Raising Glasses Jablesse Trinidad 21 Year Old. I’m reviewing another bottling from US Independent bottler Raising Glasses today. This was originally released in 2024 and is now sold out.

I’m reviewing it as I haven’t reviewed a rum from Trinidad Distillers Limited as old as this before. So I am unfamiliar with such rums. I’ve also noted it has been given some good reviews. Even getting a 96/100 from Malt Runners. So I am curious to see just how good this offering is……

My opinion/experience of Trinidad Distillers has perhaps been tainted a little by the offerings from their own flagship brand Angostura, which are at best underwhelming and at their worst downright awful.

Raising Glasses Jablesse Trinidad 21 Year Old is a Single Cask Rum. It is noted as being a TML “marque”. This is not a marque used by Trinidad Distillers. It is a marque used by the Main Rum Company. For those who do not know, Main Rum Company are one of the biggest rum brokers in the world. They often give rums a marque in this case TML stands simply for Trinidad Main Light.

Now this would suggest the marque will be a “light” rum. Much like the rum marques attributed to Jamaican rums, I will take this with a pinch of salt. Main Rum Company also have a Trinidad Main Angostura (TMAL) and a Trinidad Main Angostura Heavy (TMAH).

Commentary online has suggested that the TML marque doesn’t really guarantee a particular profile and it certainly doesn’t indicate a “light” rum. Certainly not by TDL/Angostura standards.

The Jablesse is a mythical figure in Trini folklore and is known by various names, most commonly La Diablesse.

Raising Glasses Jablesse Trinidad 21 Year Old was released in 375ml bottles and was priced $80 on its release, in the US only. The rum was bottled at 61.4% ABV. It is a molasses based rum which was produced on a column still. It was distilled in 2023 aged for 15 years on Trinidad before being transferred to Main Rum Company for a further 6 years ageing in the UK.

There is no mention of the casks used. I am assuming that it has enjoyed ex-bourbon cask ageing – with a change in cask when transferred to Main Rum Company.

In the glass the rum certainly shows its age with a dark brown profile.

On the nose it is initially quite oak and vanilla/bourbon forward. As with the colour you immediately know this has been long aged.

Familiar “biscuit” and shortbread notes come through adding further sweetness alongside the vanilla. Its sweet but not sweetened.

Further nosing reveals a slightly more industrial note – we aren’t talking Caroni levels but there is a touch of tar and tobacco.

Surprisingly there is quite a lot of fruitiness coming through. Its slightly medicinal though so notes of Raspberry , Orange Peel and some Banana but with a kind of cough mixture note to them.i

Beneath this there are notes of pencil shavings.

All in all it is certainly one of the most interesting TDL noses I have tried thus far.

Sipped at the full ABV it is surprisingly approachable. Its fiery but no overtly so.

The initial sip reveals a good hit of spicy oak which leads into a mixture of custard and flavoured cough syrup. Its medicinal but not overpowering the oak and bourbon notes mingle nicely alongside.

The mid palate reveals more spicy oak and some dark fruits. The sweeter elements retreat slightly.

The finish is long and very enjoyable. Oak Spices mingle with raisins, at touch of tobacco and some leathery notes. The medicinal cough mixture notes give it an added complexity and a bit of a kick.

All in all a very enjoyable and surprisingly complex column still rum. Much better than any official TDL bottlIng I have had so far.