Rum of the Year 2016

Bythefatrumpirate

the fat rum pirate rum of the year 2016 review blogger rum awardIn a world dominated by click bait “lists” we will keep things very simple.  Each year we will award ONE rum as our Rum of the Year. 

The rum which will be crowned as Rum of the Year must have been released that year.  It also must be commercially available to the average rum consumer.  Any rums which were available prior to 2016 are ineligible.  Likewise any bottlings that were extremely limited or are unavailable as of today are also out.

There is little point me telling you to buy a rum you have been buying for years or advising you got get a rum that is no longer on sale!

So what has caught our eye in 2016? 

First up, I’ll throw out a little curveball.  After a lot of very clever promotional work one particular rum finally made its way to UK shores.  Inspired by Dickensian folklore Plantation Rum released a Pineapple flavoured rum.  Now I know a lot of you will immediately be thinking about Bacardi or Captain Morgan’s various flavoured efforts.  No doubt pulling a funny face about the prospect of a truly great flavoured rum.  Those of you fortunate enough to have tried this rum however, will know it truly was one of the years great rum releases.  Step forward Stiggins’ Fancy – a rum which really raised the bar in the flavoured/spiced segment of the market.

Don Q Gran Anejo rum review by the fat rum pirateAnother contender for the crown this year came from the long established Don brand.  Whilst not strictly a new release the Gran Anejo was given a makeover.  In terms of the UK market it was finally given an “official” release.  The Don Q Gran Anejo is a wonderful example of a well balanced pure rum.  Highly recommended.

So as we are talking pure rum we may as well focus on the actual winner of Rum of the Year for 2016.

As in 2015 the award once again goes to Foursquare Distillery.  Up until a few years ago Foursquare were famous for their R L Seale’s 10 Year Old, Doorly’s XO and their Spiced Rum.  Little had really changed for some years. Whilst they were well respected in the rum world they weren’t exciting or really pushing the category.

Over the past few years things have changed dramatically at Foursquare.  The distillery has released a couple of 12 year old rums in Doorly’s 12 and Rum Sixty Six. Experimented with two wonderful cask finish rums in their Port and Zinfandel Cask Finishes.  They have also released a great line up under the Real McCoy banner.  Velier Foursquare 2006 Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

The Zinfandel cask would have been a great follow up to 2015 Rum of the Year the Port Cask Finish, I felt that Foursquare had released a rum which was equally as good but a lot more significant in the greater scheme of things.

2016 will be remembered by many for the Velier Foursquare 2006.  A wonderful cask strength rum which was finished in Cognac casks.  Unfortunately, this rum was too limited and was snapped too quickly for me to be able to select this as Rum of the Year.  You can’t go out and buy it today – other than at auction.

The Rum of the Year for 2016 is instead a Foursquare vintage from 2004.  Aged for 11 years in ex Bourbon casks and coming in with a 59% full proof ABV.

Step forward Foursquare Rum Distillery 2004 Single Blended Rum.

This is the direction rum is heading amongst true rum fans.  It’s what many of us have been wishing for.  Richard Seale has listened and moved with the times and has  released a rum at Cask Strength.  He has also made it commercially available.  Half the price of the Velier offering and every bit as good.

Foursquare Rum Distilery 2004 rum review by the fat rum pirateI feel this rum is a true watershed moment and it should make other rum producers sit up and take notice.  I do not believe it is a coincidence that Mount Gay have since released a limited edition Cask Strength version of their own iconic XO.

I’ll quote the rear label on the bottle which further emphasises where rum is headed

“A blend of rums from the artisanal pot distillation and traditional twin column continuous distillation of Foursquare, aged for a full eleven years in ex bourbon casks.

Pure rum, no sugar or other flavour has been added”

This rum truly is exceptional and is without doubt a game changer. 

 

 

 

 

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  • Rum-Bar Rum Cream

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Rum Bar Rum Cream Review by the fat rum pirateRum-Bar Rum Cream from Worthy Park Estate, Jamaica.  Until recently only rums and spiced rums have featured for review on the site.

    With Christmas upon us I figured, we may as well continue the festive theme of the Rumvent Calendar with a liqueur!

    Whisky based liqueurs such as Baileys are very popular in the UK, especially in the run up to Christmas.  Most Supermarkets discount them and price-wars frequently break out. A more “premium” Deluxe Baileys was released recently believe it or not!

    For whatever reason Rum Creams, so popular in Jamaica for example have failed to penetrate the UK market.  I can’t think of single Rum Cream which is readily available in the UK – Rum Chata perhaps.  Kahlua is about the only liqueur I can come up with that even has rum in it.

    With Bailey’s being so dominant in the market it is perhaps unreasonable to expect UK based companies to seek out rum for their liqueurs when they have so much whisky on their doorstep.  Thankfully this Rum Cream is readily available in the UK from Tesco link here and from here.  Only downside is they are only 200ml unlike my 750ml bottle from Jamaica.

    Rum-Bar Rum Cream made its UK debut at the UK Rumfest in October and completely sold out!  So what exactly is all the fuss about?

    Rum-Bar Rum Cream is a mixture of 100% real cream, Rum-Bar rum (White Overproof) and some secret ingredients.  It is bottled at 15% ABV and it comes in a tall, brown almost opaque bottle.  The labelling is clear and uncluttered and it has the Rum-Bar logo prominently displayed.

    Now this “review” may be a little different to my standard rum reviews.  I really don’t have much experience of any Rum Creams or liqueur’s.  So the score that stands today may change over time.

    Rum Bar Rum Cream Review by the fat rum pirateRum-Bar Rum Cream has to be taken for what it is a sweet, relatively weak (unless you start drinking it by the pint glass) after dinner kind of drink.  This is not a premium rum.  For those familiar with Baileys or Irish Cream in general the appearance will not come as a surprise.  The rum cream has a thick consistency and is a light brown almost mocha like cream colour.

    The nose is very sweet – full on brown sugar and some nice notes of Vanilla and fresh cream.  Despite being bottled at only 15% ABV you can still smell the rum in the nose.  The use of the Overproof gives the cream an extra layer of intensity – you can smell rum without a doubt.  If you are familiar with the Rum-Bar Overproof you will notice hints of its pungency being carried nicely along with the sweet caramel notes of the spices.

    In the glass as well as being a “chocolate milk” like colour it is also very viscous – thick and creamy as a good rum cream should be.  The taste upfront is very much like sweet milkshake a kind of mix of vanilla and chocolate.  However, as you sample it more you notice the distinct notes of the Overproof – the slight vegetal notes and the more intense flavours – giving this Rum Cream a very authentic kick.

    I’ve actually added some Rum-Bar Overproof to this Rum Cream on occasions but I like things to be very boozy!

    There is a certain authenticity about the flavour of this rum cream.  It doesn’t taste at all artificial – the spices are subtle leaving a nice layered sweet yet punchy Rum Cream.RUMCREAMUPDATE

    Easily the best Rum Liqueur/Cream I have tried so far in my admittedly very limited experience!  Top Stuff and well worth seeking out in time for Christmas.  This could easily get re-scored higher once I have sampled more of the competition.

    AND just to make things even better, they are updating the presentation soon to something a little like this.

    4 stars

     

     

  • 1968 Portsmouth White Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    1968 Portsmouth White Rum review by the fat rum pirate1968 Portsmouth White Rum. Over the past few years a number of Rum Producers have sprung up in the UK. I’ve focused quite a bit on some of the offerings from Scotland and its outer isles.

    Today I am at the other end of the UK down in Sunny Hampshire at the Portsmouth Distillery. The distillery is situated in Fort Cumberland on the South Eastern corner of Portsea Island on the shingle spit known as Eastney Point. It was built to control the entrance to Langstone Harbour to the east, and to improve the defences of Portsmouth Dockyard to the west. It now houses the Portsmouth Distillery and visitor centre.

    Portsmouth Distillery has been producing a number of rums and gins since 2018. 1968 Portsmouth White Rum is one of their “core range”.

    1968 Portsmouth White Rum is an unaged white rum produced from Sugar Cane Syrup, rather than molasses. I am not entirely sure of the production method but the distillery notes that they create the Sugar Cane Syrup. Suggesting that they are using something simillar to Panela/Rapadura/Jaggery. Which is essentially dehydrated sugar cane juice which is then rehydrated to produce the syrup. (Don’t quote me on this though as I am not entirely sure how it all works).

    Technically from what I understand under EU regulations (do we

    1968 Portsmouth White Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    still need to worry about these in the UK?) this can’t be classed as rum. However, as this rum has been around a few years now – there doesn’t seem to be any appetite anywhere to challenge this or have it re-named. I guess as long as HMRC get their cut they aren’t that bothered and is its unlikely to kill anyone – neither are Trading Standards etc.

    Presentation wise 1968 Portsmouth White Rum comes in a 3/4 stubby style bottle with rounded edges. It is 41% ABV. Presentation is clear and uncluttered and the metal topped plastic cork stopper is nice and chunky. If you are interested in a bottle you can but direct from Portsmouth Distillery. Having said that a bottle of this rum is a lot cheaper over at Master of Malt.

    Portsmouth Distillery have a few other rums in their portfolio so I will hold back further information I have anything to keep those reviews interesting. We’ll now get down to the good part……..the tasting.

    In the glass you can probaby guess that this is an 100% clear liquid. Its unaged so no time in the cask to impart any colour.

    1968 Portsmouth White Rum on the nose is light and sweet with lots of vanilla ice cream and lighter toffee notes. It’s not as molasses heavy as some unaged UK white rum, likely due to not being made from molasses I guess! It has a slight grassy-ness to it but I wouldn’t mistake it for an unaged Agricole Rhum.

    Further nosing reveals some creamy, milky Cachaca-esque notes and a hint of strawberry. Sweet foam bananas as well. I’m pleased to report however that this comes up clean on the Hydrometer.

    Sipping unaged white rum is not everybody. 1968 Portsmouth White Rum shows a bit more of its teeth when you try sipping it neat. At 41% ABV its not hugely fiery but it certainly warms the cockles so to speak.

    A few sips in the burn calms and I’m finding quite a sweet, floral spirit. It’s a touch on the light side for my personal tastes – as a sipper at least.1968 Portsmouth White Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    To be fair Portsmouth Distillery do recommend mixing this rum – mixed in a Mojito or in a simple T-Punch it works nicely – the more floral elements of the rum work nicely and make for a well balanced drink.

    Whether this is truly rum or a “sugar cane spirit” is questionable however the quality is not in question. It’s good stuff. This is a very nice spirit and one which will go down perhaps a little too easily once you start mixing………

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Red Leg Spiced Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Red Leg Spiced Rum reivew by the fat rum pirateIn 2012 following the loss of the rights for Cockspur Rum back in 2010, Blavod Wines and Spirits introduced a new spiced rum to the market – Red Leg Spiced Rum.  Please note at this stage the official way to title this rum is to keep the Red and the Leg together (But with the L still capitalised) – RedLeg.  However for purposes of people searching the web for this I figured it best to keep it separate on the title etc.

    In the UK the rum is bottled for the RedLeg Rum Company Ltd and is part of the Hi Spirits Group.  Who as you can see from the link have quite a few unit shifters and recognisable brands in their portfolio.

    RedLeg has been available online and in more specialist retailers for some time but recently it  began to be stocked in Sainsbury’s Supermarkets  To be fair to Sainsbury’s they have arguably the most impressive selection of rums of all the major Supermarkets.  Even if they are mainly mixers.

    As part of this release RedLeg was available briefly for £17 a bottle.  Always on the look out for new rum to review I quickly picked up a bottle.  The rum usually retails at £19 in Sainsburys.

    The presentation of the RedLeg and creates a very strong brand identity.  The website is also attractive and user friendly.  The Red Leg is actually a small algae loving crab which is commonly found in the Caribbean and is prominent on the front of the bottle in its shell.  I like the hand drawn effect on the bottle and the slightly messy appearance.  The stubby bottle also gets the thumbs up from me and for a rum under £20 and a Spiced one at that you will also be surprised to find a synthetic cork enclosure.

    Whilst the website is fun it didn’t give me all the information I know some of you will want.  So I fired off an email to Tom Hodgkiss at Hi Spirits and he very kindly sent me some Press Release and promotional material.  More importantly he also answered the two questions I had posed

    1.  What are the base rums in the blend and how old are they?

     It’s a 3 year old blend that we get from the Caribbean, most of it comes from the Appleton Estate (Jamaica) but it’s a blend of a few different islands. 

     2.  How is the rum spiced/infused?

    In terms of the infusion we use natural vanilla and ginger, no essence chemicals or anything like that.

    I couldn’t get all the information on the blend as they like to keep it a secret as they think it makes a pretty good base and don’t want copycats.

    Red Leg Spiced Rum Review by the fat rum pirateRight so that’s all the information done lets get on with the show and start reviewing this Spiced Rum.

    When poured in the glass RedLeg is actually quite a darkish brown colour.  The nose is nice.  It’s not cloying and you can definitely pick out the Vanilla and Ginger with little difficulty.  The Vanilla is slightly more dominant and the sweetness of the vanilla definitely stands out.  This is pretty sweet smelling stuff.

    Sipping is quite a surprise.  You can actually quite comfortable sip RedLeg.  The Vanilla and sugar added to the rum definitely smooth out the rough edges of the 3 year old blend.  A 3 year old Appleton would certainly be a less pleasant sipping experience without these additions.  It isn’t as sweet as I had expected and the rum still displays a lot of its rummy character.  Appleton Estate rums are quite refined by Jamaican standards and this certainly shows that.  As a sipper its smooth and easy going enough to slide down nicely but surprisingly rummy enough to satisfy a seasoned rum drinker.  It’s not quite as spicy as I had hoped – the Ginger is quite subtle in the mix.

    I’m actually quite shocked at how much I have actually enjoyed sipping a Spiced Rum.  Not because I haven’t had some very good Spiced Rum in the past but because this one is infused with Vanilla.  I have nothing against Vanilla flavour but it does seem to have been used in the extreme in several of my worst Spiced Rum experiences.

    Some have noted that RedLeg tastes like the old UK recipe Sailor Jerry.  To be honest it actually reminds me very much of the current Sailor Jerry.  It’s certainly a million miles from Old J which is supposed to re-create the old formula Sailor Jerry.

    As part of the promotional material Tom sent me were a few cocktails.  Being a lazy bastard I’m pleased to see that a simple Cuba Libre has been re-named to a RedLeg Libre.  Easy Peasy to make so lets give it a whirl.

    Red Leg Spiced Rum Review by the fat rum pirateIt’s good it makes a pretty nice, if a tiny bit too sweet mixed drink.  The Vanilla is dominant but it never becomes too much or cloying.  It’s sweet but not sickly sweet.  The Ginger comes alive a little bit more and along with some of the other spices it does offer a little kick to the drink.  Personally I would have enjoyed the RedLeg with a little more fiery Ginger in the blend and a little less of the Vanilla. That is just preference though.  In terms of sales I’m confident most people whom these Spiced Rums are aimed at would disagree!  This is pretty well balanced.

    At the pricepoint of £20 I can only think of Foursquare, Pusser’s Spiced and Sailor Jerry as alternatives.  In terms of availability I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to get the others over this.  This has got a solid rum base and has been authentically spiced or infused.  It even works surprisingly well as a sipper or over ice!

    I doubt this will be my last bottle this is very easy drinking.

    3 stars

  • Cane Island Dominican Republic Aged 5 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    CANE ISLAND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RUM AGED 5 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateCane Island Dominican Republic Aged 5 Years is the final review in the recently released trio of rums from Cane Island.

    As mentioned previously Cane Island are a new Independent bottler – at the moment their rums are only available from shops in Amsterdam.  Luckily most of these stores deliver to the UK so I didn’t miss out on trying these rums.

    For me when it comes to Independent bottlings it seems that Demerara, Caroni (Trinidad) and Jamaican rums are the most popular offerings.  There are perhaps a few reasons for this – DDL do not release many rums that do not have additives – a gap in the market which Velier expertly exploited which heightened peoples awareness of Demerara rum without additives.  Velier were also in the favourable position of being able to have their rums aged in Guyana – unlike the rest of the competition.

    Even said European aged Demerara is still very popular.  The myth that is built around the Caroni distillery and their “heavy” style rums ensures their enduring popularity.  Jamaican rum is popular because Appleton apart none of the Jamaican rum distilleries release many aged products.  So if you want aged Hampden or Long Pond rums you must buy independently.  The likes of Monymusk and Worthy Park are moving into the aged market.

    So this makes a couple of Cane Island’s releases a little more interesting.  Especially this one.  Rums from the Dominican Republic are very popular especially in Spain.  Brands such as Brugal, Bermudez and Barceló are well known and well recognised.  Oliver & Oliver also have numerous bottlings available in numerous guises.

    Very few indie bottlers have put out any Dominican rum.  This rum is aged for 5 years and has been column distilled at “Alcoholes Finos Dominicanos” the distillery location noted on the bottle is “San Pedro de Macoris”.  Which is the distillery which produces the Ron Barceló brand amongst others.

    The rum from the Dominican Republic is produced in the “latin” style additives and adulteration take many different forms and information is hard to come by.  The hydrometer reveals 12g/L of “additives” in this rum.  It is likely this rum will be a light, approachable and sweet rum.

    A 70cl bottle will cost around 40 euros – again slightly more expensive than the branded equivalent.   It should be noted though that the likes of Brugal. Barceló and Bermudez do not note ages of their rums..

    The rum is noted as being column distilled and aged in American Oak (Bourbon) barrels.  No details of any “finish” or second maturation are noted.

    In the glass the rum is a little dull – its not a particularly vibrant colour, it looks a little washed out.  It’s an ungolden brown.

    The nose is not overly impressive either.  It’s quite muted and I’m not getting a great deal from it.  There is a slight sweetness to it.  It smells a little Cuban.  It’s very light and easy going.  There is nothing offensive about it but at the same time nothing exciting either. It has a slightly floral note lurking in the background.

    When sipped it initially is quite “boozy”.  It’s youthful and the alcohol really comes out.  Further sips reveal more of the sweetness hinted at on the nose.  It’s a very familiar rum – it reminds me of Botran or a younger Panama rum.  It is not as sweet and as layered with chocolate notes, like Barceló Imperial nor is it is a dry and briny as Brugal.

    Although the nose and appearance were a little disappointing its not an unpleasant experience sipping this rum.  At 5 years old it still has some of the youthful alcohol notes.  I enjoy these as they make it more “rummy”.  This make it less generic than some of the lighter column distilled rums from this part of the world.

    It’s not massively sweet and is quite dry (especially on the finish).  It also has some nice spicy oak. A good deal of interaction with the barrel giving it some sweet/sour notes.

    It’s a light latin style rum but its not afraid to show its teeth.  I wouldn’t call it particularly meaty or complex but it does have a bit of a twist and an extra dimension.  It’s easy to drink but it does give you a little bit of a kick.

    All in all much better than I had imagined.

  • Berry’s St Lucia Rum Aged 11 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Berrys St Lucia Rum Review by the fat rum pirateBerry’s Bros & Rudd (BBR for short) is London’s oldest and one of its most respected wine and spirits merchants.  They have traded from the same shop in St James Street since 1698.

    They hold two warrants to supply wines and spirits to the Prince of Wales and the Queen!  So if I don’t give this bottle of rum a good review I might end up in the tower….

    I was fortunate enough to come across a selection of Berry’s rums in own local Wine and Spirit Merchant (Rehills in Jesmond – no royal warrants but they do supply me on a regular basis).  Amongst the selection was this 11 Year Old St Lucia Rum.

    As many of you will know I’m very fond of St Lucian rum, in particular Chairman’s Reserve.  Having been very slightly disappointed in the 1931 offerings and the Forgotten Casks edition of Chairman’s Reserve I jumped at the chance to try a pot still aged St Lucia rum.  Which is what this bottle has afforded me.

    I picked this bottle up for just over £42 which compares favourably with online prices.  The rum comes in the very elegant and very tall traditional BBR spirit bottle. It has a clear glass bottom which adds a touch of class and it has a good weight to it.  The labelling is clear and uncluttered and gives some information on the rum in the bottle though not enough for the likes of me!  It’s all very elegant.  The rum is bottled at 46% ABV. I like the tasting notes on the bottle its nice to know this rum has been tried and tested!

    The rum is a nice golden to red colour suggesting maybe a little of added caramel for colour only.  I suspect it has only been lightly chill filtered.  The nose is immediately reminiscent of the 1931 series of rums.  St Lucia Distillers pot still rums have a very distinctive nose.  A kind of halfway house between Jamaican rum and Scotch Whisky initially.  Given time in the glass the rum begins to show its sweeter side despite its slightly medicinal almost herbal notes.  It is very clean and almost refreshing – perhaps a touch of pine? The sweeter notes are  Banana and Toffee perhaps a little green apple.Berrys St Lucia Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    What I found with the 1931 series was that all the rums were just a little bit too busy for their own good.  The numerous rums in the blend and the different types of casks used to age before the final maturation, made the 1931’s at times a little unwieldy.  Don’t get me wrong I enjoy a complex sipper but it needs balance.  Which is what you get with this rum.

    If this is a rum blended from many casks I will be surprised. It is very well balanced.  Very crisp and clean.  It tastes exactly how it appears. Elegant and not too showy.

    When sipped it has a very herbal and slightly medicinal note to it.  The label notes it as invigorating.  I would liken the taste to trying to eat immediately after brushing your teeth or eating chewing gum.  You can taste the flavours but they are masked by an almost minty, refreshing note.

    There are also notes of almost Jamaican pot still rum and dare I say it Scotch Whisky.  Despite its ABV the rum exhibits very little burn even on the finish.  It is spicy but not at all rough.  It’s a dry rum which you could compare to R L Seale’s 10 Year Old.

    The finish is very long lasting and spicy with nice oak notes finally coming into the mix.

    It is a rum which benefits from a second glass. I find that the sweeter notes shine a little more.  They don’t dominate the profile but light honey and a little vanilla do start to show themselves.

    Berrys St Lucia Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    This is very much a sipping rum.  Those who enjoy a drier less fruity experience will particularly enjoy this rum.

    I did however decide to mix this rum with some cola.  Really it was just to see how it faired next one of my favourite mixer’s Chairman’s Reserve.  I found that the extra sophistication this rum has meant that really it was a little wasted as a mixer.  Whilst it made a smoother and equally flavourful rum and cola I felt that it lacked the extra little oak and oomph that Chairman’s gives a rum and cola.  Plus I was paying twice as much for the drink!

    This rum doesn’t quite hit the highest mark on the score front but I have enjoyed it slightly more than the 1931’s overall.  I would say it is pretty much on a par with the 2nd 1931.

    It delivers a very different experience to Admiral Rodney, which is another rum from St Lucia Distillers but is entirely column distilled.  I found the Admiral Rodney to be sweeter, much less dry and very easy to drink.  This is more challenging but well worth the effort.  A real grower.

    4 stars

     

     

  • Ron Viejo de Caldas 3 Anos

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Ron Viejo de Caldas 3 year Old Anos rum review by the fat rum pirateRon Viejo de Caldas 3 Anos. The rum hails from Colombia.  It is produced at Industria Licocera de Caldas.  As a result of this quite a lot of the information available online is in Spanish.  I’ve tried translating things but the free translation tools are pretty naff.  So I’ve cobbled together what I could find in English.

    They seem to have updated their range recently.  However the photo’s show the design of the dusty bottle I found in Mallorca earlier this year.  I paid €10.  When I’ve seen this available it has been around £30.  Ron Viejo de Caldas 3 Anos is bottled at a miserly 37.5% ABV (the lower limit of what call be called rum in the EU).  Although I have been unable to confirm it I am pretty sure that the rum is produced on an Industrial continuous column still and is molasses based. Industria Licorera de Caldas produce a range of other rums and spirits.  Which is often a bad sign for a “Rum Distillery”.

    The companies Facebook page is pretty popular with 75,000 followers.  It is from this page where I’ve established that they have updated their presentation.  On the site I can see rums aged up to 15 years in their line up.

    It’s likely that the old style bottles will be around Europe for some time to come.  Although they are fairly common in Spain they don’t seem overly popular.

    I think this rum is pretty much their entry level effort.  The presentation is different I quite like the old fashioned/antique effect and I quite like the stubby bottle.  It’s pretty cool.  The new presentation is more sleek and modern but a little plain for my liking.

    The rum has been aged a minimum of 3 years and has been aged in Ex-Bourbon oak.

    In the glass Viejo De Caldas is a straw coloured rum. The nose is very light.  There is thin faint alcohol smell which is competing with an equally weak almost insiped hint of cake mix.  The alcohol is winning the battle though – just.  There isn’t really a great deal else – no oak, no spice and no fruitiness.

    Ron Viejo de Caldas 3 year Old Anos rum review by the fat rum pirateTaste wise it is equally underwhelming.  Even the alcohol notes don’t stick around.  Quickly disappearing along with any other possible hint of flavour.  There may be a hint of sugar sweetness o n entry but its so short and faint it may as well not be there.

    This has been bottled at 37.5% ABV and boy can you tell.  It’s an anemic rum which even writing this review is boring me to death much like this “rum”.  A complete waste of everyone’s time.

    Ron Viejo de Caldas could easily be substiuted for vodka in most drinks.  I drank my bottle long with coke and half the time I didn’t even realise I had any “rum” in the drink.

    It’s not unpleasant because it just doesn’t have any character or flavour to make it unpleasant. If I had paid the retail price here in the UK (around £30) I’d have been pretty furious to be honest.

    Apologies for being brief but there are only so many ways I can say something is shit.

2 Comments

  1. Excellent! In the last month, I’ve given away two Foursquare Zinfandel Cask Blends as gifts (my favorite rum today), discovered Doorly’s 8 when it looked like a good deal at a local wine & spirit store (indeed, at $20 it’s an exceptional deal), picked up one each of Plantation Stiggin’s Fancy and OFTD (review on the horizon? or not yet available in the UK?) to augment my mixing stash, was gifted a Plantation 20th, and used a gift card toward a rum I would normally consider outside of my price range. I agonized over that decision—among others considering a 17-year Cuban and a 23-year Panamanian—but ultimately selected the Foursquare 2004, partly influenced by your review. I’ve only tasted it a couple times yet and am looking forward to spending more time with it.

    I’m very pleased with the fun both Foursquare and Plantation are having with quality, innovative rum-making!

  2. I expected this rum to be the winner after reading the first 2 paragraphs as it’s really outstanding and fits the set criteria.
    For the price I don’t think there is any rum (released in 2016) that can really compete with this offering, except for the Don Q Signature release. However that one will probably be less readily available.

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