Rhum Depaz Rhum Vieux Agricole Hors D’Age Port Cask Finish

Bythefatrumpirate

Rhum Depaz Rhum Vieux Agricole Hors D'Age Port Cask Finish Review by the fat rum pirateRhum Depaz Rhum Vieux Agricole Hors D’Age Port Cask Finish. Rhum Depaz are an Agricole Rhum producer from the French West Indies.

More specifically they hail from the island of Martinique. Rhum Agricole from Martinque can be produced in line with the AOC. The AOC – Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) is the French equivalent to EU’s Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is one of the geographical indications defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. The law ensures that only products genuinely originating in that region are allowed to be sold as such. The purpose of the law is to protect the reputation of the regional foods, eliminate the unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products. Which may be of inferior quality or differ wildly to the original product.

Rather than re-create more content I would urge you to investigate here for more information on the AOC designation.

Rhum Depaz is produced using solely Blue Sugar Cane. It is noted that Blue Cane has a higher sugar level and is “heralded” for its intense flavour profile. It is noted as being the most expensive and difficult sugar cane to grow. The sugar cane is harvested once a year at the Depaz Plantation and the production of Rhum Depaz from Cane to bottle is undertaken in-house.

Depaz Distillery is situated in the North West of Martinique at the foot of a volcanic mountain – Mount Pelee.

For review today we have Rhum Depaz Rhum Vieux Agricole Hors D’Age Port Cask Finish. The rhum comes in a stubby bottle with a cork enclosure. Presentation wise as with most aged agricoles its impressively packaged and you get a card box to store your rhum in when you aren’t quaffing it. Retail wise I have seen this rhum selling anywhere from £75 to £85 online. So you would be wise to shop around for this.

Rhum Depaz Rhum Vieux Agricole Hors D’Age Port Cask Finish has been aged for 8 years in small oak barrels before being transferred to ex Port casks and matured for a further 11 months. It is bottled at 45% ABV.

The nose is interesting. Soft and fruity. A lot of red grape and a touch of bubblegum. Further nosing reveals a quite oaky as opposed to grassy Agricole style of rhum. It is very well balanced. Notes of figs, blackcurrants and cranberry make an appearance.

It is quite a mellow, well balance nose. It is not hugely complex but you can certainly feel the added fruitiness afforded by the second maturation in Port casks. There is a zesty orange peel lurking in the nose as well.

Sipped this is quite an unusual tasting Agricole rhum. The sweeter notes on the nose have faded slightly giving more familiar notes of grassiness but they never overwhelm the more delicate notes of this rhum. The initial sip gives a burst of red currants and peach. There are notes of vanilla and some white chocolate mingling alongside some very nice zesty orange peel – which has carried through from the nose.

The mid palate has a lovely balance of oak and vanilla. It has a blackcurrant crumble feel to it – stewed winter fruits and some really nice buttery notes of biRhum Depaz Rhum Vieux Agricole Hors D'Age Port Cask Finish review by the fat rum piratescuit and cream. Some nuttiness as well puts in an appearance.

The finish is quite long – yet mellow with the fruitier Port like notes taking over alongside the orange zest and some nice woody notes. It fades out nicely leaving behind a nice oaky Agricole like flavour. Another sip and you are back the with fruity notes.

This is definitely a rhum which could appeal to more seasoned molasses based rum drinkers. It is not as sweet as Foursquare’s Port Cask (I know someone will ask) the Port Cask finish is a bit more subtle. The balance of the two are similar though. This is a really nice sipper.

I’m very fond of this.

 

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  • Flor de Cana Centenario 12

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Flor De Cana 12 Year Old Rum Review NicaraguaFlor de Cana (Sugar Cane Flower) are a well known and well respected rum producer from Nicaragua, Central America.  This rum is slow aged for 12 years and bottled by Campana Licorera de Nicaragua.  UK distribution of the rum is handled by Amathus Drinks PLC www.amathusdrinks.co.uk.  Whom procure a number of more exotic spirit offerings.The Centenario 12 is bottled at 40% ABV and I obtained a 70cl bottle which cost a little over £40 in the UK.

    The bottle itself as seen in the picture is flat faced, short and squat (a bit like the reviewer).  Although the enclosure looks like a cork it is in fact a plastic screw top with (unusually for the UK market) a diffuser lurking beneath.  I found this a bit of surprise for what is marketed as a premium rum.  It’s also a pain in the ass!  The rum is housed in a very elegant felt and card box which gave the rum a bit of WOW factor on the shelf.  Overall the presentation is good, the labelling is clear and uncluttered and the colour scheme is consistent between bottle and presentation box.  The Flor De Cana range will shortly be having a bit of a makeover and the bottles will take on a slightly more modern twist.  I think this is a bit of a shame as I find the bottle has a bit of a old world charm about it.  It looks very Central/Southern American.  The new style looks much more European.  See picture below.

    I usually review my rum’s quite quickly after getting them (though I have learned not to do so after just one tasting).  Unfortunately despite ordering the photo shoot by my photographer a few months ago (okay my wife takes the pictures in our back room) I never got round to reviewing this rum.  There were reasons for this which I will explain more as I go through the reviewing process.

    So onto the rum and how it looks in the bottle and the glass.  As you can see from the picture the rum is both a beautiful golden brown in the bottle and the glass.  The nose is full of sweet caramel, toffee-apple and a gentle mix of spices.  There is very little astringency or “booze” noted in the nose.  It’s indeed like a Sugar Cane Flower.  Sweet and light almost floral.  All upto now is going very well and I’m looking forward to tasting the rum.

    A sip reveals a very smooth yet spicy rum.  There is very little burn it tingles on the lips and tongue for a long time. It is a long finish.  The spicy heat gives way to a bitter after taste which remains in the mouth for a long time.  The caramel and toffee so prominent on the nose seem to disappear.  I was expecting a much sweeter profile but all I am getting is a smooth yet bitter taste on my palate.  It reminds me a little of a single malt whisky, as it’s also quite dry.  From the nose the rum isn’t quite what I was expecting.  One of the reasons I have put off reviewing this spirit is that the reviews I have read have pointed out its consistency through nosing and sipping.  Yet I find myself  experiencing the opposite what smelt sweet and fruity has now become very spicy and bitter.  I’m a little puzzled so I’m going to add a little ice.  This may give way to some of the sweet flavours and notes of vanilla etc other reviews have spoken of.

    The ice levels out the bitterness a little but it doesn’t introduce any further flavours to my palate.  Unlike the Cuban and Dominican syle rums the Flor De Cana doesn’t have that strange buttery petrol/tobacco taste in fact it isn’t very oaky and smoky at all.  I suspect the chocolate references must be in relation to the bitterness.  Personally I would say this is more a cocoa like profile than chocolate (even very dark chocolate).  The ice cube also helps with the dryness of the finish leaving it much less whisky like.Flor 2

    The problem is I feel not that I have necessarily been swayed by the sweeter sipping rums such as Diplomatico, La Hechicera, El Dorado (well this may be part of the problem) or even Pyrat XO, it’s more the fact that the UK has such an obsession with dark fruity inexpensive blended rums.  These rums such as Skipper, Lambs, OVD and Watson’s are usually blended with a good chunk of Demerara Rum, which is as sweet as honey.  The cold climate of the UK means that more often than not we are drinking rum in quite large measures just to keep the cold out! Sipping a half pint of some super expensive 25 year old Bajan hand bottled super rum is simply economical.  I’m afraid our tastes are just a little bit sweeter the rum drinkers of the UK.  Think about it logically if we weren’t rum drinkers it would be whisky.

    I always said that these rum reviews would be based solely on my personal preference.  So once again this is a review which many will disagree with.  That is absolutely fine.  Please do not EVER take these reviews as anything more than my own personal taste.

    Anyway disclaimer over I’ll do what any self respecting Englishman would do…………Mix my rum with a wash of cola!  It works okay to be honest but at £40 a bottle I don’t really want to be drinking a rum that expensive that way.  It’s still quite bitter.

    My final scoring reflects the fact that I am 100% aware this is a very decent, well made and crafted rum.  However, the score also takes into account that I could personally spend my £40 on a rum(s) I would enjoy more.

    2 stars

     

     

    Flor De Cana rum is available from

    THEDRINKSHOP

     

     

  • Mount Gay Extra Old Reserve Cask Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Mount Gay Extra OldMount Gay Extra Old or XO as they seem to have re-branded it.  For those in the know Mount Gay Extra Old is often known as MGXO.  The XO notation on the Mount Gay is pretty standard across the rum and spirits industry to denote an aged spirit (without actually noting how old it is!).

    As the Mount Gay Distillery is the oldest official distillery in the world established 1703 as the label denotes, I don’t think we need to worry too much about the heritage and authenticity of the contents of this Extra Old rum.

    The more established distilleries use labels such as XO because they cannot guarantee the exact blend of rum’s which will be used in every batch of rum produced.  Each cask will be different and the skill in making rum “uniform” comes in the shape of the master blender.

    The master blender at Mount Gay is in the shape of Allen Smith who has been with the distillery over 20 years.  Again this adds a guarantee as to what you will get in the glass.

    Mount Gay have recently re-branded their bottles and introduced a few new lines in the shape of Black Barrel and a few limited edition cask finish editions have also appeared.

    The new presentation of the Mount Gay Extra Old Cask Reserve Rum is in keeping with the Eclipse (Mount Gay’s entry level offerings).  The bottle is slightly shorter and rounder.  It also has a very nice cork stopper.  Like the Eclipse the MGXO has Mount Gay Distilleries etched into the glass of the bottle, as pictured.MGXO Mount Gay Extra Old Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    I like the presentation of the MGXO and I also like the robust card sleeve which the rum is housed in.  It isn’t cheap and flimsy and gives some nice information regarding the heritage of MGXO.  Things like cork stoppers and cardboard sleeves may seem slightly superfluous but sometimes they can be very important when deciding which rum to take to the counter and buy.

    Another nice touch regarding the MGXO is the product of Barbados seal on the lid of the cork.  It’s very nice and like the green Guarantia labels on Havana Club adds a little extra bit of authenticity to proceedings.

    Mount Gay Exra OldMGXO is very highly regarded amongst the rum fraternity yet is often overlooked by rum snobs and the new breed of rum drinkers who have been influenced by “Premium” and “Super Premium” rums.  MGXO is available for around £35-40 in the UK for a 70cl bottle and it is 43% ABV (slightly higher than most but not uncommon amongst the longer aged Bajan rums).

    As mentioned earlier the rum does not have an age statement.  The website states it is a blend of rums aged between 8 and 15 years.  I personally have no problem with this.  It has been suggested the quality of this rum has diminished over the years due to the competitive nature of the rum market and the aggressive advertisting used by Diageo and the huge tax subsidies afforded to the likes of Diageo.  Nevertheless at the £35-40 price point I do not feel I am being conned.  Age wise this is still a decent rum for your money.

    So on with the tasting.  I have deliberately been trying Jamaican and Bajan rums recently.  Before publishing reviews on staples such as Appleton Reserve (8 Year Old) and R L Seale’s 10 Year Old I felt I had to have a good feel for those kind of rum’s.  I Mount Gay Extra Old Rum review by the fat rum piratealso enjoyed revisiting a few (Appleton VX).  In light of my impressions with this rum I have also decided to revist Mount Gay Eclipse.  I have found in time that a few of my initial impression on rum have changed.

    In the glass the rum exhibits itself to be a lot lighter than in the bottle.  However it still shows to be a lot darker than the Eclipse.  It is a nice dark reddish brown colour.  Nicely aged.

    The nose is very fruity.  Raisin, prunes and currants with a little banana and some tropical fruits a little pineapple perhaps.  There is good evidence of ageing on the nose with nice woody notes.  There is still a very spirit like smell present but it is nothing in comparison to the Eclipse.

    As part of the nosing (and tasting process) I also tried the R L Seale’s and Captain Bligh XO.  Of the three rums I found Mount Gay to be in the middle in terms of fruit aroma’s.  It was also in the middle in terms of oaked notes.  Captain Bligh has a slightly more fruity sherried approach (much like Doorly’s XO).  R L Seale’s more complex and woody to the nose with fruit only intermittently coming through.

    Tastewise I found the Mount Gay to be very nice and quite easy going despite the 43% ABV.  Whilst an ice cube wasn’t necessary due to the smoothness of the spirit I found it opened it up a little.  I also found leaving the rum on the radiator for a short while enhanced it (especially on a freezing English winter afternoon).  The rum does have a slightly sherried taste with strong fruit flavours.  It is spicy especially on the finish and a little bit short.  It’s not quite as dry or oaky as R L Seale’s but it is close in terms of overall profile.

    I’ve found it really difficult splitting R L Seale’s, MGXO and Captain Bligh XO.  In terms of presentation it is a two horse race between Seale’s odd ball offering and Mount Gay’s more contemporary approach.  However, I don’t really give marks to the presentation (it might overall influence things subconsciously).  In terms of taste I found MGXO to be slightly more to my taste’s than R L Seale’s.  The difference however wasn’t enough for an extra mark or half mark!

    Mount Gay Extra Old Rum review by the fat rum pirateIn terms of my taste test I probably should have brought Cockspur 12 or even Doorly’s XO or Rum Sixty Six into the proceedings.  Thing is these Bajan rum’s due to the fact they cannot be altered are quite similar.  Much like the Jamaican and Demerara rum’s you get a very definite feel about these Bajan style rum’s.  In all honesty in a blind taste test I would probably struggle to guess them apart.

    MGXO is smooth, complex rum which is definitely best enjoyed without cola (if you want a Bajan mixer Cockspur Fine Rum has no equal).  It is without doubt an excellent rum which anyone who is serious about rum should seek out.

    However, in my scoring I found personally found a little extra something in the Captain Bligh XO (not even a Bajan but very similar in style).  Still MGXO come’s very highly recommended.  It is a beautiful well balanced classic rum.

    A must try

    4 stars

     

     

    This rum is available from

    THEDRINKSHOP

  • Rhum Depaz Rhum Hors D’Age Agricole XO

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Rhum Depaz Rhum Hors D'Age Agricole XO Rum review by the fat rum pirateRhum Depaz Rhum Hors D’Age Agricole XO. Or we could call it the Grande Reserve XO. Either way this is one of the top rums in the Depaz range. Rhum Depaz hail from the French Island of Martinique. Rhum Depaz produce their agricole rhum in line with the AOC Martinique guidelines. So its “full on” agricole rhum if you like.

    Rhum Depaz also make a distinction between their agricole rhum and that of others producers, due to the variety of sugar cane used. They state on their website that they use seasonally (Spring) harvested blue sugar cane. This means that production of all Depaz rhum is limited. All elements of the production, through to the bottling is performed at the Depaz Estate, St Pierre. The estate has been harvesting sugar cane since 1651.

    Rhum Depaz Rhum Hors D’Age Agricole XO in a blend of rhums aged between 8 and 10 years. Distilled, as is usually the case with agricole on column stills. I can’t find any information on the casks used for ageing so I will guess at French Oak. If you know different please let me know!

    Rhum Depaz have recently re-branded all their rums and put them in the squat stubby bottle you see above. A quality cork enclosure and a cardboard sleeve to store the rhum is provided, in what is a very nice package overall. A bottle in the UK should see you parting with around £75. It is bottled at a very reasonable 45% ABV.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the Port Cask Rhum Depaz Rhum Vieux Agricole Hors D’Age so I have high hopes for this bottling.

    When poured Rhum Depaz Rhum Hors D’Age Agricole XO is a golden brown colour with tinges of orange and red.

    Nosing, reveals sweet aromas of orange, light toffee and caramel. There is a nice slightly peppery note which moves into an almost bourbon like spicy zestiness. Notes of licorice and some cranberry also put in an appearance.

    Nose wise this is a very light fruity rhum with very little grassiness. It’s not very “vegetal” on the nose at all.

    Sipped you get a slightly “heavier” rhum than you might have expected from the nose. It’s still not at all grassy or vegetal. It actually has quite a dry entry with a lot of spicy charred oak and some slightly burnt toffee notes – cinder toffee perhaps. The fruitiness takes a back seat on the initial entry but the mid palate sees a return – stoned fruits and some fresh stem ginger.

    Rhum Depaz Rhum Hors D'Age Agricole XO Rum review by the fat rum pirateFinish wise, it is quite dry and slightly peppery. This is the part where you will notice this rhum agricole the most. It leaves a grassy almost vegetal note lingering on the palate.

    Further sips reveal some notes of milky tea and a slightly smoky note, alongside the bitter charred oak. Luckily it has sufficient sweetness to balance the rum overall.

    Like Rhum J.M XO this is not a very grassy agricole rhum. It is likely to appeal to the palate of a molasses rum drinker as much as an agricole fan. The rhum has a really nice balance to it. May be at times it’s slightly too dry, to be perfect but I am nit-picking a little. It is certainly one of the best aged rhum agricoles I have tried to date.

    A nice mix of fruitiness, complexity and balance. Great stuff.

     

     

     

  • Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria review by the fat rum pirate Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria. I have deviated from the true title of this bottling slightly so not to confuse English readers, who may not have a second language. The true title of this rum is Ananas Victoria. Which is the word more commonly used around the rest of the world, for what us English speakers call the Pineapple.

    I remember seeing a post on Facebook a while back highlighting how, just about every language aside from English and Spanish, uses Ananas or a close variant on the word.

    Anyway, enough of my anecdotes lets look at what we have with this bottling from Guadeloupe producer Damoiseau. Rhum Arranges literal translation into English is “Rum Re-Arranged”. It is not a regular rum and it can’t really be classed as a flavoured rum either due to the lower ABV. Rhum Arrange is often noted as being a digestif or aperitif or even a liqueuer. It is versatile and can be served in a number of different ways.

    Rhum Arranges are extremely popular in France and the French speaking islands. Macerating molasses rum with fresh fruit is not as widespread as it is in the Agricole world. What we have here is white unaged Agricole Rhum from Damoiseau, which has been macerated in the bottle with Freshly Cut Victoria Pineapples and a pod or two of Vanilla.

    Now you could regard this as a gimmick. However, as mentioned it is extremely popular. As far as ageing is concerned this is not an aged rhum. The white rhum is fresh unaged Agricole Rhum. The maceration period – well when you buy the bottle it still has the fruit in it, so it will still be active and will still be adding flavour to the rhum. The fruit used is hand picked and hand bottled at Damoiseau. It is quite different to our previous Damoiseau review their Millesime 1995.

    Traditionally Rhum Arranges hails from the French Oversea’s Territory of Reunion Island – a nation currently earning high praise for it’s own take on Agricole Rhums,  “Grand Arome” from Savanna.

    Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria is being imported into the UK along with the other regular Damoiseau rhums by Skylark Spirits. They were promoting Les Arranges at various Rum Festivals throughout the UK last year, obviously this year has been more challenging but the team have put together various online virtual tastings Damoiseau Les Arranges review by the fat rum pirateand Rum Festivals, to help promote this and the other r(h)ums in their portfolio.

    Damoiseau Les Arranges Pineapple Victoria is presented in clear stubby rounded bottle with a short neck, with a chunky cork stopper. You can clearly see the fruit in the bottle. It is presented at 30% ABV (hence why we cannot call it a Flavoured Rum – ABV is below 37.5%) and retails at £41.95 over at Master of Malt. Alternatively Drinks Supermarket are also stocking it and if you type in the code “FATRUMPIRATE” you will receive a 10% discount until 31 August.

    In the glass we have a yellow spirit a shade or two more “yellow-y” than straw or white wine. The nose is very sweet with lots of pineapple. It smells like a diluted Pineapple squash with a hint of soft vanilla. There is a slight note of the agricole rhum beneath the pineapple – though I may just be imagining this because I know it’s there. A very slight grassy note when you nose a little deeper. Nothing like covering your schnozz in Pineapple first thing of a morning……….

    Aside from the Pineapple and Vanilla aromas you do still get a good boozy aroma on the nose. The Pineapple does dominate though, but it’s very nice juicy, fresh tasting Pineapple. None of the anemic undersized shite we get in our supermarkets. It does taste authentic – this is Fresh Pineapple Juice not sugary concentrate. The sweetness is all natural from the fruit. The vanilla pod seems to add a little extra refinement and a touch of complexity. An extra dash of sweetness.

    As this is at a fairly low ABV there is little by way of burn. Having decent rhum at the heart of this will also help in that respect. Despite that it still has a reasonable length to the finish. The fade out of the Pineapple is enjoyable and it has just a bit of a kick from the rhum to keep things interesting. I confess I’ve added a bit of Damoiseau 50% ABV to the mix for a couple of my drinks. The extra oomph is very nice I must say.

    You can’t taste a whole load of the Agricole Rhum at the heart of this drink. However, there is a slightly grassy/floral note at the back of the throat and despite only being 30% you still get a bit of a boozy kick married alongside the Pineapple flavour.

    You can’t argue with what this does. It delivers flavours of Pineapple and Vanilla nicely.Damoiseau Les Arranges review by the fat rum pirate Very nicely in fact. It is dangerously drinkable (even more so with more Agricole added). I would probably like to see a higher ABV variant on this one. This might allow more of the agricole notes to flow through. That isn’t the intention of this though. It’s meant to taste of Pineapple. Not everyone is a rabid boozehound or a pisspot like me needing a huge boozy hit…….

    For a bartender this kind of drink will prove very useful, as I would imagine a small amount of this will deliver a hefty kick of pineapple in a cocktail. It works great neat (or on the rocks if you insist), or with soda water/lemonade. As pictured you can also get a Mango and Passion fruit edition as well.

    A very nice refreshing drink. Not rum as strictly decreed by the EU but rummy enough for a review.

     

  • Grander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Grander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateGrander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years. I haven’t reviewed a great deal of Panamanian (should we just call it Panama?) rum recently. To be honest it is not a country whose rum excites me nowadays.

    Unfortunately (and as my Hydrometer tests support) you can never quite rely on what you might be getting in your bottle. From mythical distilleries to very loud protestations that any additives have been used by ageing Master Blenders – despite scientific evidence to show otherwise. I never quite trust what I might be getting in a bottle of Panama rum.

    That is not to say that Panama rum is particularly bad per se. It’s light Spanish/Latin style is approachable and easy drinking. It’s just not terrible exciting and I find most of it quite homogenised. The reality is most of it comes out of the same huge alcohol plant, so that is perhaps to be expected.

    However, there are times when I see something which piques my interest.

    Grander Panama Rum has been around for a few years now. The first sounds I heard about Grander came from the US. Now I find the US appreciation of rum and spirits etc to be slightly more, shall we say “positive” than that of a European audience. Much of the reviews, I saw of this product came from “Spirits” Reviewers rather than dedicated Rum Experts or Enthusiasts.

    That said what rely got me interested in trying Grander Panama Rum was a combination their claims of “no additives” and a largely positive review from Ivar de Laat over at Rum Revelations, who rarely has anything good to say about “Spanish” style rums. He didn’t rave over this but he seemed to feel it was solid enough.

    Grander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years is produced at Las Cabras Distillery, which is often termed as “Don Pancho’s” distillery. You can read the back story on this here.

    Las Cabras Distillery produces rum from locally grown sugar cane molasses. Fermentation takes place using a proprietory yeast strain. Fermentation lasts between 24 and 72 hours. Grander rums are produced on a 4 column multi still. This still(s) can produced light to heavy marques of rum.Grander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateGrander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years rum review by the fat rum pirate

    Ageing of Grander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years takes place in ex-bourbon barrels some of which have been noted as being “sherry seasoned”. The Grander website notes that some of these barrels previously held Sherry. For more information on Sherry Seasoned casks please read here. I am assuming that the casks were seasoned rather than had sherry age/mature in them.

    The Grander Rum website is quite good and has a fair amount of information on it. A lot of which I have used in this review. Should you wish to read a bit more about Grander then please check it out here.

    In the UK distribution of Grander Panama Rum is currently handled by Gravity Drinks, who I’ll be honest have some pretty questionable products in their portfolio. As a result this is now quite readily available here in the UK. Familiar stockists such as Master of Malt and Amazon currently have it for sale. A 70cl bottle of this normally costs around £40 – Amazon have it for £34.99 (but only have one in stock) and MoM are offering free delivery. Grander Panama rum Aged 12 Years comes in a 70cl bottle. It is bottled at 45% ABV.

    Presentation wise – this is nicely presented. Sleek modern 3/4 size bottle with a short neck and very chunky wooden topped cork stopper. It’s quite “understated” for this kind of rum and has information on the rear label rather than fairy tales. It has “The Ultimate Catch” embossed on the front label and has Grander down each side of the bottle.

    Grander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateSo lets move on and see how this one pans out.

    In the glass Grander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years is quite light for a 12 year old spirit. Especially one which has been tropically aged. This suggests to me that no caramel colouring has been added. As the producers have been more than clear about!

    This is refreshing. The nose is quite light but has a nice hit of alcohol and oak spices. Again I’m not getting any suggestion of additions to this. Baking spices, sweet shortcrust pastry and some butter biscuits. A nice burst of vanilla and some honey.

    It’s light but at the same time has a decent amount of complexity. Nicely balanced and quite inviting.

    Sipped the rum has a bit of bite to it – a good hit spicy oak and bourbon esque notes alongside a bit more “booze” than you might normally encounter from a Panama rum. To be fair not many commercial bottlings go above 43% ABV.

    The initial entry has a honey-ed sweetness, which moves into the mid palate which delivers more of the oak and barrel influence. It’s clean and crisp and goes down very easily.

    The mid palate sees a little of the “sherry seasoning” which adds an extra bit of spice. Not the sweetness I was expecting. This is more of perfumed note which I have to say works really well and is quite distinctive.

    There are notes of pecan, peanut brittle and some vanilla as we move into the finish.

    Grander Panama Rum Aged 12 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateThe finish is fairly short and has a bitter edge to it – a lot of wood spice and some dark chocolate. Cocoa nibs and a decent bit of heat as fades out. It fades a little quickly though. Quicker than I would have liked. It does leave behind quite a bit of heat though. More than I was expecting.

    All in all this is a light nicely balanced “ron”. The fact is tastes and has a mouthfeel which suggests no additives is always a bonus. It is certainly not “confected” in anyway I can detect.

    I’ve quite enjoyed my time with the bottle (some time I should have perhaps spent removing the HMRC sticker before taking photos……) and I certainly wouldn’t refuse a glass of this if offered.

    One of those solid 7/10 bottles.

    As David Lee Roth might say “Panama” RIP Eddie Van Halen.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Appleton Estate Reserve Aged 8 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Appleton Reserve rum review by the fat rum pirateAppleton Estate Reserve rum for the world famous Appleton Estate distillery.  Appleton Estate is part of a portfolio of rums produced by J Wray and Nephew and Sons.  The company pretty much dominate domestic rum sales in Jamaica.

    Appleton Estate Reserve highly regarded throughout the rum world and is seen by many as one of the best examples of rum for your money.

    A 70cl bottle will set you back around £25 which for a 8 year old rum is more than reasonable.  The rum comes housed in the distinctive Appleton Estate bottle (which can lead to a little confusion as the V/X this and the 12 all come in roughly the same bottle) the Reserve has a screw cap and is bottled at a hefty 43%.  Which is fairly unusual for a single digit mass produced rum.  The V/X is widely available in Sainsburys but they are yet to stock the Reserve.

    Appleton Estate Reserve is a mix of heavy Jamaican pot still rums blended under the guidance and supervision of master blender Joy Spence.  The V/X which I have reviewed previously is a great mixing rum and the Reserve is priced at a point where it could be premium mixer or a sipping rum.

    My initial experience of Jamaican rums wasn’t one I enjoyed.  The intense flavours and my naivity meant they were just too much for my sweet tooth.  Over time and around 150 rums later I’ve begun to really enjoy the deep rich fruity flavours contained within these rums.

    Appleton Estate are quite a good introduction to the world of Jamaican rums.  Rums such as Smith & Cross, Coruba 74 and Hampden Gold are very intense.  Whilst Appletons rums still have that fruity funky Jamaican feel they have a slightly more refined profile.  If Smith & Cross is for Blackbeard Appleton is for Admiral Vernon.

    So onto the review.  On the nose the Reserve exhibits all the deep dark rich fruits, Appleton 8 rum review by the fat rum piratestewed banana, rich pineapple, hints of mango and red grapes.  There is strangely a slight Demerara feel to the nose.  There are hints of the Port Morant still from DDL in the nose.  Slightly funky and with a little bit of chocolate.

    To be honest nosing Jamaican rums you could spend all day such is the depth of aromas contained due to their production.  It is to be noted that for two “classic” styles of rum so geographically close – Bajan and Jamaican the differences are quite astounding.  Then again there are elements involved in Jamaican rum production which are not for the feint hearted!  So moving away from the fantastic nose and onto the Reserve as a sipping experience.  To be honest the Reserve is surprisingly spicy on the tongue.  I wouldn’t use the term rough as that would suggest young and unaged spirit.  One word I wouldn’t use is smooth.  It’s very spicy.  Strong notes of black pepper and oaked heat break through following the initial burst of rich fruit flavours.  The rum has a lovely smooth entry which quickly heats up.  The initial notes of pineapple and dark almost to ripe banana give way to spicy all most curry like deep spicy heat.  The flavours linger and coat the taste buds with hot spice.  The barrel ageing gives the rum surprisingly little by way of an oaky profile.  Rich fruits and black pepper dominate.

    There is a lot to be enjoyed from sipping Appleton Reserve.  It is surprisingly complex and offers an experience far better than many so called Premium Rums out theres in the £50 price bracket.  Whilst many think English Harbour and Angostura 1919 offer an affordable sipping option Appleton Reserve is simply an absolute steal.

    I’m almost loathe to mix this as I’m enjoying the sipping experience so much. With my usual tipple of cola the Reserve surprisingly really smooth’s the drink out.  Whilst many drinkers seem to love smoothness (and even equate this quite wrongly in my view with quality).  I’m not a massive fan of this to be honest especially when I am mixing.  I guess I must like being a bit of a Pirate and drinking something with a bit oomph!

    The Reserve still makes a very tasty rum and cola but personally I think I would have a bottle of V/X for that – it gives roughly the same flavour but without the extra smoothness I just don’t appreciate.

    As a mixer go with the V/X if you a surprisingly good sipper at a very reasonable price then go for the Reserve.  The extra few pounds for a sipper as good as this is well worth it.

    4 stars

     

     

     

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