Rumvent Calendar

Bythefatrumpirate

Rumvent Calendar 2015 by rhe fat rum pirateThe Rumvent Calendar.  Join us throughout December as we count down towards Christmas, with a tot a day.

24 rums have been selected in miniature form to help us enjoy the countdown to Christmas.  No doubt amongst these rums will be one or two you have put on Santa’s list.

The selection is quite eclectic featuring rums new in 2015, older classics and some limited edition rums which are alas, no longer available.

As its Christmas and we all may be in need of a nice Winter Warmer, Spiced Rums and Rum Liqueurs (not Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva!) also feature in our festive countdown.

We will be publishing daily links on Social Media (so follow/like us if you haven’t already) and the actual calendar will be available to view from the picture below.  It will also feature as a page on our Homepage.  So you can check in and see which rums have been featured on a daily basis.

Rumvent Calendar

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  • Cor Cor Red – Okinawan Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Cor Cor Red Rum Review by the fat rum pirateCor Cor Red Okinawan Rum.  Cor Cor Red and Green first seriously caught my eye at London Rumfest 2017.  They were displaying at the Boutique Rumfest on the Friday afternoon.  A show which is designed for new rums to display their wares to the “trade”. Its the part of the weekend I personally enjoy the most. The atmosphere is a little more restrained and you get to try a lot of new rums.

    Grace Rum is the name of the company which oversees production of Cor Cor rum.  From looking through their website it appears that they used to have three expressions Cor Cor Green, Cor Cor Red and a luxury version Cor Cor Premium which seems to have disappeared from the line up.

    Cor Cor Red is a molasses based rum as opposed to Cor Cor Green which is a sugar cane juice or agricole style rum.  Grace Rum do have a website (which may be a little out of date).  It seems from reading their website that both their existing expressions are unaged white rums.  No mention is made anywhere regarding the ageing of the rums.

    Cor Cor benefit from producing their own sugar cane and molasses.  You might be quite surprised to learn that a lot of existing rum producers no longer use molasses from their own islands.  Cor Cor are also quite upfront about the type of rum they produce.  I have never seen a rum producer openly admit “not everyone will like our rum” in quite such an honest and straightforward way.

    Cor Cor Red and Green seem to be aimed very much at rum enthusiasts seeking out a new experience.  Japanese rum is still uncommon I can only think of Ryoma as another example. They also focus on their rums being a limited edition dependant on the amount of sugar cane they can harvest.  A sugar can harvest takes place only once a year.

    As a result the rums do seem quite expensive for an unaged white rum bottled at 40% ABV.  In the UK a bottle will set you back around £80.  For this you do get a quite unusual and distinctive bottle and card sleeve which does give a more “premium” feel to this rum.

    Interest in unaged white rum has piqued recently thanks mainly to the likes of Velier.  Not only has Luca Gargano opened the worlds eyes to the Clairin’s of Haiti (very rudimentary agricole style distillates) but Velier have also released several unaged white rums in their Habitation Velier line up.  Examples from Worthy Park, Marie-Galante and DDL to date.Cor Cor Red Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    Sugar production has taken place on the island since the late 18th to early 19th century.  At one point there was a sugar cane railway which encircled the island transporting sugar cane all around the island.  The distillery was set up in 2004 at the site of the former Airport on Minomataido Island.  The site states they have a master distiller with over 20 years experience (that will now be over 30) but they do not name this person.

    Well that is as much information as I have been able to gather for these expressions.  So without further ado lets move onto reviewing the molasses side of production………

    Cor Cor Red in the glass is a completely clear spirit. As to be expected from an unaged spirit.

    The nose is interesting. The initial aroma is sawdust or pencil shavings. It’s very different to the Cor Cor Green. It has a strong medicinal aroma and a slight fruitiness – maybe a touch of banana and pineapple.

    In time the nose becomes less alcohol forward and you get more aroma’s. It is slightly vegetal  but the sawdust is quite dominant. Like the Cor Cor Green there is a slightly tart aroma of goosberries or very sharp raspberries. Again its quite pungent and clearly an unaged spirit.

    Sipped the rum has an all spice note to it. Mixed with the woodiness of the pencil shavings. Again much like Cor Cor Green the rum initially bursts with flavour but quickly settles into a very long and very spicy mid palate and finish. It’s fiery and a little smoky – almost tequila like in places.

    It’s a curious spirit. At the London Rumfest where a group of us tried these there was quite a lot of debate as to which one was the best. Initially I was more in favour of this one. Having tried them both alongside each other I’m not so sure now. Both are interesting. This is a slightly less sweet, less grassy spirit. More smoke and I would say slightly more fiery overall. In the end I think I will go for a tie.

    I enjoyed trying them both and have continued to enjoy them both at thome. They are very interesting spirits. I’d be very keen to see what they can do with an aged spirit. Theres is a lot of flavour to be had in these distillates and they are quite distinctive.

    As even they say though – not very everyone.

     

     

  • Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years – The Whisky Barrel Exclusive

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirate The Whisky BarrelKill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years – The Whisky Barrel Exclusive. An exclusive bottling sees one of Scotland’s younger rum bottlers, team up with a relatively youthful Scottish retailer in the shape of The Whisky Barrel.

    The Whisky Barrel have been earning a great reputation over the past few years. Focusing and stocking Independent bottlings of both whisky and rum. Obviously my attention has always focused on the rum. They heavily feature two of my favourite UK based Indie bottlers. Bristol Classic Rum and Hunter Laing’s Kill Devil range.

    We are on familiar ground then again with this bottling in terms of bottler, distillery and age. I reviewed a 9 year old Cask Strength Hampden bottling from Kill Devil a few months back. I found that bottling (a run of just 55 bottles) on The Whisky Barrel also. Regular readers of this blog will be aware that Jamaica has been covered very regularly lately. Not Just Hampden but also Worthy Park.

    As a rule I “try” and review bottles whilst they are still available for retail and whenever possible, as soon as they are available. I think this works both ways – you readers will be keen to read about the rum before you commit and it ensures I get a steady stream of views for such bottlings.

    Anyway enough of the rambling. What we have here is a 10 Year Old Pot Still Rum from the Hampden Distillery. Distilled back in November 2007. It is bottled at 64.1% ABV – Cask Strength. One of just 290 bottles from a single cask. Priced at £62.65 which is only slightly more expensive than last years 9 year old rum.

    It is likely that this rum was sent to Europe unaged and has been aged solely in a continental European climate.

    This is reinforced when the rum is poured in the glass. It is a very light straw colour with a slight flash of gold in the swirl.

    Nosing the rum (you don’t really need to it you can smell it across the room) I get all those wonderful familiar Jamaican funky notes, that I’ve so enjoyed recently with our Kill Devil and Berrys’ Jamaican bottlings. Getting up there with one of my all time favourites, that mythical Duncan Taylor Long Pond 2000. Ahhhh memories.

    Varnish, shoe polish, diesel fumes, Calpol and menthol cigarettes are all very prominent on the nose. Despite all this there is enough sweetness. Pineapple, guava and Lockets (honey flavour cough sweets with a liquid centre). These notes balance out the more aggressive and frankly unpleasant sounding notes (it is amazing how such horrible sounding notes can smell so wonderful!).Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirate The Whisky Barrel

    So lets see how this all transfer over to the sip.

    Wow! This is some really funky, sweet and vibrant rum. An initial sugary-ness gives some really fruity almost candied notes of pineapple and passion fruit. There is a really medicinal and warming hit of lighter fuel and navy tablet (more English cough sweets) on the mid palate. Nice warming notes of spice – ginger, nutmeg and a really well developed oak and some slightly tannic notes like red wine. The balance is wonderful.

    This is what I call a slow sipper. Big gaps between each sip. Not because you don’t want more but because it is so complex and the finish is long and satisfying.

    There are all kinds of notes to be explored with this rum – sweeter tropical notes, more aggressive heavy medicinal notes and some really nicely balanced and well delivered spice and oak in the finish and mid palate. This all adds up to a very funky and well balanced Jamaican rum.

    With the Hampden rums from Independent bottlers it is very much about how well they have been matured. The funky-ness that comes off the still is already packed full of flavour. This is distillate driven rum – whilst the rum may have mellowed slightly in the barrel/cask and taken on some of the vanilla and spice of what I presume to be re-fill bourbon, it is still very much characterised by the unaged rum that came straight off the still.

    It’s difficult to tame a Hampden – without arsing it up with “dosage”. You can over-oak them from time to time or put them in “bad” barrels.

    But that hasn’t happened with this particular bottling. I gave the 9 Year Old Kill Devil Hampden 4.5 stars out of 5 earlier this year and the same score to the 17 Year Old Berrys’s exclusive for The Whisky Barrel.

    We are really getting down to finite differences. This might just get the balance between youthful exuberance and well matured spirit – just a teensy bit more than those two. Would I easily tell them apart after a couple of glasses? Probably not if I’m being honest.

    This doesn’t have the slightly bitter note of the 17 year old on the finish and is ever so slightly better balanced overall than the 9 year.

    To be fair you should buy all three of those bottlings if you can. No scrap that – buy two, three as many as you can get.

    Jamaican Rum Heaven. More collaborations please…….

  • Expressions – Old Man Rum Co.

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Expressions Old Man Rum Co Review by the fat rum pirateExpressions is the first in a series of Aged Pot Still Rums, to be released by the newly formed Old Man Rum Co.

    Hailing from Northumberland, in the North East of England the Old Man Rum Co. is headed by Ian Linsley.  A specialist Rum Blender who has a lifetime of experience in the drinks industry.

    Not content with reviving the legendary Alnwick Rum, Ian is now carrying out a lifelong ambition to realise his father’s dream.  The new rum is based on knowledge passed down from his father, John Bernard Linsley.  Hence the name of the company.  This is the rum his father would have wanted.

    Expressions is a blended rum, which in todays market is nothing new.  However, it is a 100% Pot Still rum blend, this in itself is uncommon.  What makes this rum truly unique? It is a blend of 100% Pot Still Rums aged between 25 and 33 years.  The age stated on the bottle is the minimum age of any rum contained in this blend.

    If that isn’t enough for you the rum has 3 rums in its 7 rum blend, which are from distilleries which are no longer in operation.

    As you can see the rum comes in a very elegant solid wood presentation box with a booklet outlining the history and provenance of the rum.  The glass decanter has a chunky and luxurious glass topped cork stopper.  The box when sealed shows the distinctive Old Man Rum Co. logo. All in all a very classy package.

    The rum is bottled at 58.5% and only 250 bottles of this rum will be made available worldwide.  It will never be repeated.  The rum retails at £1800 and is currently only available online at the Old Man Rum Co. website.

    Now I know that for most of you reading this rum £1800 will seem a fantastic amount of money to pay for a bottle of rum.  There is no doubt you would be right, it is a fantastic amount of money to pay.  If you are a serious collector though or are looking for a very special rum gift, this offers an opportunity to own and enjoy some very unique and practically extinct rums all in one blend.Expressions Old Man Rum Co Review by the fat rum pirate

    I was given the opportunity to taste this rum at its launch event at the Boutique Rum Fest in London on the 21st October 2016.  Honest as ever (and already having sampled a good few rums), I did display my surprise at this rum being a blend.  On reflection however being a blend this does give Expressions a unique selling point.  I am surprised that they haven’t bottled the rums individually but Ian informed me that he really wanted to do something completely different.

    “This is a serious product for the purists. It’s a big rum that’s for sipping and not to be rushed.  We’re making a big statement with out first Expressions”

    Ian went  on to inform me that it is a “beautiful blend of aged rums.  It’s pure pot still and uniquely blends rums of more than 25 years old.  It’s real difference is it’s rarity, as some of the distilleries we’ve sourced from no longer exist”

    I was then asked if I could pick out any of the rums in the blend.  I won’t reveal to much at this stage but Ian was suitably impressed to give me a small tot with the view of writing some tasting notes for him.

    At this stage I’m not to sure how familiar Ian was with this site.  Unlike so many others, I always strive to be 100% honest and impartial.  At Rum Fest the rum had seemed very, very good but I was keen to get back home and assess it in a more familiar environment.

    The first thing to note about Expressions is its hue.  It is a golden colour rather than a deep mahogany.  For many this may cause a concern but once nosed it is clear that it simply a case that this aged rum has not been caramel coloured.

    Expressions Old Man Rum Co Review by the fat rum pirateThe nose is a real surprise and was the first thing I queried at Rum Fest – I found it hard to believe that it was all Pot Still rum.  It is on the first nosing quite sweet – it reminds me of old fashioned boiled sweets in a paper bag.  It’s almost floral.  The next thing you notice is zestiness like marmalade and some lighter sweeter orange aromas.

    For a rum bottled at 58.5% I can detect next to no alcohol or any rough edges.  A deeper nosing reveals more of the body of the Pot Still Rum.  A slightly menacing undertone which reminds me of Pusser’s Gunpowder.  This lurks but doesn’t ever threaten to throw the nose off balance or detract from its complexity.  There seems to be almost an extra layer with every sip.  A little spicy oak, some spicy ginger and a touch of cinnamon.  The sweetness almost becomes a little like a toffee apple.  A very slight sherried almost medicinal note also shows its presence.  I fear I could write an article alone on the nose……

    So we’ll move on and take a few gentle sips.  Initially when queried about the blend of this rum I immediately suggested Caroni.  In hindsight this is because of the 3 closed distilleries in the blend.  I was asked to guess again and was told there was no rum from Trinidad in the blend.

    The answer was obvious and really explains the medicinal notes of this rum.  The mythical Rockley Still from Barbados is at least one of the rums in this blend.  I would guess at it probably being the 1986 vintage (used by Duncan Taylor and Bristol Classic Rum).Expressions Old Man Rum Co review by the fat rum pirate

    One the first sip you get that rich medicinal slightly tarry note, which is unique to the Rockley Pot Still.  It’s rich and warming and very satisfying.  It’s also clearly Pot Still rum.  This is followed by some of the sweeter notes identified on the nose.  There are familiar Demerara raisin and Port Mourant liquorice/aniseed notes and a little chocolate.  I would say there is more than the Port Mourant still involved in this rum, I would also hazard a guess at the Versailles wooden still being in the mix also.  The Bajan rum rears it head again with gentler notes of vanilla and a little toffee.

    Jamaican rum is also contained in this blend and whilst the Jamaican rum initially doesn’t seem to be all that involved it does add a lot of funk towards the end of each sip and especially in the finish.  It also carries the spice and oak into the finish which can only be described as super long.  One of the longest and most complex finished I have encountered.

    I wasn’t told the make up of this rum as Old Man Rum Co. were keen for me to try it without any pre-conceptions.  For the Jamaican influences I would guess towards Hampden Estate.

    There are no doubt rums in the blend that I haven’t been able to pick out. The rum is sippable even at full strength. I would advise only a very little water. It really doesn’t need much at all to open up the full complexity.

    I did honestly think blending such rums was a bit of a silly idea. Once again I have been proved wrong.  A benchmark in many ways for a blended rum.

    5 stars

     

     

     

     

     

  • Saint James Royal Ambre

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Saint James Royal Ambre rum review the fat rum pirateSaint James Royal Ambre is a Rhum Agricole from the French speaking island of Martinique.

    For those unfamiliar with Rhum Agricole it is rum made from fresh cane juice as opposed to Rhum Industriel which is produced from molasses or other sugar by products.

    The term Rhum Industriel is not widely used as it has negative connotations and those that do produce rhum in this way have no desire or motivation to market their products as such.  As most production occurs outside of the French speaking islands it has no real meaning.  The term when used in derogative way does Rhum Agricole’s snobbish overpriced reputation little favours.

    Saint James Royal Ambre is a fairly reasonably priced just over £20 for a 70cl bottle which is bottled at an ABV of 45%.  Many Agricoles are much more expensive.  There is no age statement on the rum or any notations suggesting it is well aged.  The rum has the AOC marque from the French Government which signifies the rhum is produced as a true Agricole Rhum.

    Like it’s Cane Juice counterpart Cachaca, Rhum Agricole has a very vegetal, grassy profile which can take some getting used to.

    In all honesty I find Rhum Agricole to be very strange and I don’t really think of it as rum.  Admittedly it is better than my experiences of Cachaca but not by a big margin.

    This Rhum Agricole is quite well regarded and the retailer I bought it from had a limit of one bottle per customer.

    The Rhum is presented in quite a nice rectangular bottle with Saint James 1769 etched on the shoulders of the bottle.  The presentation is quite pleasant is consistent throughout the range of rum’s.  The bottle is written solely in French so I have little idea what the rhum thinks about itself!

    On the nose the rhum exhibits fresh grassy notes and a slight vegetal/fruit note fresh and clean a little like cucumber.  It is a pleasant medium gold/brown colour.  When sipped it is pretty spicy it isn’t particularly harsh but it isn’t what you would term as smooth.

    In the mouth the vegetal notes come to the forefront.  The rhum reminds me a little of chewing grass as a child or munching on celery and cucumber.  It’s very fresh and clean tasting but at the end of the day is this what I want rum to taste like?  Clearly the French do.

    As with my previous review of La Mauny VXO I’m just a little bit lost as to what this is supposed to be.  I just don’t understand why you would want rum that tastes like this?  It goes kind of okay with Lemonade but its just really odd tasting.  My wife sometimes adds cucumber to vodka and lemonade this has a similar effect.  Its kind of like all the ingredients of Pimms but without the actual Pimms.

    Odd, odd, odd

    1 star
    1 star

     

  • Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum review by the fat rum pirateHurricane Overproof Manx Rum. Outlier Distilling Company first came to my attention at the 2023 (I think) London Rum Festival. There was quite a bit of talk at that festival about their bottlings. In particular this Overproof Rum.

    I tend to take any kind of hype at London Rum Festival, or indeed any other rum festival with a pinch of salt. There are still a lot of people at these events who are very much in the Spiced/Flavoured crowd and also a lot of people still find the idea of anything over 40% ABV as something “strong” and almost unheard of. A novelty which they see as exciting and dangerous. So they talk about it quite a bit – partly out of excitement and partly because they aren’t used to it……..

    At this stage I would usually give a bit of background on the rum but here instead I have a quote direct from the Outlier website

    “Hurricane is Outlier’s step up from Hoolie. Fermented from molasses in our old milking shed distillery and double distilled in our wood-fired still, Hurricane blends overproof Hoolie rum with cask aged rum (also made by Outlier) to create a surprisingly smooth overproof that carries new American oak and Islay whiskey notes. Amazing in bold cocktails (think Zombie) or drunk  Neat as a sipping rum – squeezed wedge of lime optional.”

    Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum comes in at a hefty 64% ABV. So we are in J Wray and Nephew and Rum-Bar Overproof territory. A 70cl bottle will set you back £44 direct from Outlier. As mentioned previously those on the UK Mainland may find a UK supplier cheaper as the P&P isn’t as high, even if the bottle cost is a little more. Swings and Roundabouts as we say round these parts.

    I’ll be reviewing the orginal Hoolie rum in due course for those interested. Last time I reviewed an Outlier Rum – Millions of Peaches I got the 90’s Indie “Classic” (cough cough) “Peaches” by the Presidents of the United States of America into my head. Which was intentional by Outlier in the naming of that rum.

    In this instance I am immediately thinking of a lesser known late 90’s tune by Warm Jets (named after the Brian Eno Album Here Come The Warm Jets) “Hurricane”. The song is pretty difficult, to find as the groups orginal record label is now defunct and Island Recotds haven’t kept the discography in print. You won’t find it on Spotify. Hurricane reached the Top Forty but the group is more famous for its lead singer Louis Jones having a brief relationship with DJ Zoe Ball.

    I wonder if I can tie every Outlier rum review to some obscure 90’s Indie Track. I fancy I probably can………….

    Anyway I digress to lets get oHurricane Overproof Manx Rum review by the fat rum piraten with the review. In the glass Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum is crystal clear as expected.

    On the nose I am getting a lot of booze and very “chewy” heavt treacely molasses notes. Give it a bit time in the glass……

    Which allows more aromas to come through and the “boozy-ness” to calm down. Some lighter toffee notes, a touch of black banana. Maybe a little fermenting pineapple. It’s still very fiery though. There is some smokiness as well and a touch of vanilla.

    There is a strong mineral/stony note which gives it an almost metallic tang. Something which I am not overly fond of I must admit.

    It unbalances this a little and makes it smell a little industrial. A little bit like bleach if I am being entirely honest. Maybe 64% is a touch high for this and the booze/ethanol has unbalanced it a little?

    Not to worry the nose on a Overproof rum is rarely the showstopper. Certainly being able to smell Wray and Nephew’s pungent potency from 3 blocks away is not why I enjoy it in a TingWray so much……

    Sipped at full strength? By all means give it a go but be careful. Don’t drink a lot like this and have water to hand.

    In all honesty sipped this is a very hot, very alcohol heavy drink and the metallic mineraly notes are coming through making it difficult for me to drink like this. Some drops of water to dilute do make it more manageable and lessen the harsher elements of this rum. I was expecting it to be a little more refined due to the information Outlier provide but in all honesty I didn’t find that.

    Overproof Rums should really only be used or “rated” as mixers or sparingly added in tropical cocktails. Often set alight for affect. Cask Strength and Overproof are too entirely different things.

    So how well does Outlier Hurricane Overproof Manx rum mix? The answer is, thankfully a lot better than it sips!

    It has a more molasses heavy profile than traditional Jamaican Overproof rums. Much more in keeping with some of the stronger white rum we have seen come from British producers over the past few years.

    Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum review by the fat rum pirateThis works particularly well with fruit juices in more tropical cocktails. The molasses profile works well and the fruit juice means it doesn’t need the “funkier” profile of the Jamaican Overproofs. There is a Peaty and Smoky note which may also be contributing to the metallic note that I don’t fancy.

    It works nicely mixed with Cola or Lemonade. There is still that slight metallic edge to it but its less of an issue now. I like how “boozy” this is without needing to add much to the drink.

    A Daiquiri is really good with this rum I must admit and its a very “Daiquiri” rum. The Peat and Smoke is still there but it fits in a lot better.

    All in all it does what it is designed to do – if the metallic edge could be negated a bit more I would certainly rate it a little higher.  It is perhaps a little Scotch Whisky like once you get pasrt the molasses. I’m not a huge Scotch Whisky fan at all. Certainly not Islay anyway. That said it istill clean and crisp and gives a very nice molasses hit where it is needed. It’s not Jamaican funk heavy but if you want a slightly “cleaner” Overproof profile – ideal for Daiquiri’s this might be a good choice.

     

  • Plantation Guyana 2005

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Plantation 2005 Guyana rum review by the fat rum pirateA 2005 Guyana vintage from Plantation distilled on the iconic Port Mourant pot still.

    Plantation rum should be familiar to most readers.  They are not shy when it comes to promoting themselves.  Their Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Infused Rum, has been virtually impossible to ignore over the past couple of years.

    Plantation is a part of Cognac Ferrand and is overseen by Alexandre Gabriel.  Plantation divide opinion perhaps more than any other rum bottler in the world.  They are not afraid to fight their own corner as has been seen in articles such as this.

    Their rums are hugely popular and multiple award winning. Particularly at the Miami Rum Renaissance.  They practically exist as resident gold medallists.  They do however get quite a lot of scorn from those seeking rum without additives.

    I like to take a more reasoned approach to the Plantation bottling “experiments”.  Whilst I don’t always enjoy their offerings (their Jamaican 2000 is particularly poor) I have tasted rums from them which have certainly been well worth the price tag.  At times I can appreciate the different profiles they bring to the rum world.  At other times however, they can be a bit of a sugary mess.

    Plantation’s rums are not expensive, in the main.  This 2005 vintage bottled at a hefty 45% ABV is around £40-45 in the UK.  Which is a common price for the rums which are released in this taller style of bottle, under the “Old Reserve” banner.  The presentation is classy and familiar.

    Finding actual information on the rum is pretty tricky. So to quote Plantation

    “Plantation Guyana is the only rum in the Plantation range to have sugar cane syrup as its raw material. From a long fermentation it is then distilled in a Charente alembic pot still and finally aged in bourbon casks a fine balance is earned”. 

    I have tried a good few Port Mourant’s from independent bottlers.  I am expecting this to have more in common with a more commercial bottling –  Pusser’s 15 Year Old.  That rum is also a Port Mourant.  It also according to the Hydro tests has added sugar.Plantation Guyana 2005 rum review by the fat rum pirate

    Which is something I would like to see Plantation NOT do with at least one of their rums. Unfortunately I suspect that day will not come!  They are selling what a lot of people want to buy.  Fair play I guess.  Let us move onto the assessment of this rum.

    In the glass the rum is quite a surprise – it isn’t too dark, it is a light reddish/brown. Which is very different to how it appears in the bottle.

    The nose has a nice balance of familiar aniseed and liquorice notes found in  Port Mourant rums.  Nice slightly charred oak with vanilla and a very upfront and hard to miss “Demerara” twang to it.  It remind me of the Pusser’s 15.  This seems less aggressive though and better balanced.  There is a slightly briny sea salt air to the rum, which drifts in and out.

    Sipped the extra ABV is immediately noticeable.  I wasn;t expecting quite so much punch from a Plantation.  It takes a couple of sips for your palate and taste buds to adapt.  It’s very strong tasting and big on flavour.

    There is a lot of complexity to this – deep rich aniseed, alongside juicy plump raisins. A spicy slightly heated profile. White pepper and lots of spicy bourbon almost “mash” and oak.

    It is slightly sweet. I dare say I would possibly enjoy it slightly more with less or no added sugar?

    It would be unfair though to count that against this particular rum.  At £40 it offers a really good alternative to the El Dorado range.  I dare say it shows a lot more the Port Mourant in its full glory, than the 12 or 15 year old El Dorado.

    Plantation 2005 Guyana new bottle designPlantation’s rums are undergoing a bit of a makeover.  Bottles of this rum have been appearing which are as pictured.  I’m not entirely sure if the “juice” is exactly the same.  It likely isn’t the exact same “batch”.  I doubt though it will be very different.  Some of Plantation’s rums are very much the same year on year.

    Whilst I don’t always enjoy these rums. I am happy to give them credit when they do come up with something good.  I think that the character of the Port Mourant Pot Still is captured well with this rum.  I prefer it to Pusser’s 15 Year Old (by a tiny bit).  I like the oak notes and the fact the sugar hasn’t masked the power and oomph of the original distillate.

    It’s more challenging and complex than a lot of Plantation rums.  In many ways packs a bit more complexity than the El Dorado range (certainly upto the 12 year old anyway).

    Good stuff and well worth a spin.

    4 stars