That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #11 Jamaica Aged 15 Years Batch 1

Bythefatrumpirate October 7, 2023

That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #11 Jamaica Aged 15 Years Batch 1. Another release from TBRC’s “Cinema Series”. This time we are heading off to a Secret Distillery in Jamaica.

Fortunately for us we are given a clue as to which Jamaican Distillery we are visiting today. This clue can be found in the bottom right hand corner of the front label.

C<>H Marque denotes the “Rum Marque” which fits this particular rum. By using this marque we can identify which distillery the rum hails from. As each Jamaican distillery use different marques.

The C<>H Marque is “Continental Hampden” and unsurprisingly denotes the rum is from Hampden Estate.

The following information/explanation taken directly from TBRC website will explain the marque used and also inform why Frankenstein is centre stage on this Jamaican rum bottling

“Inspiration: Frankenstein (1931). Starring Boris Karloff

“You’re crazy!” – Victor Moritz
“Crazy, am I? We’ll see whether I’m crazy or not.” – Henry Frankenstein

We’ve a visit to our latest ‘Secret Distillery’ from Jamaica and batch ones means an initial release. Oh, and it’s a monster of a Rum!

This is all about the genius of Jamaican Rum to service a need – to try and find a way around certain export conditions – primarily to Germany – and perhaps the folly in such experiments. Mirrors with Dr Frankenstein’s quest to create life and ultimately how that worked out for him and the monster he created.

How’s this for lab work? C<>H – a high ester marque – 1300-1400 gr/HLPA. A rare marque due to its extreme intensity. Medium molasses content, high cane juice vinegar, high dunder addition, medium water content, and high muck addition. 10 days of alcoholic fermentation, 10 days of dead wash, for a total of twenty days, with the wash being around 2-4%ABV. Double retort pot distilled. Aged continentally for 15 years and bottled at cask strength.”

This rum is the high ester rum marque available from Hampden Estate after the (in)famous DOK (Dermot Owen Kelly) marque. As a result we are getting a very funky (for some too funky) rum even by Jamaican standards.

That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #11 Jamaica Aged 15 Years Batch 1 comes in the standard (for TBRC) 50 cl bottle this batch on release had 385 bottles. It is priced at £99.95 and is available direct from Master of Malt. The rum has been bottled at a fiery 63.5% ABV and has been continentally aged in an ex-bourbon barrel.

In the glass the rum is a light/golden brown with a slightly dull complexion overall. It’s little hazy (no chill filtration has taken place).

On the nose That Boutique-y Rum Company Secret Distillery #11 Jamaica Aged 15 Years Batch 1 is very intense. Lashings of fermented Pineapple, Nail Varnish and Pear Drops (boiled sweets).

Further nosing reveals some lighter notes – some butter biscuits/shortbread and some stoned fruits – acidic plums and stewed bananas but in appearance. Enveloping all this intensity is a warming oak and spice aroma alongside some chocolate raisins.

You can smell this rum from the other side of the room. It is rich, intense and extremely fruity. It has a lot of complexity and reminds me somewhat of the aged output from Long Pond Distillery. Which can never be a bad thing.

Sipped at full strength you are in for one of the most intense but ultimately rewarding rum experiences. It is however one which you must perservere a little with. Especially if this high ester rum is new to you. If you don’t like it first time around – don’t dismiss it. Come back to it later and you might find you get more of a taste for it.

It might even be useful for some to reduce this down to around 50 or even 45% ABV. It will make it more approachable.

For those familiar with this type of rum and have bought this based on the marque you won’t be disappointed. Much of what we discovered on the nose comes in as you sip. Pineapple Cubes (boiled sweets again!), those Pear Drops again, varnish and some blackcurrants are all on the palate initially.

As the sip progresses we get more tartness again and a real hit of citrus – lemon and lime juice comes in alongside the Pineapple and varnish like notes giving a real sweet/sour taste sensation.

This is coupled by a savoury warming oak and spice note which appears on the mid palate and begins to “dry out” the sweeter notes as we progress towards the finish.

At this stage the rum becomes very dry. The sweeter notes recede quite a lot and we are left with plenty oak spice and some tea leaves – black tea and a touch of ginger. Due to the drier nature of this rum the finish is perhaps the only disappointment. Its not short as such but a lot of flavour leaves the party a little early for me.

Another solid entry from That Boutique-y Rum Company. Not for the faint hearted but really anyone spending this kind of money, should know what they are getting themselves in for…..

Ron de El Salvador Cihuatan 12 Solera Reserva Especial

Ron de El Salvador Cihuatan 12 Solera Reserva Especial
Bythefatrumpirate November 19, 2019

Ron de El Salvador Cihuatan 12 Solera Reserva Especial. We are delving back into some Latin Style rum. This time with some rum from a country I haven’t covered before El Salvador. The Ron Cihuatan brand have been around in Europe for a few years now. Being honest, these type of rums are not something I actively seek anymore.

I simply prefer rums without additives and dubious age statements and fairy tales, I think that is a more than fair comment to make. I like to know what I am spending my money on. Most importantly though is I like to make sure that you all understand what you are spending your money on. That’s why I don’t “guess” whether rums have additives or completely ignore the subject. It is clearly something which is very important to a lot of rum drinkers. If its not so important to you, then my site might not be to your liking.

Ron de El Salvador Cihuatan 12 Solera Reserva Especial, does contain some additives. Around 19g/L. So I would say my decision not to buy this rum based on my preferences, is more then fair.

Ron de El Salvador Cihuatan hails from the Cihuatan valley in El Salvador. The distillery is situated in the valley, which translates roughly as “the land beside the sleeping woman”

Quite what the exact make up for Ron de El Salvador Cihuatan 12 Solera Reserva Especial, is difficult to determine. They have their own very sleek and professional website, which is translated into a few different languages. Which is good but its a little low on facts and information. The information noted about this particular rum (which uses both 12 years and 12 Solera to add to the confusion) is really just a collection of tasting notes. Not so good.

So I had a bit more of a dig around the internet. It seems agreed that this is a Solera Aged “12” rather than a 12 year old minimum aged rum. Despite that front label of this rum stating both!

It is worth noting that Licorera Cihuatan is a subsidiary of Ingenio La Cabana, a century old sugar mill. The sugar mill provides the molasses used in Ron de El Salvador Cihuatans rums. The rum is produced on a multi column still and is then aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

There are a couple of reviews lurking around the internet that seem to view this rum rather favourably, though I get the feeling some have a score that doesn’t quite match the assessment.

The brand is not readily available in the UK at present. Distribution seems to focus on Denmark and Germany. Amazon stock it at €45.99 which seems to be the going rate. Presentation wise its all very nice with a tasteful stubby bottle, with a chunky cork stopper and a nice presentation box to store your rum. There seems to be to different ones in circulation as you can see from the photos. It is bottled at 40% ABV.

In the glass the rum presents itself as a golden brown colour with an orange hue. Nosed the sweetness hits you immediately. It is very familiar. Notes of light toffee, brown sugar and some caramel. There is a slightly confected almost synthetic note to it. Beneath this you get a decent enough hit of oak and some spice. A touch of ginger and cinnamon.

It’s light and very easy going. A little on the weak side to be honest. Sipped it offers few surprises. It is I must admit more “rummy” than I might have expected. The rum does have a fair hit of oak and wood spice alongside the sweetness. It even has a slight bitterness to it.

Unfortunately, though there is a heavy saccharin note to this rum. It’s overly sweet on the entry and the mid palate has a real bitterness. It doesn’t taste like a really young rum but at the same time it offers little excitement. The finish is pretty much non existent. It’s limp and insipid. It’s just sugary, oaky water. There is no real body, no bite nothing to get excited about.

It’s a very easy sipper but its overly simple and just not at all memorable. Boring and limp.

It’s not for me and in all fairness if you aren’t a big fan of this type of rum, I would steer clear.

Good solid Latin style “sweeter” rum is available Santa Teresa, Flor de Cana etc go with those if you want that style. I’d give this a miss.

It’s not the worst offender in terms of additives but it’s not great rum.

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Don Q Double Cask Finish Puerto Rican Rum Finished in Sherry Casks

Don Q Double Cask Finish Puerto Rican Rum Finished in Sherry Casks
Bythefatrumpirate September 27, 2019

Don Q Double Cask Finish Puerto Rican Rum Finished in Sherry Casks. Snappy little name for it eh? Maybe not but at least it goes some way to describing the contents of this bottle.

Which is a lot more than can often be said for the lighter latin style of rums from Central and South America. This is the second Double Cask Finish rum Don Q have released in recent times. The Vermouth Cask finish, I have yet to review. I’ll get round to it though don’t worry.

Don Q Double Cask Finish Sherry Cask (I’ll make the title a little snappier eh?) comes in a 3/4 stubby style bottle with a rounded base and short neck. The front and rear label are free of any gimmicks. The presentation is topped off by a very chunky cork stopper with the Don Q logo emblazoned on it. All in all its a very classy slightly understated package.

In terms of the actual juice Don Q have provided some great information on the front and rear label. Don Q Double Cask Finish Sherry Cask is a blend of rums which were distilled from October 2009 to August 2012. These rums were blended together in November 2017. They were blended together in Spanish ex-Oloroso Sherry Casks. Prior to this they were aged in small white oak barrels (ex-bourbon). The rum was bottled in 2019. So we have a blend of rums aged between 6-9 years in total. The Sherry maturation was 1 year. As with all Don Q rums the rum was distilled on a column still.

A bottle of this rum will set you back around £35 and it has been bottled at a rather unusual 41% ABV.

As far as the lighter latin style rums Don Q are amongst my favourites. As well as producing flavourful, well aged and blended column distilled rums, they have also gained favour in parts of the rum world by being against additives. This is one Latin rum brand that do not seek to deceive anyone.

So let’s see what this latest offering from them is all about.

In my glass I am presented with a nice golden to dark brown rum with a reddish/orange hue to it. Nosing the rum, the sherry influence is very apparent. Especially for someone familiar with the regular Don Q releases.

It’s a sweet, perfumed nose with lots of juicy fruits and some really floral notes. Juicy plump raisins, floral gums, fruit pastilles, perfume and some slightly tannic red wine notes all put in an appearance.

Oak, spice and vanilla are more subdued on the nose but they are present. It isn’t the biggest most powerful nose but it does have good balance and a fairly decent amount of complexity.

Sipped as I’ve found with Don Q in the past the nose is slightly understated compared to the flavours contained in the rum. Often it is the other way around. Fortunately, not so with this Don Q Sherry Cask rum.

Sipped, initially you get a drier more traditional Don Q profile – spicy ex-bourbon notes, vanilla and some dry spices – a touch of ginger and a little chilli and black pepper. Further sips as the palate adjust reveal more of the sweet notes from the nose. Whilst the Sherry notes aren’t overpowering or cloying as we have found with rums such as Dos Maderas, they are very much in the mix.

Raisins, red grapes and rich plums all mingle alongside deeper dark red wine notes. Which add both sweetness and a touch of bitterness. There is a slightly sharp note on the mid palate, which I actually quite enjoy alongside the sweetness.

Despite all this, we still have a very nice base rum beneath all this with some really great spicy notes – ginger, cinnamon and a touch of fennel. The sherry cask finish has worked as you find with the Foursquare ECS bottlings – it adds a layer without taking anything away from the base rum.

Finish wise again this isn’t a huge finish never at any point is this what I would call a big rum. It’s balanced and nuanced and well put together, its not here to take your face off. The finish is a good length and I get a nice fade of the sweet notes which rubs alongside the wonderful spicy notes from the oak ageing. It’s long lasting and leaves a really nice flavour in the mouth.

At £35 I don’t think there are all that many rums in this kind of style that can beat this effort. Personally, I would say Don Q have as much if not more in common with Foursquare as they do their country mates Bacardi. Yes it’s “light” rum but boy is it a tasty drop of rum. Paul Senft over at Got Rum! also agreed in his review.

All managed without any nasty additives.

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Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rare Gold Rum Aged 8 Years

Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rare Gold Rum Aged 8 Years
Bythefatrumpirate July 24, 2018

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.

Bacardi are a curious beast and quite stubborn. This “new” bottling highlights this. This is the second time they have re-branded this rum in around 3-4 years. Other than variation from batch to batch, it is essentially the same rum, made to the same profile with no alteration to the ABV. Nor it would seem a change to the amount of additives/sugar. Once again we see 12g/L of additives.

Now, there is no point debating over the marketability of Bacardi. They are one of the top sellers of rum by volume and the brand is universally recognised. If not always immediately identified by all consumers as actually being rum. Bacardi and Coke drinkers do not always realise it is rum and not just Bacardi. That is how powerful the Bacardi marketing is. That we cannot dispute nor would I ever try to.

However, one area where Bacardi don’t really make much head way is the small, perhaps 1% of the market where the “Rum Geeks” lurk. An 8 Year Old column distilled rum bottled at 40% ABV, with some additives is not what this kind of anorak is seeking. Even for £30. Which is how much this rum is retailing at. It simply has no appeal.

Bacardi have decided to use supermarket chain ASDA (part of Walmart let us not forget) to help launch this expression on the UK market. It is easily and readily available, in most large and medium sized ASDA supermarkets. As is the 4 Year Cuatro Anejo which I reviewed earlier this year. Once again Bacardi are trying to “Premiumise” the market.

Presentation wise, Bacardi have upped the game with this one. The rounded stubby sized bottle has the Bacardi bat logo embossed on the bottle and the synthetic cork stopper is substantial. A nice wooden topped stopper which has the Bacardi bat printed on it. The bottle also has the “Bacardi y Cia” embossed into the glass along with “Reserva”. This is reminiscent of the Bacardi Superior Heritage bottling, which was released a few years ago, in an attempt to recreate the early 1900’s style of Bacardi.

To the none “Rum Geek” this bottle screams expensive, “Premium” rum. Casual or less committed ASDA shoppers, willing to pay £30 for a bottle of rum will definitely be swayed by the presentation. Amongst more casual consumers it will still create a buzz when brought out at a party. So much of the UK market sees Bacardi Superior as a “Premium” rum and the likes of Jack Daniels No7. and Absolut Vodka are still viewed as top drawer products. Anything above Supermarket own brand is premium to many in the UK.

Now as much as I have bemoaned the fact Bacardi haven’t actually changed the rum in this blend, it is still the “Family Reserve”, they have actually included a bit more information on the new bottling. Information which “Rum Geeks” should at least see as a step forward. The age statement has been firmed up to state it is a blend of rums at least 8 years old. The youngest rum in this blend is from 2009 (do the maths) and they have provided a batch number for this as well.

So how will I find this rum 4 years and probably about another 300 rums on in the review process?

Let’s find out. Last time I gave Bacardi 8 Anos 3 stars which means it was a good solid example at the price point.

In the glass the rum is a dark to golden brown. A good “Premium” rum colour.

The nose is familiar – sweetness married with a touch of tobacco and fusel oil, in typical Bacardi Style. It’s light, slightly floral. It’s quite a fresh nose with a lot of vanilla and light milk chocolate.

We are getting some stoned fruits – apriciots and peaches and a little mango and passion fruit. For my sensibility its probably a bit too sweet, and far too light. It’s quite cloying and the tobacco and smokiness of the rum is a little off for me. I’m reminded of Havana Club 7 there’s just something I don’t quite like with this rum’s nose.

Sipped, fortunately it isn’t as sweet as the nose. It’s quite nicely balanced with a good weight of oak and spiciness on the delivery. There is a real sweetness but its more of a young alcohol hit, rather than as a result of excessive dosage. Tobacco, shoe leather and some fiery marmalade are also making an appearance on the mid palate.

There is a honeyed sweetness with this rum which does become a little cloying at times. That combines with a slightly bitter finish which becomes a touch over oaked. I don’t think this rum is as well-balanced as it perhaps should be.

In all fairness I pick out faults in Bacardi Reserva Ocho but at 40% ABV many of the “competitors” in the Premium Rum category will totally mask their rums rough edges with all manner of additives. Bacardi have added 12 g/L of sugar/additives to the Bacardi Reserva Ocho. As it is a latin style I am pleased to still report that the rum does have a bit of an edge to it. It’s quite spicy and a bit fiery even at this ABV.

The finish isn’t all too much to write home about either, it’s just a kind of mellow fade. We start with some oak spicing and it just descends into sweet honey before disappearing with a hint of ginger.

This is okay as a sipper in small doses but it actually works best as a mixer. Though you have any amount of cheaper Bacardi offerings that can do that for you.

This is an average rum in a pretty bottle. It will appeal to a Bacardi drinker as it does give a “better” (read smoother) experience. That said it’s not stellar and it’s not really that “premium”.

Bacardi don’t make dreadful rum as some might have you believe but they aren’t quite as wonderful as they might want to have us believe.

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SBS x UK Rum Club Summer Charity Pack Release
Bythefatrumpirate January 12, 2021January 12, 2021

For those of you who perhaps aren’t members of the group, as well as running this website, I am also one of the admins of The UK Rum Club. This is a Facebook group which run along with Steven James of Rum Diaries Blog. This is a group which focuses more on Rum without Additives, than most others around at the moment.

Please feel free to join as it will allow you access to this exciting bottling coming in the Summer.

SBS x UK Rum Club Summer Charity Pack Release

It’s time to look towards our next 4 x 200ml bottle pack and again it will have a charity donation.

We haven’t fully decided upon the charities yet but we do know the pack contents

Each pack will contain the following:

Jamaica – Hampden HGML

Guyana – DDL Port Mourant

Martinique – Le Galion Gran Arôme

Fiji – SPD Pot Still

Each will have spent 8 – 10 months in PX Casks

As we are dealing with aged products, we need to be able to buy and sell the entire barrel contents. There will be around 160-170 packs available but to make this possible we need a minimum level of pre-sale / registered interest for 150 bottles

Release is scheduled for around May / June

Price will be £120 per pack with £10 per pack being donated to charity (more to come on this)

Some great Rum in the pack, we know that the original SBS Fiji and the SBS Martinique were two great releases from 2020 so we can’t wait to get these new bottles out there

Register your interest via email at theukrumclub@yahoo.com using “SBS Summer Pack” as the subject

We need your name, full postal address that you’ll be using for delivery, contact number, email address and the amount of packs that you’d like to purchase

Your information will then be collated and forwarded to Skylark Spirits for sales and distribution

Thanks in anticipation for your support

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Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum

Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum
Bythefatrumpirate October 17, 2019

Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum. Blended rum (particularly from multi islands) has been on the decline recently, in terms of new products. I can’t think of all that many multi island blends that have popped up recently. Unfortunately this has been mainly due to the sheer volume of Spiced Rum which is constantly entering the low and mid range of the market. You don’t need any multi island blend for much of that rubbish. Just cheap base spirit from Trinidad.

So its a bit of surprise that hot on the heels of reviewing Thameside Signature Blend I am again reviewing a multi island blend from a UK based bottler. Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum is the brainchild of Phillip Everett-Lyons.

After 18 months of research and development beginning in 2017 Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum finally entered the market in 2019.

Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum is a blend of 8 year old Pot and Column distilled rum from Barbados (Foursquare Distillery) and column distilled rums from Panama aged 6 years, Dominican Republic aged 8 years and Guatemala aged for 4 years. The majority of rum in the blend is the 8 year old Barbados rum. It is then blended with the softest Dartmoor spring water and reduced to 40% ABV before being bottled.

Presentation wise Hattiers comes in the now familiar stubby rounded bottle. The labelling is sleek and modern and the rear label gives information on the rums made up in the blend. A chunky cork stopper tops off the Premium presentation of this rum. It is currently available at The Whisky Exchange for just under £40.

Hattiers Rum is named after Philip’s daughter (who I presume is called Hattie? I’ve never met anyone called Hattiers? Unless it is her married surname). I will be meeting Philip at Rumfest this year so I will clarify!

Hattiers Premium Reserve rum has won a few awards the most notable being a IWSC Silver. So this shouldn’t be too shabby at all….

In the glass we have a golden to dark brown spirit with an orange hue. Sipped it is quite sweet on the nose. Notes of toffee, caramel, toasted coconut and some slightly perfumed notes. Further nosing reveals some stoned fruits and milk chocolate.

There is sufficient oak and spice to keep things interesting and not let the sweetness overwhelm the nose. It is accessible but not overly sweet and sugary. There are no suspicious artificial notes that you often find when the Dominican Republic makes an appearance.

There is a slight butteriness on the nose – shortbread and some corn flake like notes. All in all its balanced and approachable. It’s not a blow your socks off kind of nose but it isn’t weak or insipid in anyway.

Sipped, it is perhaps one of the easiest sippers I have ever encountered. It is smooth (in relative terms) but has enough spicy and oak to let you know it hasn’t been smoothed out by glycerol or sugar or any other nasties. It has a dryness which is nice, rather than a gloopy mouthfeel.

Sweet notes of caramel and toffee are met with big spicy notes of ginger and allspice on the initial entry. Vanilla and milk chocolate come into the mid palate and a very slight tartness of red wine makes a brief appearance. It’s very much an everyday easy kind of sipper. However, its the kind of rum you would need to start with rather than try and follow after some Cask Strength or “beefier” rums. In terms of profile it is probably just a bit sweeter and slightly less dry than a Foursquare rum. It’s not full on “South American” style but it is certainly a more approachable easy going kind of rum.

It’s nicely put together and has a really nice balance to it. Finish wise it is probably a touch on the short side and a little bit weak but there is at no point anything off or unpleasant about this rum.

It’s a bit pricy for a mixer but it makes a really smooth and tasty rum and cola. Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum is also pretty decent in most cocktails that call for a Latin Style rum or even some Barbados rum. It’s pretty versatile and will add a little finesse rather than a full on assault of punchy flavour.

All in all this is very different to the Thameside Signature Blend. Aimed I would say at a different segment of the market. Often I see Plantation’s 5 Year Old Barbados cited as a good entry to rum. Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum certainly fits the bill for me.

A pleasant surprise. There’s plenty life in these blends yet!

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Pusser's Navy Rum "Nelson's Blood" Aged 15 Years

Pusser’s Navy Rum “Nelson’s Blood” Aged 15 Years
Bythefatrumpirate March 19, 2015July 13, 2015

Pusser’s “Nelson’s Blood” Aged 15 Years is their marquee expression. I think, (and I will get this all confirmed) that the rum is a different blend to the Blue Label. It is not just a more aged version of it. However, I also understand that despite this it is still a blend of Trini rum with a hefty dose of the famous Port Mourant wooden still distillate.

One of the difficulties with being a prolific rum reviewer, ahem is that you often misplace information and in between intoxication and sobriety returning some bugger turns the Interweb upside down and you can no longer find that wonderful resource of information. Clearly the sober reviewer would bookmark such sites……or remember their names. So if any of my information is a bit muddled please let me know. Apologies for the lack of concrete information but I am in discussion with Pusser’s marketing director Laura Addis and she will soon put me straight.

Onto the bottle and its a lot different to the Blue Label. It is rounder with a shorter neck. The wonderfully unique blue topped synthetic stopper of the Blue Label is not present and instead we have a plain black real cork stopper. The general presentation of Pussers is unique in the rum world. As is the heritage of the rum. I sincerely doubt any other 15 Year Old Aged Rum would be packaged in something quite like this. Now if it wasn’t for the British Navy links this rums packaging would seem almost gaudy and slightly cheap. Yet because it is Pusser’s Navy Rum it seems only fitting. It’s bright and punchy and you can tell the rum inside isn’t going to be messing about.

Pussers 15 Year Old costs between £40 and £50 in the UK for a 70cl bottle (it’s worth shopping around). Unlike the “old” UK Blue Label or the “new” Gunpowder Proof Black Label (same rum new packaging) it is not bottled at Navy Strength. Rather than being 54.5% ABV (109 proof) it is bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof).

Now I’ve already touched upon the difficulties of research and the problems encountered by having to drink on the job. So just to let you all know at this stage in proceedings I am yet to have a drop of alcohol today. As with all my reviews I have already spent some time with the “Nelson’s Blood”. For the purposes of this review I am also going to make reference to Pussers Blue Label (again) and I will also be taking in a few drops of another rum which I feel has similarities to Pusser’s 15.

So on with the tasting. The rum presents itself as a deep brown with vibrant flashes of red. It is nigh on identical to the Pussers Blue Label. On the nose, again it has that very distinctive rich fruity slightly malt like nose. The nose is sweeter than the Blue Label and it also has a hint of varnish. Lovers of Pusser’s will be pleased to learn that this rum, despite its sweetness still displays that full frontal assault on the senses which suggests the rum should be respected. Sip with caution!

The nose is much richer than the Blue Label, it is almost treacly, deep dark molasses which reminds me a little of the richness of Myers’s but with a Demerara sweetness as opposed to Jamaican funk. It’s almost like a concentrate. It makes you want to dive into the rum.

The mystery rum I alluded to earlier in the piece is a 1990 Port Morant from Bristol Classic Rum. Whilst the taste of these rums is very different (the Bristol has an almost earthy note to it where Pusser’s imparts intense sweetness) the nose is very similar. I had thought prior to tasting them side by side that the rums were quite similar but I now know it was my sense of smell playing tricks on me. The influence of smell should not be underestimated.

So on with the tasting (check out the cool coasters in the pic’s). Tasting these three rums side by side has been an enlightening experience. I have always considered Pusser’s Blue Label to be quite sweet but sipping it alongside the 15 it is found to be almost bitter. Compared to the Bristol Port Morant it is almost like drinking rum cream!

Now before you take my previous paragraph as a criticism let me explain. It’s simple really. I like sweet rum. I add sweetener to my coffee. I like sugar on my corn flakes. I don’t like whisky. I don’t like gin. Oh and I exaggerated about the rum cream. Pussers 15 does have added sugar as confirmed by the tests of Johnny Drejer but that doesn’t mean it will be dismissed as a bad rum.

Pusser’s 15 is sweeter than the Blue Label but at the same time it still has all those characteristics that you so enjoy. It has the wonderful complex fruity nose, which has just enough character to make you have a couple of ice cubes on hand….just in case. Despite its sweetness the rum is initially quite challenging.

The flavour bursts through it is rich and fruity but it also has that dry almost whisky like note. Despite all the upfront sweetness the rum gives a very spicy burn on the way down. Despite the ageing the rum still has that manly kick in the nuts type feel to it. I have seen one review (Lance over at The Lone Caner) describe Pusser’s as an “unapologetic bruiser” I couldn’t have put it any better myself (which is why I’ve nicked it). It’s one the booziest rums I have tried.

The trick with sipping the Pusser’s 15 is to let the first few sips coat your palate. I’ve only had a very small amount and already the fiery burn is subduing and I am getting more flavour and less spicy burn. A few sips also relieves the dry whisky like note. It’s now more like a cognac or brandy. I hate comparisons to other spirits but Pusser’s is so complex that you just can’t help it. Despite all these comparisons you are never in any doubt that you are drinking something which could have been used to splice the mainbrace time and time again! Having said that this rum is not the same blend which the British Royal Navy sailed on.

I would love to give a few tasting notes on the Pusser’s 15 but I’m finding that with each visit I’m finding something more. There are few rums which can exhibit so many different facets of the various rum styles but Pusser’s 15 is one of them. The only common trait in rum which I cannot really detect with this rum is oakiness. It has the sweetness of an El Dorado Demerara and the tread carefully” menace of a Caroni, it has deep fruity “funk” of a Jamaican. Okay I’ll give it shot…..

Caramely treacly toffee, Juicy pineapple, dark bruised banana, sweet chocolate raisins all wrapped up in a still quite potent tasting spirit. There is an underlying menace and despite the ageing still a lot of punch to this rum

Pusser’s 15 is a great rum. Personally I still prefer the Blue Label and Gunpowder blends. Whilst you can mix Pusser’s 15 I found that the Blue Label blend made a better rum and cola. This is better as a sipper but again I have had slightly better sipping experiences in my time. For my tastes it is possibly just a little bit too sweet.

However, it is still a lot better than rums such as Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, Ron Zacapa and a few other of the sweetened “Premium” rums. It’s still a rum well worth seeking out and trying.

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