Mount Gay Select Blend of Matured Rums TWE Exclusive

Bythefatrumpirate December 7, 2018December 7, 2018

Mount Gay Select Blend of Matured Rums TWE Exclusive. TWE stands for The Whisky Exchange. Which is a physical and online store based in London, England. Headed up by business man and spirits enthusiast Sukhinder Singh. I’m a regular customer with them as they have one of the best selections of rum available in the UK.

This is the first time Mount Gay have “outsourced” some of their rum beyond bulk rum sales. You won’t have seen any independent bottlings with Mount Gay listed as the distillery.

The rum has been distilled and bottled at Mount Gay so it is presented in line with the brands usual offerings. However as mentioned you will only find this at the Whisky Exchange in the primary retail market. I would expect to see some appear in the future on the secondary/auction market.

Mount Gay Select Blend is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rums aged for 7 years. It is presented at Cask Strength of 54% ABV. 2400 bottles will be available and it retails at £87.95. It was aged in ex-American Oak Barrels. The blend has been selected by master distiller Allen Smith. It is drawn from just 20 barrels with a Angels Share of between 37.3% and 47.9%. Although we couldn’t get the exact details it has been noted that this blend contains more Pot Still rum than the rest of the Mount Gay range. No caramel colouring or chill filtration.

Mount Gay primarily make their money with their Eclipse and Black Barrel rums which have become staples of Travel Retail the world over. They are also noted for their iconic Mount Gay Extra Old (MGXO). They have released a few different expressions lately, including a Cask Strength version of the XO.

Presentation wise as it has been bottled at Mount Gay it is presented in their recently restyled bottles complete with a cork closure. It looks a very classy package. I am not sure if a card sleeve is provided.

Nevertheless it is very exciting to see a Cask Strength Mount Gay rum available at a more competitive price point. It will no doubt (and already has been) mentioned that this rum is more “expensive” than the Foursquare Exceptional Cask Series rums or even regular Foursquare rum. I suppose it is fairly expensive for a 7 year old rum but as I have found in the past Barbados Rum can be very good from a very young age. Especially when matured in Barbados.

So lets see how this compares to those releases.

In the glass Mount Gay Select Blend presents itself as a light golden brown with orange flashes.

The nose is a very familiar Bajan style rum. It has a lovely mixture of coconut, cashew nuts, pineapple and a touch of lemon zest. The balance on this nose is really spot on and it noses like a much older rum might.

The extra ABV for this over the XO is not really immediately noticeable from the nose. It’s so well-integrated. There are some spicy notes of oak ageing but it really does have such a great balance.

Further nosing reveals some toffee and banana. This is a rum which you will nose quite extensively it is so good.

Sipped Mount Gay Select Blend is wonderfully spicy. Very zesty with lots of bourbon esque sweet/sour notes. Zesty lemon/lime and some woody oak. The initial entry is quite fiery but further sips are much easier on the palate.

The mid palate is also quite spicy but notes of coconut, a touch of coffee, ginger, walnuts and some toffee also put in an appearance. It’s a complex, quite dry type of sipping rum similar in many respects to the Foursquare 2004 and 2005 rums. I like the zestyness and oakiness found in the profile.

The finish has perhaps a touch of bitterness which is the only thing which is slightly out of place with this rum. It is fleeting as well as the wonderful woody notes return giving you a very rich and warming finish. The finish is long and has a really nice note of dark chocolate mixed with ginger – bit like chocolate ginger stem biscuits. Nice!

This is a complex and very rewarding sipping rum. I wouldn’t even think about mixing this one. Fans of rums such as R L Seale’s, Mount Gay XO and the more recent Foursquare Exceptional Cask 2004 and 2005 rums will be in heaven with this one.

More of this please Mount Gay.

Ron Santiago de Cuba Ron Extra Anejo 11 Anos

Ron Santiago de Cuba Ron Extra Anejo 11 Anos
Bythefatrumpirate July 12, 2021

Ron Santiago de Cuba Ron Extra Anejo 11 Anos. I use the exact naming convention adopted on the bottles I review, so apologies for the extra brevity of this reviews title. I guess much like me, these Cuban rum producers have a tendency to waffle…..

For those of you who are unaware and I guess this is where my review is designed to assist, Ron Santiago de Cuba (formerly just Santiago de Cuba) has begun working with global booze conglomerate Diageo. This has led to a re-brand and increased availability here in the UK and Europe.

Ron Santiago de Cuba was first brought to my attention by JBE Imports. It’s a bit of a shame to see that they are no longer involved. They did a great job getting Cuban rum beyond the Havana Club brand, more of an audience here in the UK. I’m pleased to see they are still importing Ron Cubay and many others spirits to the UK. I’ll be honest seeing Diageo taking over a spirits brand, rarely fills me with joy. Then again they don’t pay me to suggest otherwise…………..

Whilst Ron Santiago de Cuba was still being imported by JBE, I was able to review their Carta Blanca, Anejo and 12 Year Old. I did try this bottling at a Rum Festival or two but I never got to sit down at home with a bottle or even a tot. I heard a lot of good things about the 11 though on Social Media.

A lot of people rate it over the 12. I’ve always found it very curious that a brand would have a entry level white, an “Anejo” and then an 11 and 12 year rum. You wouldn’t expect to find all that much difference between rums only one year apart. Certainly it’s not common practice amongst brands to have continual releases, so close together alongside much younger rums.

Availability of Ron Santiago de Cuba Ron Extra Anejo 11 Anos will increase. As I write I can only see it stocked at The Whisky Exchange for £55.95. I don’t think they are opening a ballot on this one so you should be able to secure a bottle. Even if you’ve never bought a rum before in your life.

Ron Santiago de Cuba Ron Extra Anejo 11 Anos is bottled at 40% ABV (quite commonly Cuban rum is bottled at 38% ABV). It is said to be the second best selling Cuban rum brand in the world. The first despite not being widely available in the US – one of the biggest rum markets is Havana Club (as in Cuban Havana Club NOT the Havana Club branded rum released in the US market by Bacardi).

The rum is produced from sugar cane grown in the Oriente province of Cuba in the Sout East of the island. Ron Santiago de Cuba is a molasses based rum. Following fermentation and distillation the resulting spirit is charcoal filtered before being transferred to white oak barrels for ageing. The new Santiago de Cuba website notes the rum is aged in “Don Pancho” warehouse which is said to be the “Cathedral of Cuban Rum”. Hmmmmm……..

In terms of presentation Ron Santiago de Cuba are now using 3/4 size stubby bottles with medium size necks. Thankfully the diffusors have now gone. In terms of presentation it looks more modern but not typically Cuban. Still I can imagine the re-design prompting the younger market to make a purchase should they see this in a bar. It fits in very nicely with the type of branding used in the Revolution de Cuba chain of bars here in the UK. Particularly their menu’s.

As tends to be the case with Diageo led brands. You get a pretty website, with some nice stories and some tasting notes and the very basics on the rum. However, there is little of any real substance. Pretty much what I have read about this rum I could have just guessed at anyway. I’ve learnt little new. Should you be interested in the changes to Ron Santiago de Cuba since they began working with Diageo the old website, is also still available.

I have seen in the past Cuba and parts of Cuba being referred to as “The cradle of light rum”. This theme is now being used by Ron Santiago de Cuba.

As far as marketing is concerned I’m always a bit suspicious but in this instance I think it is an important distinction to make from a consumer point of view.

Cuban Rum is lighter in style than a lot of other rums. It is also rarely bottled above 40% ABV by domestic producers. A lot of people shy away from such rums. I don’t buy a great deal of them but I usually try to have some lighter rum kicking about. As far as possible I try to make sure these are “additive” free but there are never any guarantees, sadly.

In the glass Ron Santiago de Cuba Ron Extra Anejo 11 Anos is a dark brown almost mahogany coloured liquid with an orange hue.

On the nose I am getting quite lot of orange zest and some tangerine. Further nosing reveals some light spices, some subtle woody notes and some tobacco and leather arm chairs.

The nose is actually quite robust for 40% ABV. Whilst its not going to knock anyones socks off there is plenty there to be enjoyed. It is complex with notes of green apple, almonds, pistachio and some fennel.

It’s warm and inviting and nicely balanced.

As a sipper Ron Santiago de Cuba Ron Extra Anejo 11 Anos is initially quite sweet with toffee and caramel. I’m also getting some zesty notes of orange again. It’s warm and fruity. Further sips build on the sweeter profile with more of oak and spice coming into play particularly on the mid palate.

Tobacco, oak spices and leather become more prominent and bring a drier and smokier profile to the rum. Making it a much more complex and enjoyable sipper than the initial entry might suggest.

Coffee and toasted almonds come in alongside some dark chocolate and a touch of raisin as the rum progresses towards the finish line.

Finish wise it is quite long and has a nice complexity. At the same time maintaining a good balance. It fades out gently with a lingering sweetness which is balanced by some of the drier tobacco and oak notes.

If you are looking to explore the “lighter” side of rum. I would recommend this as a sipper. It’s quite easy going but at the same time has enough going on to remain interesting. The balance of this rum is really good.

It is suggested on the rear label that can be enjoyed “on the rocks, in a luxurious cocktail, or even straight”. I don’t tend to add ice to my rum (personal preference only).

I was a little surprised to see that the neat option for this rum wasn’t seen as the starting point though!

Sure this works great in things like an Old Fashioned but I think its best enjoyed on its own. Cigar optional I only smoke when I’m on fire……..

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Raising Glasses Puyuma Renaissance Distillery Cognac Cask Rum

Raising Glasses Puyuma Renaissance Distillery Cognac Cask Rum
Bythefatrumpirate March 17, 2026

Raising Glasses Puyuma Renaissance Distillery Cognac Cask Rum.

Renaissance Distillery continues to hold a near-mythical status among rum enthusiasts worldwide. Nestled in the lush, subtropical south of Taiwan, this small distillery has carved a niche for itself by producing bold, experimental rums.

Long fermentations with dunder, Charentais pot still distillation, and tropical aging in Taiwan’s heat create spirits that are intense, aromatic, and often challenging yet deeply rewarding. Most importantly, almost none of the bottles ever leave Taiwan, making any international release a sought-after treasure for collectors and connoisseurs alike.

The Puyuma Cognac Cask is one of the distillery’s latest single-cask ventures. Imported exclusively into the US of A by Raising Glasses. The release carries the evocative name “Puyuma”, honouring one of Taiwan’s original aboriginal tribes. Reflecting both heritage and the collaborative vision behind the project.

The base spirit is a molasses based rum. Fermented for 15 days with French West Indies yeast and Dunder before being distilled in a traditional Charentais pot still. This method should ensure a complex ester profile. So they tell us anyway!

Aged in Taiwan for a total of six years, Puyuma spent 3 years in Limousin New Oak before being finished in first-fill ex-Hennessy Cognac Casks for another 3 years. Bottled in 2024 at cask strength 67.1% ABV, the US release consisted of just 180 bottles. You can still pick up a bottle here. Though it doesn’t come cheap at $250.

The US doesn’t get as many Independent bottlings as Mainland Europe. So it’s a bit of a coup for them to be getting a slice of the Renaissance Distillery pie. As usual with a Renaissance Distillery the back label reads like a word cloud of geek rum heaven. Hopefully, you can zoom in on the photo if not its there on the Raising Glasses website.

Anyway lets get down to it….

In the glass, the rum presents a deep amber hue with reddish highlights, immediately signalling the influence of the Cognac cask and hinting at the richness of the flavours to come.

The nose is deeply inviting yet layered and complex. Dark fruits dominate at first plum, Black Cherry, and hints of Papaya. With tropical sweetness tempered by some warm spices. Clove, cinnamon, and Vanilla mingle with the fruit, while the oak influence adds some subtle woody notes.

On further nosing Herbal and nutty notes lurk beneath the surface. Compared to the Bordeaux cask Clouded Leopard the Cognac influence here is slightly less obvious.

On the sip Raising Glasses Puyuma Renaissance Distillery Cognac Cask Rum delivers a punch of fruity intensity at the outset. The Dark Fruit notes continue, now more focused: Plum, Cherry and a hint of stewed Redberries and Rhubarb dominate the experience. The Cognac cask imparts a nuttiness and mild oak spice that balances the Tropical fruit without dulling its vibrancy.

On the mid palate you get a touch of funkiness as well.

The finish is where the Cognac cask truly asserts itself. Long and warming. It leaves behind the lingering sweetness of fruit while introducing gentle oak tannins. There is a a soft, drying spice, Clove, Allspice, and faint Cinnamon (thankfully faint for me).

The Puyuma Cognac Cask is not an everyday sipper. Yet its accessibility is higher than some of the more aggressive pot-still bottlings: the Cognac cask provides balance.

Puyuma offers a glimpse into Renaissance’s creative range. It demonstrates how a high-proof Taiwanese rum can adapt to a refined finishing cask.

Another intriguing and interesting bottling.

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The Whisky Barrel 19 Year Old Caroni Berry Bros & Rudd 10th Anniversary

The Whisky Barrel 19 Year Old Caroni Berry Bros & Rudd 10th Anniversary
Bythefatrumpirate October 23, 2017October 23, 2017

The Whisky Barrel recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary. For those unfamiliar with The Whisky Barrel, it is an online retailer based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This 19 Year Old Caroni Rum is actually the fourth bottling in their 10th Anniversary series of whiskies and rums. For this bottling not only have TWB looked to an iconic closed distillery they have also worked with a very much alive and kicking independent bottler, in the shape of the legendary Berry, Bros & Rudd.

Presented here is a 19 Year Old Single Cask #165 of Caroni rum bottled 55% ABV. There are 310 bottles available in this rum and priced at £90 it is unlikely they will last very long!

Much like The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt, TWB’s main source of income is in whisky. However like the above mentioned they also have a more than decent stock of independently bottled rums. TWB have a particularly good selection of Hunter Laing’s Kill Devil range of rums. As well as their own bottlings. I reviewed a bottle of Rabbie’s Rum Uitvlugt recently.

Beyond the information on the bottle I don’t really have much to add. As the rum comes from Berrys Bros & Rudd stock I will guess that this Caroni will have been mostly European aged rather than aged in the tropics. This makes quite a difference to both the Angels Share and often the flavour. I won’t say one is better than the other as many more factors come into whether a rum is good or not.

Presentation wise the rum comes in a standard “bar” style bottle. The label is clear and uncluttered giving full credit to Berry Bros & Rudd for their part in the bottling. A nice quality cork stopper tops off the presentation. Minimal you could say but its still got more information on the label than some so called premium rums!

Releasing a Caroni Rum as part of a whisky sites 10th anniversary is quite a shrewd move. The Caroni style is suited to a Scotch Whisky drinker especially those who prefer peatier whiskies such as Islay Single Malts. Caroni is a heavy style of rum which can be quite challenging at times.

So without further ado lets take a look at the rum and see how good it is.

In the glass the Caroni 19 Year Old is a nice golden brown – it is not as dark as some other aged Caroni’s but it is darker than the Velier 12 Year Old I reviewed some time ago.

On the nose the rum is quite fruity. Quite a lot of zesty lemon and lime notes. The familiar musty and tar like Caroni notes are there but they are more in balance with other notes on the nose. Not overpowering the nose like with some other heavier Caroni rums. There is a sweetness – cloves, milk chocolate a hit of rum and raisin ice cream adding a boozy kick.

Even though the rum clocks in at 55% ABV the nose is relatively light – by Caroni standards anyway.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Caroni rum without a little bit of menace lurking. There is still a touch of shoe polish and tar in the nose but its very nicely balanced. It reminds me most of the Mezan 1999 Trinidad – though the extra heft in the ABV is certainly benefiting this bottling. The interaction with the oak and 19 years of ageing give a nice range of spicy notes as well.

Sipped the rum is initially quite sweet with a hit of toffee and a sharp intense bitter/sweet zesty note. It has an almost menthol like note on the palate and is very intense in terms of flavour. It has a slightly medicinal mouthfeel and sweet almost cough mixture like note. This is mixed with a musty, smokiness that any Caroni drinker will be familiar with.

It is a really intense, complicated sip. There is a lot going on with this – you definitely need to be taking small sips and savouring this one. It has a balance which sometimes can got a bit skew-wiff when it comes to Caroni.

This is probably the fruitiest Caroni I have tried, yet it still delivers that heavy Caroni style that is so popular.

The finish is long and spicy. Smoky, dry and very satisfying. This really is a great example of a European aged Caroni rum.

Also just looking at the price I really can’t see the 310 bottles lasting very long. It really is a huge bargain.

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Cacique 500 Extra Anejo Gran Reserva

Cacique 500 Extra Anejo Gran Reserva
Bythefatrumpirate March 30, 2017

Cacique is a rum brand from Venezuela. Home of Pampero and Santa Teresa. Produced by Destilerias Unidas S.A, (DUSA). The distillery best known for arguably the most recognisable Venezeulan rum brand – Diplomatico. The brand is now owned by industry giant Diageo. Quite what relevance Cacique 500 has I’ve been unable to find out? I guess it might be some kind of anniversary, perhaps.

Domestically Cacique is the best selling brand. It’s reach also goes as far as mainland Europe, in particular Spain. This rum and the younger Anejo are both very popular and readily available.

Presentation wise this is a very sexy rum. The opaque contoured bottle is great. As with many Central American rums it doesn’t have cork stopper it instead has a plastic cap with a diffuser in the neck.

The diffusor is to prevent the bottle being re-sold with cheap hooch replacing the rum. Which happens regularly in both bars and shops in some Central American countries apparently. You also get a nice but pretty thin card sleeve to keep the rum in.

This rum isn’t available from many outlets in the UK and it will cost you around £40 for a bottle. I’m pretty sure when I picked this up in Spain I paid less than 20 Euro for it.

This rum is a blend of rums aged up to 8 years. Information has been hard to come by. As far as I am aware it is a column distilled rum. Like Diplomatico they make claims that their rums are distilled in Pot Stills but there is precious little evidence of this in the profile of their rums. Sorry, but I’m pretty sure this is a column distilled rum.

Cacique as indicated by the Indian Chief picture is an Arawak Tribal Cheiftain. This rum is the “middle of the road” entry in the Cacique line up which comprises – Anejo, 500 Gran Reserva and Antiguo (which I have not seen in any store as yet).

With little further information to tell you all it is probably time to crack open the bottle and start the review process.

In the glass you get a very vibrant copper/gold coloured rum. The nose is quite sweet and very familiar. Caramel, toffee, some dark chocolate and a touch of coffee come to the fore. There is an overall light “buttery” element to the rum. It is quite floral and soft.

Lacking on the nose is any oak or evidence of ageing. It is likely the oldest rum in the blend is 8 years but a lot of the rum will be much younger. Rather than any oak it has quite a heavy hit of tobacco – similar to Havana Club 7. An aroma which I’m not all that stuck on to be honest. All in all, it smells a little sickly.

Sipped it is a very easy going, easy to drink rum. It is on the sweeter side. Maybe a notch or two higher than Santa Teresa 1796. It has minimal alcohol burn and once again it shows little signs of oak ageing. Not a very spicy rum – I’m not getting much feeling of interaction between the rum and the oak barrels it was matured in. None at all to be honest.

It tastes a little like milky coffee and dark chocolate mixed. For me it’s just to smooth. It doesn’t really do much in the mouth. The whole experience is a little muted. The finish is mostly just bitter with only a little spice. It’s not really all that terrible because as finishes go it is very brief.

There is not much unpleasant about this rum. I’m pleased that the sickly tobacco notes on the nose have not followed into the sip. Sadly, it is quite bland and kind of generic and very typical of the style.

Much like Santa Teresas Linaje (similar packaging as well) this is just very average. You would probably find yourself mixing this as much as you would sip. It makes passable if forgettable rum and cokes. I can’t really imagine it excelling in any kind of mix as it is so light.

It’s better than the sugar heavy DRE but there is just so much competition at its price point. I can’t really think of an argument to buy another bottle, other than it being extremely cheap when in Spain.

Easy going, easy drinking but at the same time safe and a little boring.

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Rum Sixty Six Aged 12 Years Cask Strength

Rum Sixty Six Aged 12 Years Cask Strength
Bythefatrumpirate November 10, 2017November 10, 2017

Rum Sixty Six was originally released a few years ago by Foursquare Distillery to celebrate Bajan independence gained in…..1966. Over the last 18 months to 2 years the distillery has had a real renaissance. A number of new expressions have been released that have intrigued and brought great praise from the rum world and beyond. Rum Sixty Six Cask Strength is another welcome addition.

Foursquare are very much the “hip” rum distillery at the moment. Master Distiller Richard Seale is one of the most recognized and regaled figures in the rum world. He is also a bit of a maverick and is in certain realms quite disliked. On a personal level Richard has always been very good to me. I like his honesty and straight talking. I agree with what he is doing to elavate the rum category alongside Luca Gargano. His views are factual and straight to the point. Unlike many others in the rum world……The video of the rum discussion at the Boutique Rum Festival in London this October is hilarious – just watching Richard’s face at times you feel his frustration.

Last year Mount Gay released a Cask Strength version of their flagship XO rum. That had a price tag which dwarfs what Richard is asking for this Cask Strength version of his 12 Year Old Rum Sixty Six. Rum Sixty Six Cask Strength will set you back around £45. It is bottled at a meaty 59% ABV. You are pretty much getting 1 litre of 40% spirit for your money. Like the 11 year old 2004 expression that proceeded this is priced very competitively.

In the glass, Rum Sixty Six Cask Strength is a classic golden brown. On rare occasions I think ahead and for the purpose of this review I will offer a more direct comparison to Rum Sixty Six and Foursquare’s other “all bourbon” aged offering – the 2016 Rum of the Year the 2004 Exceptional Casks release. So I’m placing it up there with some pretty stiff competition. Colour wise the two look fairly similar.

On the nose even despite the ABV Rum Sixty Six Cask Strength is surprisingly light and sweet. Familiar Vanilla and milk chocolate notes. Spicy but not overpowering notes from the Bourbon casks. It smells quite rich. That is probably the biggest difference I’m noticing between the Cask Strength Sixty Six and the 2004. The 2004 is slightly more aggressive, less “soft” the nose is a touch bigger. Maybe a touch more “mineral”.

I wouldn’t say one is better than the other. One is richer and warmer the other more “in your face” but we are talking pretty small margins here. Both are well balanced, well aged in the tropics and both are very much “Foursquare”

A sip of the Cask Strength Rum Sixty Six even at 59% ABV is a very tasty and intense experience. Small sips are your friend if you wish to enjoy this at full strength.

Over the past few years Foursquare have given me a masterclass in tasting various finishes in rum. Tasting and enjoying their rums over the past few years has enabled me to recognise more and more when things have been aged in different barrels. This is unmistakably a rum aged in the tropics in Bourbon barrels. Alpha Rum if you like.

It is a fairly sweet rum- light caramel and toffee, vanilla and banana initially. These lead onto a spicy but not too dry mid palate. Vibrant oak and spice notes mingle along side a little black pepper and some ginger.

Trying the 2004 alongside this rum I am noticing a slightly medicinal note in the 2004 which seems to make the mid palate and finish last a touch longer. There isn’t a huge difference between the two rums. The Rum Sixty Six is just a tiny bit more muted than the 2004. With a slightly smoother, richer taste.

Both rums have a really nice warming finish with plenty oak and spice. The 2004 may have the slightly longer finish but we really are perhaps beginning to split hairs. Not sure I could pick them out

You can bring the Rum Sixty Six Cask Strength down a little in ABV with a few drops of water but not too much its very drinkable even at a higher ABV. Just go steady on the sips.

I could have compared this to the original Rum Sixty Six but I couldn’t see much point in doing that. In many ways this is the very essence of what rum should be. Bear in mind the cask strength Mount Gay XO was £140……

Outstanding value. I really hope this becomes a staple of the Foursquare line up as its absolutely wonderful stuff.

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Bacardi Major Lazer Limited Edition

Bacardi Major Lazer Limited Edition
Bythefatrumpirate January 28, 2018

Bacardi Major Lazer. A Limited Edition rum from the Puerto Rican rum powerhouse. Prior to this review I had no idea who/what Major Lazer is/are. For some reason I pictured some kind of dancehall/reggae musician like Shaggy or Beanie Man. Quite why I have no real idea.

Major Lazer are (Wikipedia tells me) “an electronic music trio composed of record producer Diplo, and DJs Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. It’s music spans numerous genres, mixing reggae with dancehall, reggaeton, soca, house and moombahton (no clue either).”

So it turns out I wasn’t that far wrong. They are definitely not my bag music wise but they seem to be quite popular. Fortunately I’m not require to have my finger on the pulse of Electronic music and “virtual” bands to keep this blog going. So we’ll switch our focus back on to this rum.

In all honesty the “Limited Edition” notation on this rum is probably a lot less limited than us in the rum community are used to. When we refer to limited we can get down to literally just a few hundred bottles of a single cask rum. I’m more than sure that this release will have more bottles than a lot of producers “standard” out turn of their commercially available product.

I wasn’t expecting to find a bottle of this in the UK. However, Amazan had stocks of it and it was priced at £20 for a 40% ABV 70cl bottle. Using the new(ish) Bacardi presentation the rum is presented in the tall bar style bottle with a modern black and gold colour scheme. Other than Amazon I haven’t seen this for sale in the UK at all.

The rear label is actually a recipe for a cocktail “The Mississippi Rum Punch” but it has been stuck over and existing label. The glue is too strong for me to pull it off and read the label beneath – its just tearing both. The Revenue and Customs sticker is also not incorporated into the label which makes me think Amazon have merely got a limited stock of this rum. I don’t think an official UK release will be forthcoming.

Curiosity got the better of me though and I thought £20 wasn’t a bad price to pay. Bacardi get a hard time. They are an easy target – a bit like Don Papa became around a year or so ago. I’ve never been astounded by Bacardi but at the same time the rum that gets knocked the most the White Superior is actually a lot better than some of the “trendy” whites that get hype in certain circles. I’ve no real issue with Bacardi I don’t think they offer a bad product for the price. The only issue I have is that once you go past the Bacardi 8 you no longer get much value for money.

The label states – A Partnership between Bacardi and Major Lazer “The sound of rum is more than music – it’s a cultural movement join us as we make the world smaller by making the party bigger” Ok so what do we actually have in the glass once all the “hype” is forgotten about? Well the other side of the label states the following

Crafted between our Maestro de Ron & Major Lazer

“This Limited Edition is a rich blend of 3 year old Amber rums filtered before and after Tropical Ageing – Embodies notes of Tropical Fruit, Cedar and Vanilla with a warm silky finish”

Which if you have been reading Bacardi’s latest “opinion” on the Gargano Classification shows how they wish to present rum. No reference given to the fact the rum is produced on column stills.

An additional piece of information on the rum is that is has been imported from Puerto Rico – so it is not the juice from the Bahamas (unless it was only bottled in Puerto Rico).

All the information I have provided on the actual rum (other than the column distilled part) are on the bottle so I haven’t had to dig around. Fair play to Bacardi.

In the glass this three year old blend has clearly been coloured. It’s that familiar “rum” colour we expect to see of our “gold” or “amber” rums. Once again you can’t give Bacardi too much stick for this as nearly all producers are guilty of the offence.

It’s a dark brown colour with flashes of yellow/gold. The nose is familiar. Its not unpleasant and recognisable as a Bacardi product. Light, slightly floral, with wafts of what I can only describe of sweet tobacco. There is a nice aroma of vanilla and some young vibrant wood – its notes cedar on the bottle so we’ll go with that. There’s even a little bit of minty bubblegum towards the end giving it a freshness.

It’s nowhere near as boozy as the Bacardi Gold or Carta Oro. Luckily its not as thin and insipid as the Reserva Limitada. It’s still got a bit of beef to its, overall softer profile.

Travel Retail or Duty Free isn’t really the greatest place to try rums. However, the Bacardi Reserva which has been floating around Airport retail for some years is a rare exception. Reasonably priced, whilst at the same time interesting and complex enough to mix and sip. If I had been given this rum blind I would have assumed, almost immediately it was that bottling.

Now as a sipper this isn’t brilliant. Some of the notes on the nose do not carry through to the tasting. It’s a touch to “nice” even with the relative youth of the rum blend. It’s reasonably sweet with nice vanilla but its the oak and tobacco that lift it. It works really well in a Cuba Libre with lots of crushed ice and lime. It’s a really good “rum and coke” rum.

Marketing gimmicks and all that nonsense aside this is a really good value product from Bacardi. I don’t know how close it is to the actual Bacardi Reserva, but it is definiteily giving me a very similar impression. It’s the most Cuban tasting of their rums I have tried thus far.

I’m really enjoying this rum and at the price I don’t think you can knock it at all.There is a touch of sugar/additives at 8g/L which is maybe smoothing the edges out but it works and is not detrimental to the overall experience.

I’ve already Amazon-ed another bottle. I’ve a few more expensive “Latin” style rums up for review that cost three times this. They aren’t as good as this.

Knock it when you’ve tried it is what I would say for this one. A “Major” surprise. Maybe Foursquare Distillery will release an Inspiral Carpets inspired rum one day….

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