Lombo do Lombo Rum da Madeira 2023
Lombo do Lombo Rum da Madeira 2023. The brand name will likely be unfamiliar to you. Unless, of course you have been fortunate enough to attend one of Peter Holland’s (thefloatingrumshack) masterclasses in Southern England over the past year or so.
However, the name O Reizinho may be more familiar to yourselves. After the William Hinton brand they are the second most recognised Madeiran rum brand I would say. This bottling a collaboration between O Reizinho distillery and local sugarcane farmers Chris and Liz Stevenson.
For those who do not know Madeira is an island off the coast of Portugal and a Portuguese territory. It is the birthplace of arguably the most recognisable and best footballer the world has ever seen – Ronaldo R7. If you ever visit by boat there is a statue of him at the port.
Lombo do Lombo Rum da Madeira 2023 is produced from a single variety of purple sugar cane grown at Lombo do Lombo, which is 350m above sea level in Ponta do Sol, Madeira.
The 2023 growth of this purple sugar cane once harvested and distilled has produced just 369 50cl bottles . Which have bottled at a hefty 54.8% ABV.
The sugarcane was milled in a single pass at the O Reizinho Distillery and the fresh juice fermented over 72 hours before distillation in a wood-fired steam-injected Portuguese pot still.
So this is pretty much as small batch and limited as it gets. You can still pick up a bottle or two here for the very exact price of £59.30.
In the glass this is unaged rum so it is as nature intended and is crystal clear.
Upon nosing it is very bright and punchy. Very “clear” for want of a better word. It has a lot of clarity to it. I’m getting some lovely grassy sugar cane notes alongside some very bright citrus notes. There is a slight salty/briny part to the nose alongside some mango and pineapple.
It’s very more-ish on the nose and very inviting.
Further sipping reveals a little milkiness like a good cachaca and a hit of minerals backing it all up. It’s complex yet straighforward at the same time such is the clarity of the individual aromas.
Sipped it is much more acidic and has more citrus – lemon and some bittersweet limes. It is very full flavoured and has a depth to it that is often present I find with Madeira’s agricole as opposed to a Martinique or Guadaloupe example. I don’t know why but it seems to be bit richer and has an almost red wine like tannic experience going on.
The mid palate keeps up the intensity and the grassiness of the sugar and the sweet pineapple notes come out to play. It’s a lovely light yet complex drink which is full of contradictions yet it all works out beautifully.
It’s a great kind of palate cleanser but it still more than holds its own as a sipping experience. When used in something like a Ti Punch it is excellent and the extra ABV really shines.
Finish wise it is a good length and fades nicely with a gentle burn despite the ABV. Notes of sugar cane and soft light summer fruits are left behind alongside a sweet linger of the pineapple notes.
A really lovely rum.
The above link to the Harold and Hansa store is well worth a look beyond this rum. They import Rum da Agricola into the UK and do an excellent job.
Bimber Distillery London Rum. The Bimber journey is one that has it’s beginnings in Malt Whisky. The Craft Micro Distillery at 56 Sunbeam Road, London NW10 6JQ began by producing a Malt Whisky.
tch No. 001. In the glass we are presented with a clear white spirit. A very standard “white” rum.
That Boutique-y Cachaca Company Novo Fogo 3 Year Old. That Boutique-y Rum Company has re-named itself for this release. To reflect the fact that this is their first Independent bottling of cachaça. Well done to them we are on of the very few rum websites that have been really banging the drum for cachaça recently and will continue to do so!
That Boutique-y Cachaca Company Novo Fogo Aged 3 Years is a really good first stab at cachaça. It shows the knowledge of the experts they have on board. Yes to date some of the offerings of That Boutique-y Rum Company haven’t all been (in my opinion) first class but they have dared to try. They have dared to bottle something a bit different. Rather than just classics such as Foursquare, Caroni and Hampden. You have to give them credit for that too many independent bottlers go down the easy route which means a glut of very similar rums.
Maria Joao Cachaca Brasileira Amburana. This cachaca producer hails from Santa Rosa in Rio Grande du Sol state.
I’m sure anyone with a decent appreciation of rum will be able to guess why this Santa Teresa 1796 is named so. Yes, got it in one this was the year the distillery first went into production.
flavour are very pleasant and not overpowering. The alcohol burn often associated with the spicy tingle on the tongue is anonymous. The rum is much lighter and less fruity than Pampero’s Aniversario for example. It is more like a more aged and better developed version of their Anejo. The sweetness of the nose is present in the sipping experience. It is a light sugared almost honeyed sweetness. It’s not a fruity kind of sweetness. The 1796 is aged in Limousin Oak Barrels which are often used to age wine and cognac, Limousin is not surprisingly in France. This will go some way to explaining this rums overall profile.
Silver Seal Whisky Company are independent bottlers of Whisky and to a lesser extent rums. They hail from Scotland (at least this is where the rum is bottled) and their rums and whiskies are largely available online from Whisky Antique and Rhum Excellence. Italian and French websites. They aren’t readily available in the UK. Which is just typical of the ever confusing rum world.
For anyone who has yet to explore independent bottlings of Demerara rum, it can be a bit of a minefield. I’ve had some spectacular bargains and some pretty expensive mistakes. It is worth noting that many of the Demerara rums that are independently bottled are very different from the El Dorado rums. Despite coming from the same stills. Most independent bottlings come without any added sugar.
some of the subtler notes in the rum. With this being so intense I do feel that a little water will open up the flavours a little. For those who may think this is madness (or are questioning my manhood) a lot of distillers dilute their rums with water to around 20% ABV to ensure they detect every note and nuance. I won’t take it that far I can assure you.
For those hoping for a “sweet and smooth” sipping experience. You aren’t going to get that kind of rum. This isn’t Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, Zacapa or Pyrat XO. Nor is it typical of the EL Dorado range. It shares obvious similarities but it hasn’t been sugared so the sweetness hasn’t been cranked up.
Despite the presence of Angostura in the rum and bitters market, it doesn’t seem that their younger rums have caught the imagination.
Despite its lack of presence at the more serious end of the rum market Angostura do have quite a healthy presence in bars and clubs up and down the UK. Even if you do not buy Angostura branded products it is very unlikely any rum drinker isn’t exposed to rum from the distillery – all rum from Trinidad & Tobago (aside from the aged Caroni rum) is now from Angostura. This includes brands such as VAT19 which were previously produced by the Fernandes Distillery -now just part of the Angostura power house. Even if Angostura’s own brand rum is not selling by the truckload their rums will be found in all manner of Navy and Caribbean blended rums.
