve also had it confirmed from a very reliable source (Boutique-y Pete) that is indeed from Grenada Distillers traditional two column set up.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Requiem SS Ferret Australian Pot Still Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Requiem SS Ferret Australian Pot Still Rum review by the fat rum pirateRequiem SS Ferret Australian Pot Still Rum. I was going to leave the title of this bottling as Requiem SS Ferret – but I thought it looked a bit strange! So I’ve added another prominent feature, on the front label to the title.

    I’ve not reviewed many rums from Australia. Despite a dreadful experience with Bundaberg, I wouldn’t say I’ve been put off trying Australian rum. Logistically though, its just difficult to get my hands on any Australian rum. Very little is imported into Europe and buying from Australia seems a bit of a headache.

    I’m obviously not alone in this, as very few rum reviewers are reviewing Australian products. Most reviewers are based in Europe and the US. There is coverage of Australian rum from native bloggers but I’ll be honest I don’t read many Australian rum/whisky reviewers blogs. Any hints on who I could follow let me know.

    That said Australia does have a flourishing and expanding rum scene. I’m a member of the The Great Aussie Rum Rumble Facebook group. By being part of this group I have seen a great number of home grown Australian brands of rum.

    Which is what I have got here. Requiem SS Ferret Australian Pot Still Rum is produced by Tin Shed Distilling Co. They hail from a suburb of Adelaide – Welland in Southern Australia.

    So what is Requiem Rum? Well Tin Shed Distilling Co. are more famous for their Whisky expression “Iniquity” which as received numerous positive reviews and award since it was released in 2019. In June 2020 after 6 years of ageing Tin Shed Distilling Co. released this, their first rum.

    So I hear you ask what exactly is the SS Ferret? In all honesty, it sounds like a pretty odd/stupid name to give a ship (I’m assuming the SS has already given that bit away). Ships usually have much more regal or prestigious names. I can’t think of any other ships named after this sort of creature. I’m reliably informed, that a Ferret is a domesticated European Polecat.

    There is of course a story to the name first up Requiem Rum is called so because each expression of Requiem Rum will be a “final mass, a prayer for the dead, a final tribute” to each ship which is named in the series. So this is just the first in a series of rums which will be released in the Requiem Rum name.

    Requiem SS Ferret Australian Pot Still Rum review by the fat rum pirateThe SS Ferret was built in 1871 in Scotland for the Highland Railway Co. In 1880 the ship was stolen. It was discovered in Adelaide, Australia by recently transferred Police Constable James Davidson from Scotland.

    Sadly, in 1920 the SS Ferret was sadly wrecked after running onto a beach at Cape Spencer on the Southern Australian coast. I guess both stories explain why an Adelaide based distiller has opted to call their first rum….Ferret. Though, in fairness it probably wouldn’t have been my first choice! For further reading see Wikipedia and the companies own website.

    So history lesson over with, lets see what we are actually getting in the bottle. Well as already noted, we have an Australian Pot Still rum. I assume it is produced from molasses but Australian regulations do not stipulate rum can only be produced from molasses or sugar cane juice. It’s quite strange, that they demand a minimum 2 years of ageing to be called “rum” but aren’t stricter on the base product used to produce the rum. Still, not to worry.

    Requiem SS Ferret Australian Pot Still Rum has been aged for 6 years in American Oak ex-Port Casks. It has been bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill filtered. In Australia it retails at $140. Which works out at around £/€78. It’s worth noting at this point, Australia is one of the most expensive places in the world to buy alcohol. Perhaps another reason why they do not export so much?

    Anyway, lets move on from the history lesson. Shall we see if those Aussies know what they are doing? Or is all Australian rum as bad as Bundy?

    In the glass we have a golden brown rum with a orange/copper hue.

    On the nose, there is a very prominent note of tangerine/mandarin. Sweet fruity citrus. It’s very pleasant with notes of milk chocolate, vanilla, some light toffee. Oddly enough I’m also getting notes of prune juice? Interesting.

    There is a little light spice, some notes of English Breakfast Tea. Slightly milky and some familiar notes. The orange and the chocolate smell a little like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. Which is no bad thing. In the background there is just a hint of treacly molasses but its quite paired back – more like a golden syrup.

    It’s quite an intriguing and unique kind of nose. It’s rum Jim but not as we know it…….

    Well not quite, as we might know it. Sure it’s different but this isn’t confected nonsense like the likes of Papa’s Pilar. It still has a very rummy note amongst it. No additives used here. Definitely not.

    Sipping Requiem Rum SS Ferret Australian Pot Still Rum, is a very pleasant, easy going experience. The notes of orange and chocolate, on the nose come through on the initial sip. It’s quite easy going and very, very easy to drink. It has a lovely hit of orange and dark chocolate. Please note this is a million miles away, however from the nonsense that is Pyrat!

    The sweet chocolate and orange notes on the initial sip, gently move into a mid palate which has more of slightly bitter notes of tea and a very gentle slightly smoky note of tobacco and leather arm chairs.

    Requiem SS Ferret Australian Pot Still Rum review by the fat rum pirateAlthough this has been aged in ex-Port Casks it is not as sweet as some other Port Cask rums I have tried. Their is definitely an influence from the cask but this rum is not a typical example of a Port Cask finished rum. It’s different and unusual but very good……

    The finish is light and easy going with notes of orange, chocolate and a touch of molasses. It’s light but at the same time has a complexity to it.

    The best thing about this rum is its balance. It’s not overly boozy and has no off notes to it. At the right price this would be a wonderful every day sipper in the ilk of the the likes of Appleton 8 and Doorly’s XO.

    Does Australia have better rum than Bundy out there?

    Well this was real bonzer……

     

  • Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years – The Whisky Barrel Exclusive

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirate The Whisky BarrelKill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years – The Whisky Barrel Exclusive. An exclusive bottling sees one of Scotland’s younger rum bottlers, team up with a relatively youthful Scottish retailer in the shape of The Whisky Barrel.

    The Whisky Barrel have been earning a great reputation over the past few years. Focusing and stocking Independent bottlings of both whisky and rum. Obviously my attention has always focused on the rum. They heavily feature two of my favourite UK based Indie bottlers. Bristol Classic Rum and Hunter Laing’s Kill Devil range.

    We are on familiar ground then again with this bottling in terms of bottler, distillery and age. I reviewed a 9 year old Cask Strength Hampden bottling from Kill Devil a few months back. I found that bottling (a run of just 55 bottles) on The Whisky Barrel also. Regular readers of this blog will be aware that Jamaica has been covered very regularly lately. Not Just Hampden but also Worthy Park.

    As a rule I “try” and review bottles whilst they are still available for retail and whenever possible, as soon as they are available. I think this works both ways – you readers will be keen to read about the rum before you commit and it ensures I get a steady stream of views for such bottlings.

    Anyway enough of the rambling. What we have here is a 10 Year Old Pot Still Rum from the Hampden Distillery. Distilled back in November 2007. It is bottled at 64.1% ABV – Cask Strength. One of just 290 bottles from a single cask. Priced at £62.65 which is only slightly more expensive than last years 9 year old rum.

    It is likely that this rum was sent to Europe unaged and has been aged solely in a continental European climate.

    This is reinforced when the rum is poured in the glass. It is a very light straw colour with a slight flash of gold in the swirl.

    Nosing the rum (you don’t really need to it you can smell it across the room) I get all those wonderful familiar Jamaican funky notes, that I’ve so enjoyed recently with our Kill Devil and Berrys’ Jamaican bottlings. Getting up there with one of my all time favourites, that mythical Duncan Taylor Long Pond 2000. Ahhhh memories.

    Varnish, shoe polish, diesel fumes, Calpol and menthol cigarettes are all very prominent on the nose. Despite all this there is enough sweetness. Pineapple, guava and Lockets (honey flavour cough sweets with a liquid centre). These notes balance out the more aggressive and frankly unpleasant sounding notes (it is amazing how such horrible sounding notes can smell so wonderful!).Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirate The Whisky Barrel

    So lets see how this all transfer over to the sip.

    Wow! This is some really funky, sweet and vibrant rum. An initial sugary-ness gives some really fruity almost candied notes of pineapple and passion fruit. There is a really medicinal and warming hit of lighter fuel and navy tablet (more English cough sweets) on the mid palate. Nice warming notes of spice – ginger, nutmeg and a really well developed oak and some slightly tannic notes like red wine. The balance is wonderful.

    This is what I call a slow sipper. Big gaps between each sip. Not because you don’t want more but because it is so complex and the finish is long and satisfying.

    There are all kinds of notes to be explored with this rum – sweeter tropical notes, more aggressive heavy medicinal notes and some really nicely balanced and well delivered spice and oak in the finish and mid palate. This all adds up to a very funky and well balanced Jamaican rum.

    With the Hampden rums from Independent bottlers it is very much about how well they have been matured. The funky-ness that comes off the still is already packed full of flavour. This is distillate driven rum – whilst the rum may have mellowed slightly in the barrel/cask and taken on some of the vanilla and spice of what I presume to be re-fill bourbon, it is still very much characterised by the unaged rum that came straight off the still.

    It’s difficult to tame a Hampden – without arsing it up with “dosage”. You can over-oak them from time to time or put them in “bad” barrels.

    But that hasn’t happened with this particular bottling. I gave the 9 Year Old Kill Devil Hampden 4.5 stars out of 5 earlier this year and the same score to the 17 Year Old Berrys’s exclusive for The Whisky Barrel.

    We are really getting down to finite differences. This might just get the balance between youthful exuberance and well matured spirit – just a teensy bit more than those two. Would I easily tell them apart after a couple of glasses? Probably not if I’m being honest.

    This doesn’t have the slightly bitter note of the 17 year old on the finish and is ever so slightly better balanced overall than the 9 year.

    To be fair you should buy all three of those bottlings if you can. No scrap that – buy two, three as many as you can get.

    Jamaican Rum Heaven. More collaborations please…….