S.M.W.S Cask No R11.11 Pushing the Frontiers of Funk

Bythefatrumpirate January 11, 2022February 18, 2022

S.M.W.S Cask No R11.11 Pushing the Frontiers of Funk. You can always rely on the S.M.W.S (Scotch Malt Whisky Society) to give their rums an interesting name. It’s quite common within the Scotch Whisky world in general, to find more detailed or more “floral” descriptions, than you might find in the Rum scene.

I’ve often found myself rolling my eyes or even holding my head in my hands, when whisky bloggers are invited to online rum tastings. Some of the notes they make claim to be able to taste are often baffling to say the least. I don’t know if is something to do with the sheer volume of whisky writers, making some feel the need to stand out but a lot of it seems a bit OTT to me.

So what has this got to do with the S.M.W.S? Well as you can see from the title of the review they have a rather unique way of “naming” their rums.

For those wondering, this is is actually a rum from Worthy Park. Now whilst Worthy Park would prefer Independent bottlers not to use the “Worthy Park” moniker many bottlers have found ways around this. Ways which are useful to the consumer. The S.M.W.S for me just aren’t doing this. The naming conventions combined with the “numbering” system aren’t helpful or useful. Yes its “quirky” but for me it’s not particularly inclusive. I suppose as a Members Only Club it doesn’t need to be?

Now as I’m not a member of the S.M.W.S, I tend not to get much chance to try their Independent bottlings. It’s no great loss as being in the UK I have pretty much unlimited access to other bottlers such as Duncan Taylor, Kill Devil, Samaroli and Cadenhead’s. They bottle pretty much everything the S.M.W.S have access to. The Main Run Company in Liverpool being the main source of barrels for these companies. Yes the S.M.W.S will have access to a different barrel of say the 2000 Foursquare “vintage” than Duncan Taylor bottled but are they really noticeably different?

Those that might say “Yes” are not the type of people I have any interest in…..nor are they the type of person this blog is aimed at. I’m certainly not looking to fill this blog full of multiple reviews of the same distillate which just happened to be in a different barrel. How boring would that be?

In all seriousness how different will these really be? I’ll leave that to the “Experts” out there…………..

Whilst the numbering system can be deciphered (people have taken the time to work out which distillery they all refer to) the S.M.W.S seem to think the consumers/members may purchase a bottle based on the description. This is where, even before tasting this rum I was left thinking WTF?

“Pushing the Frontiers of Funk“. Worthy Park? Really? I’m not disputing they can turn out a quite “funky” White Overproof and their standard Silver/White rum is no Bacardi but “Pushing the Frontiers of Funk”?

Come on lads and lasses have a word with yourselves.

I’m afraid that when it comes to Worthy Park and their aged offerings they are much more in keeping with Appleton Estate. They offer a more refined version of Jamaican rum. It is not without an element of funk, I won’t dispute that. However, when compared to some of the single cask offering Independent bottlers have been putting out from Long Pond/Clarendon, Hampden and New Yarmouth we are in a completely different ball park on the funk scale.

Which I must be clear – is no bad thing. I’m a big fan of Worthy Park. I just feel this rum has been given (not for the first time) a frankly ridiculous title by the S.M.W.S.

Saying that Worthy Park are “Pushing the Fronitiers of Funk” is like suggesting Jamiroquai are as funky as a mosquito’s tweeter. Give your heads a wobble.

Anyway rant over lets see what we have in the bottle.

This is a rum from Worthy Park distilled on the 1st June 2013 and aged for 7 years. The split between continental and tropical ageing is not noted. It has been aged in 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrels and has been aged for a total of 7 years. It has been bottled at 66.9% ABV and is one of just 259 bottles from a single cask.

Retail wise the secondary market will be your best bet. Even if you are a S.M.W.S member it may be sold out there by now. When it was for sale it retailed at £61. Not a bad price at all I must concede.

So lets see how S.M.W.S Cask No R11.11 Pushing the Frontiers of Funk is. Lets us see, if it does indeed “Push the Frontiers of Funk”.

The nose would suggest not.

It’s “standard” (and its a very high standard) Worthy Park. So breakfast tea, milk chocolate, hints of coffee come through straight away. Followed by some coffee grounds, stewed apple and blackcurrants and a nice bit of pineapple and banana. A touch of sourness – some lychee is in the background.

S.M.W.S Cask No R11.11 Pushing the Frontiers of Funka has a very nice nose, well balanced and approachable even at this 66.9% ABV. Surprisingly so to be honest.

On the sip, it’s quite spicy with some ginger, fennel and some light spicy sweet chilli. This is followed closely by malty biscuits dipped in milky tea – with maybe a chocolate coating on the biscuits. It’s rich and warming and very pleasant.

The mid palate is spicier and fruitier with some tropical fruits, pears, banana and some pineapple juice. The heat is provided by some white pepper.

The mid palate and finish reveal a more herbal and vegetal note. Some pine cones similar to St Lucian rum and some grassy elements reminiscent slightly of aged agricole.

The finish lingers nicely and is the spiciest and perhaps the “funkiest” part of the rum. It has the most kick and spice and has the most grassy/herbal notes. However for me the pineapple and banana notes that make up most Jamaican “funk” are in the background a little. They aren’t driving this into Long Pond or New Yarmouth territory.

S.M.W.S Cask No R11.11 Pushing the Frontiers of Funks isa great example of a “mid aged” Worthy Park rum and when released was not a bad price at all. However, I can’t agree with the description given on this rum.

That aside this is a very tasty drop and if you can find it for something similar to the original retail – well worth a punt.

Unconventional Distillery Opus

Unconventional Distillery Opus
Bythefatrumpirate January 7, 2021

Unconventional Distillery Opus. This rum like the distillery behind it are fairly new. It is also a British brand from the North of England. So don’t worry if you haven’t heard of them as yet. That’s part of the point of my reviews I guess…build awareness of new rums etc. Yeah we’ll run with that.

This is my first review of 2021. I took a little break to ease myself back into work and now sadly “Lockdown 3”. With this in mind and with “Rum” sales booming in the UK (mostly Spiced/Flavoured garbage like Dead Man’s Finger’s sadly), I thought I would start the year with a rum from the UK.

Unconventional Distillery Opus first came to my attention when I noticed it had won a gong at the Craft Distilling Expo Rum Awards for Unaged Rum of the Year 2020. Following this the brand owner asked if he could post in The UK Rum Club (a Facebook group I run with Steve James of Rum Diaries Blog) about Unconventional Distillery.

Now Unconventional Distillery go under the tagline of “Aut viam inveniam aut faciam”. Which (so I am told) roughly translates to “If there is no way we will find our own”. As a result of this mantra some of their products such as a Pink Rum and a 0% “Rum” were not met with universal praise within the group.

However, as you can see from the Unconventional Distillery’s website. They are certainly no shrinking violets and are certainly not lacking in confidence. So the owner Sam Owen more than held his own in discussions, in a measured professional manner.

Now I can’t say all their products would be to my liking. I’ll be honest I did snigger a little at some of the website. For me it’s a little OTT at times but hey I’m not one of the “pioneers, renegades, rockstars and chefs” involved in this venture. So fair play to them! Afterall I’m not even a real pirate.

Unconventional Distillery Opus is a White Overproof Rum produced on a 12 plate Reflux Column still – rather than a Pot Still. It is currently available in two bottle sizes 20cl and 70cl and you can buy it direct from their webstore. Unconventional Distillery Opus retails at £15 for a 20cl bottle and £32 for a 70cl.

Now bearing in mind this is a new company and the fact UK Tax on alcohol increases with ABV to launch a 70cl bottle of white unaged rum at £32 and bottle it at a whopping 63% ABV – is offering damn good value in the market. A lot of similar products are available at this price point from UK distillers but they tend to be around the 40-43% ABV.

So let’s all see what this “Northern” rum is like…..

In the glass like all unaged rum it is completely clear. No surprised there.

On the nose there is some light toffee and molasses. Overall though this is quite a clean spirit. I’m not sure to what % it is distilled to. The use of a column still will also produce lighter spirit as well.

It doesn’t smell particularly boozy and it certainly smells less boozy than it’s heady 63% ABV. This isn’t like Wray and Nephew where the pungent funk leaps out of the bottle the minute you open it.

As a sipper it shows more of its boozy credentials. It’s very spicy initially with notes of white pepper, toffee, molasses and a kick of chilli powder. A few more sips and you get accustomed to it. It’s a very clean spirit. It has a slightly “mineral” like note as well. It’s very nice a palate cleanser – like a lot of unaged cachaca can be. This however does still maintain it’s sweet toffee and molasses notes throughout.

It works nicely mixed – obviously it was tried and tested with cola and it made for a very smooth drink. Too easy I think.

There is quite a lot of very decent white rum out there in the UK. Unconventional Distillery Opus is worth adding to that list. As mentioned earlier it offers really good value. It’s perhaps a touch lighter than I might have preferred but its still a tasty drop.

This has been nicely put together and whilst I doubt I’ll be picking up their 0% “Rum” anytime soon I’d certainly be keen to try some of their other expressions. The smaller 20cl bottles will also make this a less expensive experiment.

I do wish more producers would do 20cl bottles they are ideal for reviewers.

Related

Read More Unconventional Distillery Opus
Ron Barcelo Imperial

Ron Barceló Imperial
Bythefatrumpirate January 4, 2017January 4, 2017

Barceló are on of the big three named rum producers of the Dominican Republic. I say named because Oliver & Oliver another big Dominican rum player produce a variety of rums under various different guises.

In 1929 Spaniard Julián Barceló arrived in Santo Domingo and founded Barceló & Co. In 1974, Don Julián Barceló handed over the reins to his nephew Miguel Barceló and in 1980 Ron Barceló Imperial was born.

This is one of the more premium rums in the Barceló portfolio. Only the Imperial Onyx and 30 year Anniversary Imperial Blend are more expensive.

In the UK you will fork out around £30 for a 70cl, which has an ABV of just 38%. In Spain were the brand is very popular a bottle will cost little more than £15. Like its Dominican brother Brugal it is very prominent in Spanish Airport Duty Frees.

In order to keep the focus on this rum and not make this review too lengthy I will direct you to a very good website. This website – Dominican Rum Guide should provide you with any further information you require on rums from the Dominican Republic.

I will give some more information on the rum in this bottle though. The rum is a blend of rums aged upto 10 years. The rums are column distilled and the rum is blended and aged in Bourbon Barrels.

As you can see from the photographs the presentation is very “Premium”. Nice wide, flat stubby bottle with a huge ornate plastic emblem topped cork stopper. Quite what all the writing is about on the front – I have no idea as it is in Spanish. You also get a nice cut out box – which might not protect your rum but it looks nice. The box or bottle do not give you any information regarding the age of the rums or how its been distilled etc. I’ve had to dig that up on the net.

For anyone familiar with rums from the Dominican Republic it will come as no surprise that this rum does show some additives when we run the Hydrometer test.

So with an ABV of just 38% next to no disclosure on what is in the bottle and some additives – Barceló are not off to the best of starts with this reviewer.

In the glass the rum looks slightly less vibrant than in the bottle. It is a reddish/golden brown but once poured in the glass it does look a little dull.

The nose is light and gentle. Vanilla, milk chocolate and refreshingly some nice oaked notes. A little twist of lemon zest. It’s quite nicely balanced but just a little bit too nice.

Which is where our good friend “sugar” seems to have made an appearance. Combined with the ABV the sugar makes this rum just a bit too weak and puny. The sugar has rounded off any rough edges but for me has also diminished the quality of the rum. I feel it could have been warmer and more fruity without the sugar.

Tasting the rum is initially quite a spicy experience. The interaction with the Bourbon oak gives the rum a very zesty tang. It’s quite spicy – especially in smaller sips. A little ginger and maybe a hint of tabasco.

After a couple of sips I start taking larger sips. Allowing the rum to coat more of the palate. As a result I’m getting a lot more of the chocolate notes and some toffee.

Unsurprisingly the rum is now pretty smooth but its not overly sweet. Having said that I still think an experienced rum taster will notice the sugar (or additives). There is still some good nicely aged oak notes in the drink though -especially in the finish which is still a little on the spicy side.

In the UK where this rums costs around £30 a bottle I wouldn’t really be looking for a mixer. However when in Spain (and Gibraltar especially) I’ve picked this rum up for little over £10. So I have mixed it with cola and found it too work pretty well. The spicy elements of the rum stand up quite nicely and it is very smooth. So a rum and cola with Barceló Imperial is pretty decent.

Back in Blighty though I wouldn’t splash another £30 on this rum. If they dropped the additives and bottled it at 40% though they might well have a better product. Which I would consider though I doubt it would ever be stellar.

It’s a perfectly serviceable easy sipping drink. There’s nothing particularly unpleasant about it. At the same time it is very safe and sadly displays too many traits that are linked to “Premium” rum. Premium rum should be an entirely different beast.

Related

Read More Ron Barceló Imperial
Rhum Rhum Liberation 2012 Version Integrale

Rhum Rhum Liberation 2012 Version Integrale
Bythefatrumpirate September 3, 2016

Rhum Rhum is a collaboration between Luca Gargano of Velier and Master Distiller Vittorio Capovilla.

Using small copper pot stills located near to the Bielle distillery on Marie-Galante – a small, very rural island just off the coast of Guadaloupe.

Rhum Rhum Liberation 2012 has been released at two differing ABV’s this “Version Integrale” is bottled at a hefty 59.8%. 1420 bottles were produced.

The Rhum Rhum label use what they consider to be the best sugar cane known, Canne Rouge B47.259.  Which was fermented for an almost unheard of 10 days when making this rhum. The rhum was distilled in a copper alembic pot still, specifically designed by Capovilla and made by a the German artisan Muller. (You may have seen stills by this producer on some Habitation Velier bottlings recently)

After being double distilled in the Muller copper pot stills, it was then aged for 5 years in oak barrels which had previously been used for ageing sauternes white wine. The 2012 vintage was aged 5 years in oak before being ‘liberated’. The vintage on the bottle indicates the year of this ‘Liberation’. Hence the product name.

A bottle of this rhum when it was available would have set you back around £80 in the UK, which is quite expensive even for an agricole. The presentation is unusual and striking. From the very beginning Vittorio Capovilla decided that each vintage of the Liberation would have it’s own label. The label design comes from very old stamps from the University of Coimbra in Portugal. They represent different aspects of the Caribbean world.

The 2012 lobster label design represents Caribbean marine life. It is also connected to the food matches for this particular rhum. So a rhum pairing with this is going to be an expensive treat!

I’m not hugely experienced with Agricole Rhum. As this is a bit of an experimental bottling I’m not really quite sure what to expect. To be honest, that really was this rhums appeal.

In the glass the rhum is a quite surprising dark brown, with a reddish hue. I’m surprised as the rum is so young. If I didn’t know better I would suggest added colouring.

The nose on this rum is pretty busy and in many ways quite contradictory. Initially it seems quite light and vegetal.

However a deeper nosing reveals quite a lot of oak an almost liquorice like tannic red wine. So it is sort of light and heavy at the same time?

It’s very rich smelling and nicely balanced. Yet again it has something else going on beneath all that. After a further nosing you feel your nostrils twitch a little with the intensity of the ABV.

I’m not entirely sure what to make of this. One minute its a grassy Saint James like Agricole the next it is treading Velier Demerara territory! Very confusing but not at all unpleasant.

I’ve given up on this rhum as a conventional agricole rhum. I will just have to judge it on its own merits – comparisions to aged agricoles seem pointless.

Sipping the rum at bottle strength is again a quite confusing experience. Initially I thought little of the entry. Slightly grassy/vegetal again quite light

However, seconds later as the spicy hit of the 59.8% ABV hit. I found I had a very strong fruity, again almost red wine burst of intense flavour. Sweet and pleasant but perhaps a little too sharp and a touch too intense.  I found it all a little overpowering.

With a few drops of water added I found the rum mellowed. It really does show a much better balance when the ABV is dropped. (This may well be a personal preference – each person may find a different “sweet spot” for this rhum).

For such a young rum, it is really surprising how much flavour and intensity has been packed into this in such a short period of ageing. The red wine notes used earlier don’t really do it justice – there is a lot going on with each sip. Plums, dates, raisins all come in on the rich fruity side. There is quite a lot of spiciness on the palate as well – a lot of interaction with the oak giving some really astringent notes. Maybe just a little too woody?

Which is my only real criticism of this rhum. Just a tiny bit bitter, especially in the finish.

Other than that it is a very fine rhum. Nice entry, good balance, good length as well. A very good finish spoilt slightly by bitterness towards the end.

I really should have reviewed this much sooner – its unlikely you will find a bottle now. Unfortunately I just didn’t think I could do it justice until I had tried it on a couple more occasions. I also needed to try a couple of other aged agricoles.  Just in case I was perhaps missing something obvious with this rhum. I don’t think I have as it is a bit of a curious rhum, even for someone more experienced with Agricole Rhum.

Certainly a rhum for the more adventurous drinker. Very, very good but maybe not to everyone’s taste. It is very intense.

Related

Read More Rhum Rhum Liberation 2012 Version Integrale
Habitation La Favorite Cuvee Speciale 1995 - La Confrerie du Rhum

Habitation La Favorite Cuvee Speciale 1995 – La Confrerie du Rhum
Bythefatrumpirate February 7, 2016

La Favorite hailing from Martinique will be a familiar name to those of you who enjoy French Rhum or Agricole Rhum as it is more commonly known.

Agricole Rhum (agricultural rum) differs from Molasses based rum in that it is produced from Sugar Cane Juice rather than molasses. You may also have heard of a spirits called Cachaca which is made from Sugar Cane Juice. I’m not entirely sure what the difference is but other than in Brasil Agricole Rhum is much more popular. Molasses based rum in contract to “agricole” rum can be called “industrial” rum. I’m sure you can understand why most rum producers don’t opt to categorise their rum in such a way!

In early 2014 Benoit Bail and Jerry Gitany began working with the distillers at “La Favorite” on a Special Bottling for the Facebook Group “La Confrerie du Rhum”.

La Confrerie du Rhum (the rum brotherhood) has over 12,000 members and is without doubt the largest French speaking rum group I am aware of and probably one of the largest rum groups in any language! I contribute to the group and the group was part of the reason I sought out a translation tool for this site.

I’m always going to cover more Agricole Rhum on the site. Up to now I have tried little Agricole. What I have tried has not really caught my interest and it is generally speaking more expensive than molasses based rums. I have been told to try more though as my palate is certainly changing and evolving as I taste more and more different rums.

Back to the rum in question. The Cuvee Especiale is a 20 year old rhum bottled, waxed and labelled by hand. The rhum comes complete with two branded tasting glasses and retails at 205 Euros.

It is a single cask rhum from 4 different casks – each bottle shows the cask from which the rhum was drawn. There are 1000 bottles in total. The rhum being reviewed today is taken from Cask 25 distilled in July 1995 and bottled in September 2015 the ABV is a very exact 45.2%

In the glass I’m taken at how dark the rhum is its very dark almost mahogany colour. It certainly looks 20 years old that’s for sure! The nose is much less grassy than I have experienced in the past with Agricole rhum. It’s delicate, not at all overpowering. It has a nice richness to the nose – its slightly floral, some nice tropical fruit notes as well. It has that familiar vegetal note but it is more balanced than the younger Agricoles I have tired. It’s inviting and nicely balanced.

Tasting the rhum gives you a warming sweetness to begin with – this soon gives way to a dry crisp slightly bitter almost tannic like mouthfeel. I’m left thinking of dry white wine. The finish is nice and relatively long lasting.

The rhum is elegant and slips down all too easily. It’s very easy to drink. It has a lovely balance to it and you get the feeling that they haven’t over complicated what they do.

If I am going to try and do some tasting notes I would describe it as a slightly vegetal/grassy rhum – “herbaceous” is a word that probably best describes it. Its crispy, dry and well balanced – you get the feeling La Favorite know exactly what there rums can be and more importantly what they can’t be. So they have stuck to doing what they do best.

Which may be doing this rhum a slight injustice but it isn’t meant as a criticism. Too many rum producers allow additives and marketing nonsense to cloud their rums – very few have the confidence to issue their rums with purity – just allowing good distillation and cask management to shine through.

This is a huge step up from other Agricoles I have tried and I think in time I will probably look back on this rhum and appreciate it even more. I won’t go OTT at this stage as I’m really not that experienced with Agricole rhum. This does strike me as being very good though.

Related

Read More Habitation La Favorite Cuvee Speciale 1995 – La Confrerie du Rhum
Foursquare Rum Distillery 2007

Foursquare Rum Distillery 2007
Bythefatrumpirate July 11, 2019

Foursquare Rum Distillery 2007. Foursquare may have dropped the “Rum Distillery” part from the front label but I’m keeping if for my review titles. Just to keep things nice and tidy. I was going to finish off the sherry finished rums and review Patrimonio but my photographer is not available tonight, so we’ll do the 2007 instead.

As with all the Exceptional Cask Series this is a Single Blended rum. Which means it is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rums. I do not know the exact ratio of Pot/Column but I do know that the ratio of Pot to Column has increased from the 2005, which in turn had more Pot Still rum than the 2004. All three of these rums are part of the Exceptional Cask Series. This is number ten already in the series.

All of the ECS named after the year of distillation have been quite straightforward affairs. All have been aged in small oak (ex-bourbon casks) with no additional maturation or any other faffing aroun. This is a 12 year old rum and was bottled in March 2019. it has been bottled at Cask Strength of 59% ABV.

For those familiar with the ECS, the bottle will be familiar. They have tweaked it a little to give a little medal on the neck and we now get a synthetic cork stopper, rather than a screw cap. You pick this up quite easily in the UK from the likes of The Whisky Exchange (make sure you get a Hereditas as well whilst you are on) a bottle of 2007 should set you back around £55. This bottling is not similar to the Foursquare/Velier 2006 collaboration aside from the distillery it is a progression of the 2004 and 2005 releases.

The 2004 “version” of this rum one my Rum of the Year back in 2016, so this has quite a lot to live up to. So let’s put it to the test and see how we get on.

In the glass, we have a classic golden/dark brown rum with a slightly orange hue. The nose is full of sweet notes of vanilla and coconut. There is a spicy sweet/sour bourbon note, the more you nose. Nice notes of woody oak and a touch of ginger.

Sweet notes of raisin and sultana move in and out of the mix, adding a really nice fruity balance to oaky notes. You wouldn’t think you were nosing such a high ABV spirit as the balance of this rum is absolutely perfect.

The woody/oaky notes are fresh and quite airy. I’m not getting much barrel char, it all smells very light and very fresh.

Sipped at Cask Strength you get a lot of spice on the initial sip. It shows it’s full 59% ABV especially when it is your first drink of the evening. Further sips of this rum come much easier and more flavour does come forward. It’s just a case of getting the palate accustomed to the ABV. You can of course, add some water if you prefer.

Once things have calmed down the initial sip is still quite hot with a lot of oak spice and ginger especially on the entry. This seems more boozy than the 2004 especially. There is a slight bitterness on the mid palate but this leads onto more rich oak spice, which really integrates nicely. It’s rich and warming.

Foursquare Rum Distillery 2007 is a woody, very dry rum. It is not as sweet as the nose suggested it might be. The sweeter notes come in time – on the entry you begin to get some coconut, banana and vanilla.

It is not as easy to drink as some of the other Foursquare offerings, especially those with a secondary maturation. It is very much an example of a very pure, simple Barbados rum. Yet one of exceptional quality, which few other producers could even begin to replicate or match.

The question will be is this as good as 2004 and 2005. How does it compare? The answer is, I am not at all sure I would be able to pick them out blind. Much like Rum Sixty Six Cask Strength the rums are very similar. From memory this rum seems a touch less sweet than the 2004. I have one bottle of 2004 left but I won’t be opening it for some time yet. It’s more similar to the 2005 I would say.

For £55 Foursquare Rum Distillery 2007 is another fantastic example of a pure Barbados rum. Maybe lately, my preferences have geared more towards some of the sweeter Foursquare offerings but this reminds me what I liked about Foursquare in the first place.

Many rum producers neglect the balance of a rum and many rum commentators, also miss this as something very important in rum. A lot go for intense rums, such as Jamaican Long Ponds or Hampden DOK marque rums, Clairin’s from Haiti and other such “flavour bombs”. Whilst there is nothing wrong with such rums – I enjoy those as well, the belief that 100% Pot Still or Maximum Ester rums is where the good stuff is – I feel is a bit misguided an shortsighted. An excellent balanced blended rum, is every bit as good if not better.

The score for this one may be a bit predictable. If you enjoy Foursquare, you will thoroughly enjoy this bottling.

Related

Read More Foursquare Rum Distillery 2007
Diplomatico Seleccion De Familia

Diplomatico Seleccion De Familia
Bythefatrumpirate February 1, 2022July 12, 2025

Diplomatico Seleccion De Familia. At one time Diplomatico was perhaps second only to Ron Zacapa in terms of “Premium” rum. For many, rums such as Ron Zacapa, Diplomatico, El Dorado and Bacardi are still seen as the very pinnacle of rum production.

Lets be honest in certain Rum Circles, the likes of A.H Riise and Don Papa are heralded as King of the Rums. The “outing” of these rums in terms of additives has made people think twice about what they are paying for. Unfortunately the sad reality still remains. Pretty bottles, promotional gimmicks and sweetened, easy going rum still sell by the truckload.

Don’t worry I’m not going off on another tirade about sweetened rum. I’ve covered that issue more than enough.

In line with recent changes to EU Regulations rum producers now have to adhere to a limit on additives allowed in any product they wish to label as rum. Some producers have simply dropped the “rum” from their label such as the aforementioned A.H.Riise. Thus continuing to sell their ultra-modified “rum” concoctions.

I don’t know exactly what Diplomatico will be doing going forward. There will still be a lot of their product available within Europe, which was produced and imported long before the new regulations.

However Diplomatico Seleccion de Familia is a more recent addition to the portfolio. It was released late in 2020 and it complies with the new EU Regulations of 20g/L for a spirit to be labelled “Rum”.. Readings for this rum show around 18g/L of sugar/additives. So they are sneaking just under the limit. Which is what people always suspected they would do.

Which if fair enough. This is an addition to Diplomatico’s “core” range which consists of Planas, Manuato and Reserva Exclusiva. Price wise this offering sits at around £50 for 70cl bottle. So its the most Premium of the core range of rums. You can pick up a bottle online at The Whisky Exchange and other online retailers.

Diplomatico Seleccion De Familia is bottled at 43% ABV and is said to be a blend of rums aged up to 12 years. I’m sure I’ve heard that one before. The rum is made up of Pot and Column distilled rums from the distilleries “Scottish” Pot Still, “French” Barbet Column Still and the “Canadian” Batch Kettle Still. What ratio of each is unknown to me. 90% of the rum is produced using the know mythical “Sugar Cane Honey” and 10% from the less mythical and rather more honest staple which is molasses.

The rum is also a blend of rums aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels/casks. Though I have seen it noted as being aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry seasoned casks rather than actual ex-sherry casks.

Presentation wise the rum used the traditional rounded stubby bottle favoured by the other expression in the core range. Presentation is very similar to Reserva Exclusiva just with a different colour scheme. Once again the renouned 19th century rum lover and explorer Don Juan Nieto Melendez or Don Juancho, is pictured on the label. A nice chunky cork stopper and a nice “cannister” complete the Premium look of this particular rum. It is easily available here in the UK and you can pick it up at Master of Malt for £49.95.

As is the way with these heavily branded products, I don’t really have any inside information or anything interesting to add. I have noted though that due to the success of Diplomatico in France, this rum is said to have been produced with the French heavily in mind. Which is interesting.

The rear label as pictured does seem to have some “information” of some sort but sadly, I’ve been unable to re-size the photo well enough to read it. Yes I am reviewing this from a sample, I don’t have the bottle. It’s not something I would buy nowadays.

Anyway I think we may as well move onto a little nosing and tasting to see what this rum has to offer. I may well be wrong about the rum and maybe I should have bought a bottle?

In the glass I am presented with dark bronze liquid which may (or may not) be coloured. In all honesty it doesn’t bother me that much if it is……or isn’t. Rum has many issues more serious for me than a bit of colour adjustment……

The nose is light and unassuming. There is a kind of strange perfumed sherry type aroma. I’ve only experienced this once previously with a sherry seasoned cask finish rum. It’s not quite the same as an ex-sherry cask. I wouldn’t say it is artificial but it’s certainly a lot lighter and more flowery with a kind of weird banana chew like note (?). I don’t know if this is what “Paxarette” smells like? A kind of boiled grape must used to season casks.

At 43% ABV it’s very easy going on the nose and it isn’t pulling up any trees to try and get my attention. It’s pleasant enough in a kind of “Plain Jane” sort of way. I’ll even that up and say its quite an “Average Joe” kind of nose. I don’t want the Cancel Culture posse getting on my back and calling me sexist.

It’s sweet – notes of a kind of sweet sherry aroma, Floral Gums (really not very nice “perfume” smelling gummy sweets), Cherry Lips (as before only with a hit of Cherry). There is an almost Bubblegum note on the nose as well.

Further nosing reveals a smattering of peanuts and some peanut brittle. A touch of light chocolate and maybe a little raisin. Hints of toffee and caramel.

It’s all very “nice” and I guess balanced in its own rather meek way.

In all honesty, it’s bloody boring.

Sipping Diplomatico Seleccion De Familia is pretty much the non-event that the nose suggested it would be.

The initial sip goes down really easily and there is minimal burn or any kind of “kick”. It has sweet, almost artificial kind of taste to it. It doesn’t really taste of anything in particular. I’d love to expand upon the notes on this rum but there is just not much really going on!

I won’t be as rude about as I have with other rums and suggest it is just sugar water. It does have a little more beyond that. But in all honesty – not a great lot.

Your treated very briefly to a little bit of a kick on the mid palate and a very short explosion of something approaching spice or oak ageing. There’s a little burst of something oaky and spicy. A little ginger and some signs of wood or something a little more challenging.

Sadly, these sensations and flavours are fleeting. The rum quickly returns to the sweet, slightly artificial sweetener like notes.

This rum hasn’t given me any cause for excitement. At the same time it is relatively inoffensive. It’s still a little too sweet for my tastes but it’s certainly better than the likes of Don Papa and A.H Riise.

That isn’t really praise though. This is bang average. Doesn’t even have enough about it to even annoy me.

Just very boring.

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