Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rare Gold Rum Aged 8 Years. As far as I am aware and there is nothing on their own website to disprove this, this rum is a re-packaged version of the existing Bacardi 8 Year Old rum. It is not a “new” rum as such.
I reviewed a bottle of their 8 Year Old rum back in 2014. Even since that bottling, Bacardi had changed the presentation of the rum once already. Such is the size of Bacardi’s operation, you will still readily find bottles presented in the style I reviewed. I do not expect bottles of the more recent variant, with the new typeface to disappear any time soon either.
Samaroli Caribbean Rum 2005. For those unfamiliar with Samaroli, they are an Italian Independent bottler of Whisky, Rum and other Spirits. The founder Silvano Samaroli sadly passed away on the 16 February 2017 aged 77. He had handed the reins of the Samaroli empire to Antonio Bieve in 2008 but had remained active within the company until his death.
Wood’s Old Navy Rum. Wood’s is a Navy rum brand which is quite a staple in UK bars and Working Mens Clubs. It’s not quite as common as Lamb’s – partly due to its ABV, but it is probably the second best-selling Navy rum in the UK.
Bumbu The Original. Bumbu is an Indonesian word for a blend of spices. I’m sure I have also seen terms such as Bombo and Bumbu, used to describe mixed drinks made by Pirates and other historical figures. These drinks have been composed of rum, water and varying spices.
Kane’s Golden Rum. Every so often I’ll walk into one of the Supermarkets and find a new expression of rum. More often than not I am already familiar with the brand. Supermarkets in the UK have been greatly expanding their rum selections, over the past 3 to 4 years. On occasion though, I come across a bottling which I have never seen or heard of before.
Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry. Unless you have only very recently gotten into rum or have been living in a cave, Plantation Rums should really need little or no introduction. Headed by Alexandre Gabriel Plantation Rum is a part of Maison Ferrand. They are based in France and a lot of their “double ageing” or secondary maturation takes place in cellars in the Cognac region of France.
In February this year Alexandre Gabriel, owner of Maison Ferrand, the producers of Plantation rum gave an interview to David Driscoll of K&L Wine Merchants. A popular Wine and Spirits retailer based in the US.