Rum Nation Rare Rums Worthy Park 2006 2017

Bythefatrumpirate

Rum Nation Rare Rums Worthy Park 2006 2017 rum review by the fat rum pirateRum Nation Rare Rums Worthy Park. This is a rum from the second fully operational year for Worthy Park since the distillery was relaunched. The Rum Nation bottlings don’t seem to be as easy to get in the UK as they are in most of mainland Europe. I’m not really sure why this is the case as they would be pretty popular. This added to their fondness for a touch of “dosage” means I don’t review a great deal of their products.

From the limited experience of their Rare Rums Small Batch, they don’t seem to be sweetening these offerings. Which is encouraging. They don’t sweeten all their rums but you never know when they might. This rum is bottled at 57% ABV and the Hydrometer bobbed at 56% which gives a reading of slightly over 5 g/L of additives. Due to it being borderline I recorded it as 0-5 – so “clean”.

It will be interesting though when I taste the rum to see if I can detect any extra sweetness. I’ve had a fair few Worthy Park’s over the last couple of years. So I should notice if it goes down the same route as the Bacardi Single Estate bottling.

This rum is still currently available and retails around the €130 mark approximately £120 or thereabouts. It is bottled at 57% ABV. Which is probably near enough cask strength. Its worth noting that this is a blend of rums from 4 different casks. Numbers 25,32,42 and 58. It is 100% Pot still rum. Distilled in 2006 and bottled in 2017.

Presentation wise you get a nice cork topped stubby style bottle and a good quality canister to store the rum in. The presentation is clean and modern. You get a decent amount of information about you are buying. It continues Rum Nation’s use of “stamp” like labelling and looks a bit more contemporary than some of their bottlings.

Rum Nation are a European Independent bottler. As a result I would imagine that this has been aged mostly in Europe. With minimal ageing in the tropics. I have, however noticed that some Worthy Park rums have had up to 4 years of Tropical ageing, before being shipped to brokers to be sold as “bulk” rum.

In the glass the Rum Nation Rare Rums Worthy Park is a dark to golden brown with red and orange flashes. The nose is familiar and welcoming. Whilst clearly from Worthy Park it has a herbal note to it and a touch of brine which reminds me of St Lucia Distillers.

There is though enough toffee and a note of black stewed English breakfast tea to make it clearly a Worthy Park rum. It’s quite a rich sweet nose which reminds me of the tropically aged Velier 2005 Worthy Park.

Its nicely balanced and as you leave it in the glass it becomes less herbal and more full of toffee and chocolate notes.

Sipped at the full ABV it is spicy with a nice warming concentration of flavours. It has a zestiness to it. Yet it is mellowed by sweeter notes of banana, guava and toffee. It’s very drinkable and quite mellow. Balance is very much the key with this rum.Rum Nation Rare Rums Worthy Park 2006 2017 rum review by the fat rum pirate

There is a touch of sea salt and a hint of pine cones. These notes combine well with the chocolate and toffee which leads into a very tangy and slightly peppery finish. The notes of breakfast tea are very much left in the nose and only really re-appear a little in the aftertaste on the finish.

This is pretty excellent to be honest. Up there with the best I’ve had from Worthy Park. The work Rum Nation have done in blending the casks together is impressive. This is a really first class rum.

If Worthy Park is your thing then you will really enjoy this one. Its quite easy going but it has a good deal of complexity going on. Rum Nation Rare Rums Worthy Park just wraps up into a very appealing and enjoyable sipper.

Balance is the key with this one with no bad or off notes.

 

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  • Ron de Jeremy XO

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Ron de Jeremy XO Rum review by the fat rum pirateRon de Jeremy XO was released in the UK on the 26th October 2015.  With the original Ron de Jeremy and the Spiced variants already available, this “ron” is One Eyed Spirits’ attempt to break in the more “Premium” end of the market.

    In the UK the market is saturated with “Premium” rums in the £35-55 price range.  Rums such as Pyrat XO. Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, Ron Zacapa et al.

    When the original Ron de Jeremy was released it was widely seen as a gimmick.  Little was expected of the rum inside and it was largely ridiculed or ignored by the more serious rum aficionados.  For those who did give the rum a fair go they found an altogether quite pleasant 7 year old rum from Panama.  Blended under the expertise of non other than Master Distiller Don Pancho (who can put his name to several “Premium” rums now).

    The name is a pun on the Spanish word for rum – “ron” and whilst it was less than subtle, for those who are aware exactly who Ron Jeremy is – the packaging was subtle enough not to offend those who didn’t know!  They saved any tacky double entendres for the “Hardcore Spiced” rum!

    All in all One Eyed Spirits had surprised the market and not only were they putting out a rum which could be respected but also one which would appeal to a certain demographic and sell very well!  Is it amusing to see Ron Jeremy behind the bar? Of course it is.

    The XO version is already the brands best seller.  The sleek black rubber lined bottle (think Dictador) screams out “Premium” and the solid canister adds an extra touch.  A nice cork stopper.  All boxes checked and no double entendres needed if you didn’t know who Ron was you probably would think he was some Spanish War Hero or something.  The image is of THAT Che Guevara (okay ignore Jeremy pudgy face) image.

    Retailing at around £45 for a 70cl 40% ABV bottle this is priced very nicely to become a big seller.  Expensive enough to suggest premium but not to expensive that those buying it will shirk at the price.  The 15 Years is noted prominently despite this being a Solero rum.  Those buying will mostly neither care nor have any idea what this means.

    As you may be able to tell from the tone of this review, I am not impressed by this rum.  In fact I’m annoyed by it.

    Ron de Jeremy XO is a blend of rum from Barbados (Foursquare) , Guyana (DDL), Jamaica (various distilleries) and Trinidad (Angostura).  So it has a good a rum base as you could expect really.  The ages of the rums in the blend haven’t been revealed and in many ways it doesn’t really matter (you will understand why when the review is finished!).

    ron-bottle

    This rum is bottled at 40% ABV when I ran a Hydrometer Test I was staggered by the result. The ABV came in at just 8%.  Which using the Hydrometer Method gives us a frankly ridiculous reading of 98 g/L of added sugar.

    I’ll simplify things in case those readings don’t seem alarming or people want to try and justify things.  It is unlikely, actually make that impossible for any rum to have any more than 5g/L of sugar/additives due solely to ageing in oak barrels.  In fairness One Eyed Spirits admit that this rum has added sugar.  A 330ml serving of regular Coca Cola has 37 grams of sugar – so lets do some simple mathematics.

    98 g/L equates to 68 grams of sugar per 70cl bottle of Ron de Jeremy XO a 70cl bottle of Coca Cola would contain 78 grams of sugar.

    So why has an Extra Old “Premium” rum been loaded with so much sugar?  Simple really – because this kind of rum sells.  Sweet and smooth equals premium rum.

    Bollocks – if you ever attend a Drinks Fair or Festival always be aware of the Rum Ambassador who focuses on how sweet and smooth their rum is.  They don’t now their arse from their elbow when it comes to rum.  Just the marketing razzamatazz they have been handed to promote the latest concoction.

    Up until encountering this rum Bacardi’s Carta Fuego – which is actually a Spiced rum, (not marketed as a premium sipper) topped the Hydrometer Chart at 92g/L.

    Perhaps the most disappointing thing about this whole epsiode is the fact they had (without me knowing too much about the actual rums admittedly) – a decent base.  Rum from Foursquare, DDL and Angostura three of the most recognised and respected rum producers in the world.  Yet some clown (or clowns) decided that what those rums needed was Coca Cola levels of sugar to make them palatable to their target audience.  I also wonder at what point did they decide they had added enough sugar?  Was 40 g/L not causing enough potential cavities? 75 g/L not quite smooth enough to coat the entire throat with sucrose?

    My tasting notes are probably pretty pointless after my rant so far but we’ll do them anyway.

    In the glass the rum presents itself as a very dark almost mahogany dark brown.  I suspect the hue on this rum is about as natural as Madge’s off Benidorm.  Caramel as well as added sugar.  Casting further doubt on how old this rum really is.

    The nose is actually quite strange. It smells like no rum I’ve ever encountered before.  It’s surprisingly not as sweet smelling as I was expecting in fact it smells a little of stewed almost overripe fruits – Banana maybe, stewed Apples.  There’s also an odd almost Port or Sherry like note to it maybe a cheap Harvey’s Bristol Cream type wine like note.  It doesn’t smell like rum.  No oak, no spice, no Vanilla notes, no Jamaican funk, no Demerara sugar and raisin. Nothing which the rums in the blend would have suggested!

    In the mouth this sherried wine like note takes over completely.  It tastes like a very cheap red wine dosed with sugar.  It has bitter elements to it.  There is a slight hint of oak and spice in the finish but even that is badly altered by the amount of sugar that has been added to this rum.

    It’s difficult to take tasting notes on this rum as its so one dimensional so geared towards being sweet and smooth.  Actually despite all its saccharin sweetness it doesn’t really deliver a particularly smooth experience.  The sugar makes it instantly very dry on the palate and slightly sticky.

    This is a catastrophic fuck up by those responsible for the blending.  No doubt like countless other shit “rums”, it well sell by the bucketload.  No doubt the faux reviewers will lap up their free samples and give it high praise indeed.

    Let them get on with it but if you buy this you only have yourself to blame! Filth on and in the bottle!

    0.5 stars

     

     

  • Chairman’s Reserve Master’s Selection 2006 13 Year Old The Whisky Exchange Exclusive

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Chairman's Reserve Master's Selection 2006 13 Year Old The Whisky Exchange Exclusive Rum Review by the fat rum pirateChairman’s Reserve Master’s Selection 2006 13 Year Old The Whisky Exchange Exclusive. I first noticed one of these Master’s Selection Chairman’s Reserve rums before Christmas 2019. I think it was exclusive bottling for a Belgian retailer, who’s name now escapes me.

    Royal Mile Whiskies had one in stock and then I learnt that The Whisky Exchange were getting their own release, as well. Being a big fan of Chairman’s Reserve and St Lucia Distillers I have been looking forward to trying one of these rums.

    One of the big pulls around these Master’s Selection rums, is that they are bottled at Cask Strength. Even the Premium 1931 series from St Lucia Distillers were bottled at between 43-46% ABV. This Single Cask release comes in at 56.3% ABV. I’m not fanatical about Cask Strength rum but its always good to try rum with less water!

    Chairman’s Reserve Master’s Selection 2006 13 Year Old is as mentioned a Single Cask rum – 286 bottles in total. It was distilled in 2006 and bottled in August 2019 – so it must have been distilled pre-August in 2006 as it is noted as being  a full 13 years old. It was aged in an ex-bourbon cask. The distillate comprises of 50% Pot Still rum from the John Dore #1 still and 50% from the Vendome Pot Still. It retails at £69.95 at The Whisky Exchange, which I think is a pretty decent price. (Providing it’s good of course)

    I have long been a fan of St Lucia Distillers and the Chairman’s Reserve brand. We’ve pretty much reviewed every official release (barring the latest 1931 – don’t worry it’s coming) and a few independents. To be honest whilst the official releases have been mostly on point the Independent bottlings have been a real mixed bag. The Berry’s 11 and 14 Year Old expressions were excellent. The Compagnie des Indes 13 Year old less so and the Silver Seal “Dennery” (Dennery Distillery was long when the distillate in that bottle was produced) was frankly awful.

    However, all the 1931 aged releases were decent so I have high hopes for this bottling. To recognise it’s more Premium appeal compared to the standard Chairman’s Reserve there are a few tweaks to the tradmark stubby rounded bottle. First up we get a cut out card sleeve to house the rum and a general update on the label to give more specific information on the rum and the collaboration with The Whisky Exchange. Secondly rather than a screw cap opening we are treated to a cork stopper. Nice. I must say I do miss the old style presentation/label as pictured – it was my first “Premium” rum purchase.

    Anyway lets move and see how this Cask Strength Pot Still rum goes down.

    In the glass Chairman’s Reserve Master’s Selection 2006 13 Year Old is a wonderful golden to dark brown colour with an orange hue. The nose is pretty big! I’ve poured my glass and its a good couple distance away from me and I can nose it a good half metre from the juice.

    Not though in the way you can noise the likes Wray and Nephew Overproof or a Clairin. This is a much more refined and less pungent aroma.

    I best get a little closer and take a proper nose.

    As the rum warms to the glass the more medicinal notes of pine cones and tarry brine integrate more with the softer elements of this rum. Pot Still Rum from St Lucia is quite “pungent” but the “funk” (if you wish to use such a term) is a lot more balanced than rum from Jamaica, for example.

    There is a wonderful oak and smoke char to this rum giving it a wonderful smoky aroma on the nose. This nestles beautifully alongside Dark Chocolate, Cocoa, Coffee and some sweet chewy toffee. Elements of this remind me of those flavoured toffees you used to get in multi coloured wrappers. Toffo’s! Of course, yeah this reminds me a little of the banana toffees you got in those.

    The nose is all rounded of nicely by some spicy notes of ginger and a slight hint of fruity berries.

    The nose is as complex as the 1931 series but it seems less complicated. For me the 1931’s could get a bit too busy with all the differing components in the blend. This for me has a slightly better overall balance.

    Sipped, when you are pretty much to a more standard strength St Lucia rum – is a big flavour explosion. Got to admit it has taken me a good few sips to get accustomed to this rum. It’s big.

    The initial entry is quite sharp with a lot of woody spice and some bitter dark chocolate and cocoa notes. It has that pine-cone/briny element to it as well. It’s bold and flavourful.

    It has a slightly medicinal note – not to dis-similar to the Rockley Still Style of rum from Barbados. This runs on into the mid palate which is a wonderfully lightly smoked affair. A slight note of pipe tobacco and salty brine are offset by some caramel sweetness and a nutty like aftertaste. Even at the full 56.3% ABV it is a fantastically complex and warming sipping experience. “Old Leather Armchairs” is a term Dave Broom has used in the past and I’m with him with this rum. It’s warm and comforting and full of character.

    Flavours keep coming with each sip. You get more sweet notes of sultana and raisin on the entry and mid palate. An almost peppery spice as well also creeps in and out. Each sip is familiar yet different.

    Chairman's Reserve Master's Selection 2006 13 Year Old The Whisky Exchange Exclusive Rum Review by the fat rum pirateThe finish is long and this is very much a rum to be taken slowly. You don’t need to sip a lot such is intense concentration of flavour. This is a rum to be taken little and not very often at all. Savour it. Allow the rum to swirl around your mouth. Then swallow and savour it for as long as you can wait for the next sip. It really is a rum that needs to be appreciated and taken slowly.

    You will find the more you sip this rum the more you will get from it. It is wonderfully complex and beautifully balanced. It has that distinct St Lucian flavour profile. To be honest St Lucia Distillers simply do not get enough credit for what they do. They don’t get talked enough about in Rum Enthusiast circles or on the various Facebook groups.

    As a result you’ll probably have a decent chance of getting a bottle of this as its not the latest Foursquare or Velier release.

    It’s every bit as good though.

     

  • Lemon Hart 151 Premium Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Lemon Hart 151 the fat rum pirate rum reviewOver two centuries ago Lehmann (Lemon) Hart was named an official purveyor of rum to the British Royal Navy, subsequently establishing the Lemon Hart Rum Company in London, England, in 1804.

    Whether Mr Hart ever intended a 151 Lemon Hart to become Tiki staple is improbable but this particular rum is the most iconic of Lemon’s legacy.  What is even more improbable is that the Lemon Hart Rum Company of late would be based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  That is however what has become of the man’s legacy.

    Rumours of the scarcity of Lemon Hart 151 first came along around 2012.  As far as I’m aware at this point in time (23/04/2015) no Lemon Hart rum of any description has been released since early 2013.  Whilst stocks are still available world wide it rather depends on your location as to how easily you can get a bottle.  Having short hands and deep pockets won’t help your cause.

    Fortuitously, I stumbled across ibottle of Lemon Hart White Rum in Ayia Napa (of all places) in the summer of 2014.  How long it had been on the shelves of said retailer was anyones guess.  I looked anxiously for the variants I really wanted (the 151 and the Dark) but sadly they had none!

    My experiences of “Overproof” rum has been quite mixed.  Whilst I enjoyed Smith & Cross (57% ABV) and Pusser’s Blue Label (54.5% ABV) I hadn’t quite got to grips with either Plantation Dark Overproof (73% ABV) or Gosling’s Black Seal 151 (75.5%).  As a kind of middle ground J Wray & Nephew White Overproof (63% ABV) had been pretty good but I was very reticent to try another 70+% ABV rum.

    The purchase of the Lemon Hart 151 was buoyed partly by the scarcity of the spirit but also the enthusiasm of Demerara lover and Tiki mixologist Helena “Tiare” Olsen over at A Mountain Of Crushed Ice.  Lemon Hart 151 rum review by the fat rum pirate

    The first thing I noticed about the Lemon Hart 151 was the lack of “aroma” coming from the bottle once opened.  As an import, the rum came with an unusual plastic screw top cap.  Upon opening the bottle I was expecting to be attacked by alcohol fumes.  This had been my biggest issue with the Plantation Overproof, it reeked of alcohol from metres away.  That is not an exaggeration.

    Whether it is the Demerara element (a little added sugar is in the mix) which contributes I’m not entirely sure but Lemon Hart 151 does not give off any kind of strong alcohol aroma, the way other overproofs can.  It cannot be smelled strongly from the bottle being opened and a glass cannot be sensed until you actually nose the spirit.

    Lemon Hart 151 is up there without doubt as one of the most sweetest smelling drinks I have ever encountered.  Nosing and tasting notes are often full of rich notes such as toffee, brown sugar, molasses, raisins etc.  I am going to give you the note which best describes this rum via a link.  I have not even prised open a jar of this delicious treat for at least 20 years but I can assure you that this is exactly what Lemon Hart 151 smells like.  Not the Golden Syrup but the Black Treacle.

    No doubt a lot my American readers are thinking what the hell?  It’s basically a more thicker, darker, more liquorice and toffee tasting Maple Syrup, without the Maple flavour.  Basically its liquid gold.  And its probably more harmful to you than drinking the 151 straight!

    Lemon Hart 151 rum review by the fat rum pirateWhich is where we will start after another nosing.  Yip still smells like deep dark treacle.  Great!  You can sip this but it burns like hell and it’s very much like trying to eat a very very hot curry.  It really is a bit of a fool’s errand to try and drink rum at such strengths.  If you do not wish to mix this rum in Tiki drinks or as I do with Cola then watering it down is the key.  A few teaspoons of water should bring it down to a more manageable level.  For those in warmer climbs a cube or two of ice left to melt might work well.  This should open up the spirit as well and release further notes.  To be fair the Lemon Hart 151 isn’t that complex so it really just allows you to enjoy the spirit minus the alcohol burn of a 75.5% Spirit.  The nose is still fantastic.  Lovely treacly toffee, rich toffee apple and intense candy floss flavours.  I bet even small children would enjoy smelling the glass after the rum has been drank.

    Lemon Hart 151 as a sipper? Not for me. Sorry.  As a mixer.  Well this is where it shines.  I don’t build very many complex cocktails.  It was something I have considered on numerous occasions but I have realised that there is more than enough variety to be hand in sipping and mixing various rums with cola and ginger beer.  I’ll stick to it straight or in a highball with lemon or lime.

    Mixed with cola Lemon Hart 151 makes a dangerously tasty drink.  If it wasn’t for the “Highly Flammable Liquid!” warning on the reverse of the bottle you could be mistaken for thinking you are drinking a 40% ABV rum.  Now before you think “ahh but you’ve mixed it with cola it’s bound to be like that”, think again because I have tried Gosling’s 151, Plantation Overproof and Coruba 74.  I can tell you quite honestly that even before you put your nose close to the glass in which they had been mixed with cola they reeked of booze!  Especially the Coruba.

    Lemon Hart 151 is a great overproof rum.  It knows how strong it is yet it seduces you with its rich treacle aroma.  It’s the devil in disguise if you ask me.  It’s no coincidence that it is blood red gold and black on the bottle.

    This certainly runs Pusser’s close as my favourite Overproof.  Great stuff.  If you see a bottle buy it!

    4 stars

     

     

     

  • Plantation Rum Isle of Fiji

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Plantation Rum Isle of Fiji Rum reivew by the fat rum piratePlantation Rum Isle of Fiji. This rum represents the latest rum to be added to the Plantation Signature Blends range, the first since Xaymaca in 2018. The Signature Blends are continuous releases with rums from the likes of Barbados and Jamaica featuring.

    Plantation have long been bottling rum from Fiji as part of their Vintages range and also some Single Cask offerings. For more details on the full Plantation range please visit their site, which gives a lot of information on their various ranges.

    Plantation Rum Isle of Fiji is presented in the Signature Blend’s familiar stubby bottle with the bulbous neck. The straw wrap is again present and the rum is sealed with a good quality synthetic stopper. In the UK a 70cl bottle will set you back around £32. It has been bottled at 40% ABV. The usual stockists apply in the UK. If you are in Germany Rum & Co are currently stocking this as well.

    So what do we know about the actual rum in the bottle? Well Plantation offer a lot of information on their website, so lets piece it all together.

    The rum comes from the only distillery currently operating on Fiji which is owned by the Fiji Rum Company. It is produced using molasses from native sugar cane. A 4-5 day fermentation is followed by distilliation. Some of the rum in the blend is from a Pot Still and some is Column distilled. I am not sure of the exact ratio.

    The rum is then aged in ex-bourbon barrels for 2-3 years in Fiji. It is then moved to Maison Ferrand in France, where it is aged for a further year in Ferrand Cognac casks. Planation have noted 16g/L of additives (their aged sugar syrup) on the website and bottle. They also note E150 (Caramel colouring) may be added for colour regulation. We can’t grumble about their transparency on this occasion.

    Now my experience of Fijian rum has been quite mixed. The rums do have a very Plantation Rum Isle of Fiji Rum reivew by the fat rum piratedistinctive character but I have noticed huge shifts in profile depending on how long the rum has been aged. To describe Fijian rum I would say it is pretty funky and is a heady mix of Jamaican Pot Still rum, heavy tarry Caroni and a touch of Saint Lucian pine-cone notes. What proportion of each of these you get seems to depend from rum to rum. They are certainly very interesting rums, if not always to my taste.

    To be honest when I heard Plantation were releasing a fairly young Fijian rum as part of their Signature Blend range, I was quite surprised.

    So let’s move and get this evaluated….

    In the glass the spirit is a little lighter than I might have expected. It’s a light golden brown. a shade or two darker than straw/white wine. The nose is quite punchy for 40% ABV. Lots and lots of dark treacly molasses notes jump straight out at you. Fijian rum is often not for the light hearted.

    There is a sweeter more perfumed note but it’s little fierce as well, nail varnish?. Again it’s pretty intense stuff. After a little time in the glass I’m getting some fruitier notes – touch of passion fruit. ripe pears, touch of plum and some currants. There is a smokiness as well..

    All in all the nose is impressive, nicely defined and balanced. It’s a good start.

    Sipped, the rum is not as flavourful as the nose suggested. The fruitier notes have diminished. It has a bitter/sweet note saccharin like note (similar to their Barbados 5 Year Old) which I am not overly keen on. That seems to be taking away some of the other flavours.

    It starts to develop on the mid palate a bit more, with some punchy notes of burnt banana, ginger and a touch of honey. Unfortunatley, something seems to cut all this all a little short. Plantation Rum Isle of Fiji Rum reivew by the fat rum pirate

    Finish wise it isn’t the longest. It fades quicker than I might have hoped. That said it’s not unpleasant and it’s not a bad rum by any stretch of the imagination. There is a fair bit of complexity and flavour I would have just liked a bit more of a development and not to have it had the saccharin note.

    This is noted being best enjoyed as a sipper. Again something which is quite daring to state for a young rum.

    All in all this is quite a pleasant rum. A little more “punchy” than some of the Plantation range.

    It just feels like Plantation Rum Isle of Fiji, has had it’s wings clipped a little to accomodate the average Plantation drinker. That said there really aren’t many examples of young-ish reasonably priced Fijian rum available in the UK. So this isn’t a bad start if you were looking to try some Fijian rum, without breaking the bank. Those IB’s can be expensive and Bounty is not always easy to find or cheap.

    If I am looking for a Fijian rum then I want something a little more robust than this. I’ve already been down the Fijian rum route though, so this is probably a good start.

    Whether it’s the dosage, Ferrand finish or just the age of the rums in the blend after such a promising nose, it fell just a little short.  It’s still quite good though and I wouldn’t refuse a glass if offered.

    And I never even mentioned the GI’s………

     

  • Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 17 Years The Whisky Barrel Exclusive

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 17 Years The Whisky Barrel Exclusive Rum Review by the fat rum pirateKill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 17 Years The Whisky Barrel Exclusive. The folks over at Hunter Laing, who operate the Kill Devil rum brand certainly seem to have obtained a lot of rum from Hampden Distillery. The Whisky Barrel, an online retailer also seem to quite like Hampden rum, so are working with Kill Devil to help distribute these funky bottles of rum.

    Todays rum is a 17 Year Old Rum which was distilled way back in November 2001. Until recently Hampden only released one marque of rum to brokers each year. We know that the 2001 releases were all the Diamond H marque. Please note due to the madness of WordPress/the theme I use I can’t put the arrow marks that denote the Diamond you may see elsewhere. I do know how it should be presented but if I use the arrows it goes all a bit strange when I publish!

    The Diamond H marque is pretty much the middle of the range in terms of funky rums from Hampden between 900-1000 esters in g/hlaa. Bear in mind though some of the “higher” ester Hampden rums aren’t really produced for drinking “as is” and are used in blends, in food flavourings and are even used by the perfume industry.

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 17 Years is a Single Cask bottling. It has an ABV of 58.8% and is noted as Cask Strength. There are 288 bottles of this rum available exclusively from The Whisky Barrel. It is priced at £93.16 (??) which despite being a rather strange amount of pence. It is pretty good value for a 17 Year Old Hampden rum.Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 17 Years The Whisky Barrel Exclusive Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    Perhaps the most “famous” Diamond H release so far was the Velier 70th Anniversary. So it will be interesting to see how this one matches up. That rum was considerably younger but it did benefit from 100% Tropical Ageing. This rum has been Continentally Aged. So it will be a little different. Note different not necessarily better or worse.

    The first difference is the colour of the rum. This is a very light rum for a 17 Year old. A straw colour. Many people with little knowledge of spirits would immediately be suspicious of claims stating this has been aged for 17 years. There has been no fancy finishing with this rum. It has been aged entirely in ex-bourbon casks in sunny Liverpool.

    The nose is full of pineapple juice and bruised banana. Notes of green apple, ginger and a touch of cinnamon. The “funk” is very much there but this is a very fruity and more balanced Hampden than some of the higher ester marques. I would say Diamond H is much more balanced overall than those rums.

    The ageing also gives a nice woody note to the rum, which adds an extra layer of complexity and further notes of vanilla and some very light smoke. Nose wise this is quite an approachable Hampden.

    Sipped at full strength it is has a sweet entry – again pineapple and green apple, the banana is a bit more creamy – say like a banana porridge. (You can tell I have a baby in the house)

    There is a touch of astringency, which gives a little chilli heat and some white pepper along with some lime juice and lemon peel. This moves you into the woody mid palate. This gives a lot of ginger and vanilla, alongside the oak.

    This is very sippable even at Cask Strength. No real need for dilution. It’s not quite as acidic as some Hampden’s can be. The time in the wood has clearly calmed this aspect down and given it a really nice balance.

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 17 Years The Whisky Barrel Exclusive Rum Review by the fat rum pirateThis is a fruity and, by Hampden standards quite an easy rum to drink. It has a really nice balance to it. I would have possibly thought, it was a much lower ester marque as it drinks more like the Habitation Velier HLCF. Which is no bad thing really.

    The only real disappointment with this rum is the finish. It’s not a bad finish but it does seem a little on the short side. This may however just be in comparison to the flavour burst you get on each sip. A little water does help give the finish a bit more clarity. Your palate isn’t hit quite as hard with the initial burst of flavour on the sip.

    There is a lot of choice when it comes to Hampden rum at the moment (even on The Whisky Barrel’s own site). This rum more than holds its own should you wish to try something from the Diamond H marque.

     

  • Ron Millonario 10 Aniversario Reserva

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Ron Millonario 10 Aniversario Reserva Rum review by the fat rum pirateRon Millonario 10 Aniversario Reserva. Ron Millonario is a rum brand which hails from Peru. It is owned by Fabio Rossi, who used to own and run the Rum Nation brand. It has been around since 1950 when the brand was formed, according the story on the rums website. In 2004 the brand came to the attention of Fabio Rossi.

    There are now 4 rums in the brands portfolio. This the 10 Aniversario Reserva, a 10 Aniversario Cincuenta (which seems to be this blend but at a higher ABV), the 15 Reserva and finally the XO, which I reviewed a few years back here.

    The two 10 Aniversario rums were introduced fairly recently. The tagline used for this rum on it’s website is Light and Easy, Fresh and Sweet. They don’t give any specifics on the rums make up. Just some tasting notes. They know their audience I guess.

    Ron Millonario is produced at the Hacienda Agicola in Chiclayo, Peru. It is produced on a traditional column still which was brought over from Scotland in the 1930’s. This rum is said to be a “solera” blend of rums aged between 6 and 10 years. It is bottled at 40% ABV. It is aged in a combination of American and Slavonic oak casks, which have held various spirits before.

    This as the numbers might suggest is the cheapest Ron Millonario available. Ron Millonario XO, which I reviewed a while back retails at around £85 here in the UK for a 70cl bottle. The 15 Solera which I haven’t reviewed comes in at around £45. This Ron Millonario 10 Aniversario Reserva retails at around the £35. To be honest from looking around it’s not as easily available or consistently priced in the UK, as I thought it would be.

    Presentation wise it’s a bit gaudy to be honest but it does stand out. Particularly the glass “cork” on the bottle which gives what some would consider a morRon Millonario 10 Aniversario Reserva Rum review by the fat rum piratee premium feel.

    I’ve used the Hydrometer and we have 35g/L of additives in this rum, the exact make up of I do not know as there is nothing on their website highlighting any additives exist.

    In the glass we have a medium coloured spirit a light golden brown with a slightly orange hue.

    The nose is sweet with notes of orange sweets, vanilla and some cola cubes (English boiled sweets). There is a perfumed aroma about this rum. It’s very light and easy going. The nose is as unaggressive as a spirit can get pretty much. It smells like a childs sweet drink or bubblegum rather than a rum.

    It’s not unpleasant as such. It just doesn’t smell of rum. It’s just a sweet confected nose.

    Sipped Millonario 10 Aniversario Reserva offers little of any real excitement. It is pretty much what I have come to expect of the brand. There’s no notes of ageing or spices and there is no burn from the alcohol. It just tastes like a perfumed sugar syrup. Or maybe something like those cheap shots that you used to buy from the “shot girls” when you were 17 and thought you were being cool and witty trying to chat them up.

    It’s ridiculously easy to drink but it’s also very bland and unforgettable. The initial sip gives you a sweet confected burst of bubblegum and oranges. It then briefly gives you a hint of raisin and maybe come Dr Pepper. It’s not really what I’m looking for in a rum.

    Finish wise you get a tingle of sweetness and maybe the tiniest hint of actually drinking something alcoholic. This is to rum what Hooch was to lager and cider. It’s pretty much a distilled alcopop.Ron Millonario 10 Aniversario Reserva Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    Weak, insipid, overly sweetened and frankly just plain boring. Like drinking sugary water. No bite, no burn, no rum.

    The market for this type of rum is however, sadly there undoubtedly. A lot of people really enjoy this style of rum. I’m not 100% convinced that when you sugar and tart a rum up to this extent if the consumer really is liking the actual rum. It’s like when people really like Spiced Rum. It’s not the rum they actually are enjoying it’s the flavours. You could probably sub out the rum in most Spiced Rums and people would still enjoy them.

    Probably no surprises from this review but I really do not like this brand. I’m not alone in these feelings despite the general positive reviews towards Millonario, mostly by people who really aren’t rum fans. Ivar over at Rum Revelations also did not enjoy this particular effort.

4 Comments

  1. Pingback: Rum-News aus dem Netz – Frühling 2018 – Rum-Magazin

  3. Good to see you review this one as this one was completely off my radar due to the reputation of Rum Nation. Glad to see they stayed true to the Worthy Park profile.

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