Phraya Deep Matured Gold Rum. This is a rum from Thailand. My previous experiences with Thai rum have been largely underwhelming, with the so-so SangSom and the frankly strange concoction that was Mekhong. Technically Mekhong isn’t really a rum – it is often sold as Thai Whisky. Weird stuff nonetheless no matter what you call it.

Phraya is a rum which has been released by the same producer of SangSom Co. Ltd. Presentation wise Phraya pulls out all the stops and will no doubt appeal to the pretty bottle brigade. Strong branding and a luxury feel with the gold labelling and design. Phraya is an old Thai word which refers to a person who has had great honour bestowed upon them by the king.

The tall sleek bottle is topped with a medium-sized cork stopper. When the bottle is fun the writing on the label is quite easy to read – it’s not so good when its empty though. Phraya is not currently easily available in the UK. You can find it in the EU though expect to pay around £50 for a 70cl bottle. It has been bottled at a standard 40% ABV. Phraya was released in 2011. At a time when people were learning more about exactly what made up a “premium” rum.

The brand has a website which is every bit as flashy as the bottle. You do get a bit more information on the rum other than that on the bottle but I’m still missing a few details. I assume it is a molasses based rum and in the absence of any confirmation I suspect it was produced on a multi column still.

In fairness to them the type of person who will be sucked into buying this type of product will be happy with the flashy website, bottle and fairy tales. And yes I did buy my bottle………ahem.

On the rear of the bottle we learn a little more about the “Deep Matured” technique. Fire, Earth, Air and Water. The barrels the rums are aged in are “Fired” (charred I take that as meaning), Earth refers to the sugarcane grown locally in Nakhom, Pathom Province and Air is because the rum is aged for over cool water lagoons. Finally, Water is the local water used in the production of the rum.

The rums are blended together and are aged between 7 to 12 years. In the charred barrels previously mentioned.

In the glass Phraya is a “typical” golden/dark brown rum colour. It may or may not, have been coloured with a spot of e150 but it’s not stupidly dark.

Nosing Phraya is quite a pleasant experience. It’s very nutty – honey roasted peanuts and cashew nuts. These aromas mingle alongside some light toffee and caramel notes. Think Werthers Originals. It’s very light and easy going. There is a light oak spice to it but nothing aggressive is jumping out at me.

The butterscotch note if I am being honest (and I always am) seems a little bit fake. Phraya doesn’t strike me as being entirely rum and water in this bottle. It’s not a terribly confected nose but it does remind me of rums such as Dictador or say India’s Old Monk. Not in terms of flavour but there is something there which just isn’t quite right.

This is noticeable on the sip as well. If this has been aged for 7 to 12 years in charred oak barrels, then it is very light in terms of oak spice and flavour in general. It has a pleasant nutty and buttery taste to it with wafts of confected sugary toffee and little else. The little “bite” there is, is only just a touch of woody oak. A tiny hint of spices but after a few more sips it largely disappear into nothing.

The mid palate and finish are pretty short. The finish is insipid and just disappears into a tiny alcohol burn. Well a tingle anyway. This is all a bit thin and uninspiring.

Phraya is really easy to drink and if you just want a simple pour, then it’s perfectly acceptable. Unfortunately, you’re paying £50 for this and you could get a fairly easy-going rum from Barbados for less than £25. Which does the same thing overall (probably a bit better) and doesn’t have the slightly confected butterscotch like note. Heck you could get Cockspur 5 star for less around £15 if you want something light and easy to drink!

Curiously, the Hydrometer notes this doesn’t have additives. I’m pretty sure it does though, as there is something just a bit too smooth about the overall profile and mouthfeel of this rum. The sweet notes are confected and  too pronounced for me to be just “rum”.

Overall this doesn’t taste terrible.  It’s not a huge sugary mess but it is very light and it’s just too expensive for what it offers. I got this fairly cheap at an auction so I have mixed most of my bottle. I’ve sipped it when my palate is a bit tired and I want something a bit simpler.

Not something I would try again unless the price was halfed. As the score suggests – very average.