The Duchess Ten Cane Distillery Trinidad Aged 11 Years

Bythefatrumpirate

The Duchess Ten Cane Distillery Trinidad Aged 11 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirateThe Duchess Ten Cane Distillery Trinidad Aged 11 Years. Yet another rum from Dutch Independent Bottler The Duchess this time from a Trinidad distillery that I didn’t even realise existed!

To be fair to me by the time I got into rum in the early part of the 2010’s Ten Cane was fading out. Production of any rum produced under the Ten Cane banner ceased in 2015. It was a short lived thing being introduced in 2005. I actually have some of the original Ten Cane rum to review. So I will save the Ten Cane “story” for that review. I should still have enough to talk about with this release from The Duchess.

I first noticed a Ten Cane Distillery noted Independent bottling, earlier this year from Compagnie des Indes. Didn’t think all that much of it, I just thought it was a “trendy” way to bottle a rum from Trindidad Distillers Limited that perhaps had originally been intended to be a Ten Cane rum. Ten Cane was actually a purpose built distillery producing rum from Fresh Sugar Cane Juice using Copper Pot Stills in small batches. Artisanal or craft rum as it was noted as back then. The rum world has changed a lot in short time.

The Ten Cane rum that came to market was a blend of this Fresh Sugar Cane Juice rum and aged Trinidad molasses rum. I assume the aged molasses rum came from Trinidad Distillers Limited.

This particular rum was distilled in 2008. It was bottled in 2019 and is noted as being 11 Years Old. The Duchess Ten Cane Distillery Trinidad Aged 11 Years is from cask number 80. 232 bottles were yielded from this cask. It is bottled at 63% ABV cask strength. The rum in this cask was originally aged Tropically for 7 years before being moved to Europe and aged there for a further 4. It has been aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

This is will be one of the last releases in the Hummngbird series designed by Hans Dillesse. This bottling is adorned with a Tufted Coquette. The bottlings are similar to the Silver Seal wildlife bottlings though I would say they are a bit more modern and contempory. The rum is housed in a 3/4 stubby style bottle with a light/baby blue wax seal. This hides the chunky cork stopper. The Duchess rums are becoming more sought after and are now available at a great number of stores in Europe and even one in the UK. For the EU you could try Zeewijck or Best of Wines. In the UK you might want to look at Edencroft. It is priced at between €/£89-95.

The Duchess Ten Cane Distillery Trinidad Aged 11 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirateIn many ways, not having experienced Ten Cane Rum previously and not being totally sure on the exact make up of this rum, I’m not sure what to expect.

Which isn’t a bad thing as often I already have a pretty good idea of what a rum might taste like. With this I am totally unsure.

So lets have a look at this rum and see how it goes down!

In the glass The Duchess Ten Cane Distillery Trinidad Aged 11 Years is a dark brown with a very vivid red/orange hue around the edges and throughout the rum.

The nose is quite rich. Lots of dark spicy oak and burnt rubber. It’s not as heavy as a Caroni but its certainly not the light type of rum that Angostura prefer to produce. There are some slight petrol and creosote like notes but they are tempered by a rich fruity sweetness. Notes of Sugar Cane and some slightly sour gooseberries.

It’s a fascinating nose that smells almost like some kind of funky/tarry yet sweet island blend. At first you think it might be a bit unbalanced but it has an almost Bajan like harmony. It reminds me a little of independently bottled rum from Travellers Distillery, Belize.

Further nosing sees the fruitier notes comes out more – prunes, raisins and blackberries. This is complex stuff and a joy to sit and nose.

Sipped at the full ABV this is a heady mix! It’s initially quite tarry with a fair whack of diesel fumes and creosote but it quickly evolves into a huge burst of very grassy yet very funky fruity rum. Which again twists as you move into the mid palate and you get a much less aggressive more balanced note. Baking spices, gingerbread and some tart treacly dark fruit jam.

Throughout this it has a wonderfully pleasant slightly smoky/burnt note which just seems to give this rum yet another layer.

The Duchess Ten Cane Distillery Trinidad Aged 11 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirateWhilst this might share a lot in common in the notes with a Caroni – it is an entirely different beast. It is fruitier and funkier. It is not what I would call “easy going” but it will be welcome introduction to any rum fan looking for something a touch out of the ordinary. It’s a funny rum both familiar but at the same time distinctive. I’m reminded of the old John Peel quote about The Fall “they are always different, they are always the same”. Which just abouts fits with my feelings about this rum.

The finish does not disappoint as pretty much everything you have had in the lead up to the finish seems to come back in a long lingering slow burn of flavours.

One of the most interesting rums I have reviewed this year. A really good cask pick yet again.

Drink Y’Self Fitter……..

 

 

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  • Doorly’s Aged 3 Years Fine Old Barbados Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Doorly's Aged 3 Years Fine Old Barbados Rum review by the fat rum pirateDoorly’s Aged 3 Years Fine Old Barbados Rum. The Doorly’s line up should need no introduction to most of you. I’ve reviewed all of their line up that I have been able to get my hands on. I’ve failed thus far to get the Sweden(?) only 6-year-old.

    In all honesty I thought I had reviewed this long ago. A quick look revealed that I had completed the tasting notes but had never got around to writing and publishing the rest.

    I usually do most of a review all in one go. Don’t go thinking I spend hours and numerous tasting sessions, before writing a review. I do spend time with any rum I review but I’m maybe not quite as “intense” or thorough as some reviewers seem to be. However, weekends spent without an internet connection meant I was able to take samples away and taste them. Alas I could only update my thoughts on paper or using LibreOffice Writer (I’m not paying for MS Word when I hardly use it)

    Doorly’s Aged 3 Years is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rums from the Foursquare Distillery,  Barbados. All the rum in the blend is aged for a minimum of 3 years in the tropical Caribbean climate of the island.

    Presentation wise it comes in the stubby Doorly’s bottle which has a bulboDoorly's Aged 3 Years Fine Old Barbados Rum review by the fat rum pirateus neck. This 40% variant, has a screw cap. Foursquare have recently released a 47% ABV Doorly’s Aged 3 Years which, I understand has a plastic cork. I’m not totally sure if both rums will remain in production. You should be able to find the 40% version for a while as there still seems to be plenty stock kicking around. In the UK a 70cl bottle of this white rum should set you back between £20-25. I would advise shopping around as the price can vary quite a lot..

    In the glass Doorly’s Aged 3 Years is almost clear with just a very faint hint of haziness. It is a touch “yellow” ie not entirely clear like Bacardi or more generic white rums you come across.

    The nose is pretty heavy on the vanilla and has a “young” sweet alcohol forward feature which I quite enjoy in younger white rums.  Banana, grape and a some coconut add a nice fruitiness to the mix.  It’s not a remarkable or overly distinctive white rum but it is nicely balanced. It certainly doesn’t seem like a white rum which will “disappear” when mixed.

    Sipped Doorly’s Aged 3 Years is initially quite sweet, with an aftertaste of oak, tobacco and charcoal.  The vanilla is still present but the fruitiness seems to get a little lost to the alcohol.  Which doesn’t displease me.  This is authentic aged white rum.  I dare say in order to get the almost clear white, we may have had to sacrifice a little of the flavour in the original distillate.

    The finish is fairly short and overall the alcohol burn on this rum is pretty minimal.  It’s very smooth and for such a young rum surprisingly easy to sip.  It’s not hugely complex but its pleasant and better than a lot of so called “premium” sippers.

    Mixing Doorly’s 3 with some cola gives a very tasty drink.  The coconut, vanilla and banana notes reappear and balance beautifully.  It’s really very good this way. Ginger Beer overpowers it (as it does most whites) but it works very well in simple cocktails such as a Daiquiri or a Mojito.

    This is a really good white rum at a very competitive price.  Easy to drink, yet complex enough to lift it above most of the competition. Will be interesting to compare this to the newly released 47% ABV version. And of course Veritas which I also have to review soon…..

     

     

  • Don Papa Rum Sherry Casks

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Don Papa Rum Sherry Casks review by the fat rum pirateDon Papa Rum Sherry Casks. I’ve not reviewed any Don Papa products for a while. They aren’t a brand that I would ever buy if I’m being honest.

    So when it comes to getting reviews of Don Papa, I am often relying on my friends in rum circles being gifted well meaning but sadly misguided bottles which they then “invite” me to sample and review………..

    Which is very much the case here. I have a very generous (not sure that’s the right word) sample with which to conduct my assessment.

    It is fair to say that my previous reviews of Don Papa were far from glowing. Indeed, since I reviewed their flagship No.7 blend the “rum” is now noted as being a Spirit Drink here in the UK. Which as the ABV is above the minimum 37.5% to be classed as a rum in the EU (the UK despite not being part of the EU still tends to follow their lead rums aren’t being re-formulated to fit any UK criteria) suggests they are still close to the 20g/L limit on additives. So they can’t legally call this rum anymore. I originally noted 19g/L on the Hydrometer but maybe they have other additives (glycerol) which might mean they are in murky waters calling it rum. I speculate.

    Has this had any impact on sales? Well it is even more visible in UK Supermarkets since I conducted my original review. So that certainly speaks volumes.

    Don Papa Rum Sherry Casks is bottled at 45% ABV. It comes in a purple coloured variation on the standard Don Papa bottle, more or less. To ensure its premium look you also get a nice cardboard cylinder to house the rum. The look is completed by a chunky cork stopper. All in all the rum looks impressive.  It is easy to see why bottles such as Don Papa and Bumbu are gifted as often as they are. Particularly at this time of year.

    Whilst this particular rum isn’t available in the supermarkets, it did have a considerable presence online when released. It’s a little more difficult to find now. It originally retailed at around the £55 mark.

    Don Papa Rum Sherry Casks is (to quote their website) “First aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels before being finished in four different types of sherry casks: Palo Cortado; Fino; Cream; and Pedro Ximenez. The resulting blend offers a delightfully dry, almost nutty nose with a rich, fruity taste and a wonderfully smooth finish.”

    They don’t state how long the rum is aged and I’ve been unable to find any further information. I can’t find any bloggers that have reviewed this particular rum. The back label does little mDon Papa Rum Sherry Casks review by the fat rum pirateore than re-iterate what is available online.

    So that is all I have information wise. We may as well get on with the tasting.

    In the glass Don Papa Rum Sherry Casks is a dark brown colour with a very striking red hue.

    On the nose you are immediately met with an array of red wine and rich dark fruits. Raisins, Sultanas and a touch of plum. There is a faint note of oak and a light dusting of white pepper. Other than that this does smell very much like a bottle of sherry. Even at 45% ABV it somehow even manages to smell a little thin. Very little alcohol or real evidence of an aged spirit. It has an almost perfumed note to it.

    Further nosing reveals a touch of orange/marmalade. It’s very sweet smelling though in fairness it doesn’t smell “confected” the way other Don Papa’s do. Which may have something to do with the fact that the Hydrometer is not detecting any additives. Yes the biggest surprise I have had so far with this rum is that it doesn’t have any additives. Well at least none that the Hydrometer can pick up. As other Don Papa iterations did show additives via the Hydrometer method, I can say that this is different in that respect.

    So as I approach my first sip I am slightly more optimistic and curious as to how this will go down………….

    Sadly, upon my first sip my optimism quickly vanishes. The perfumed note I notices a little on the nose comes to the fore front. Beneath this is a slightly synthetic tasting toffee taste which is fleeting on the taste buds. Giving way again to the sweeter floral notes which really aren’t good. There’s a big taste of what I can only describe as watered down Ribena. With a nasty alcohol hit behind it.

    Don Papa Rum Sherry Casks is at best a bit of a mess but really it just tastes like a really badly done flavoured Vodka.

    There is nothing “rummy” about this aside from a very faint hint of bourbon barrel ageing which amounts to little more than a faint woodiness and a suggestion of spice/pepper.

    The mid palate is mildly spicy and the flavours – the blackcurrant and toffee quickly disappear leaving behind a faint watery after taste.

    Finish wise we are left with…well if I’m being entirely honest. Not a great deal. The shuft from the initial sip to finish is very fast and it disappears fairly quickly. To say the finish is short would be an understatement. I don’t even feel there is one. Such is the underpowered nature of this “rum”.Don Papa Rum Sherry Casks review by the fat rum pirate

    As bad as the Don Papa line up is when they adulterate their rum, if this is anything to go by, the distillate is no better when its not being messed around with.

    I’m not sure what the original distillate is? It tastes like a very thin almost neutral column distillate. Which I suspect has been distilled at a stupidly high ABV. This tastes like a watery cheap and nasty Sherry with an oak stave chucked in for a laugh.

    Truly awful. I’ll give them one full star for not fucking about with this in terms of additives (I bet there is still something here that shouldn’t be). In fairness if this is how bad their base distillate is no wonder they add the special sauce!

    This isn’t as offensive as their other offerings. It feels toned down but much like when Diplomatico released rums without additives – it showcases how boring the rum off the multi column alcohol machine, sorry “still” is………..

    Avoid.

  • Ultimatum Sancti Spirits 1999 Cuban Rum 18 Year Old

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Ultimatum Rum Sancti Spiritus 18 Year Old Review by the fat rum pirateUltimatum Sancti Spiritus 1999 Cuban Rum. Ultimatum are a relatively new bottler.  Most of their products are coming out of Dutch retailers so I assume they are based somewhere around there.  Ultimatum Rum seems to be an off-shoot of the Little Distiller.

    They have released a number of bottlings over the past year or so (I have a few more yet to review) and have received generally positive feedback for their efforts.  The first thing they have been commended on is the price.  They are very reasonably priced.

    This particular bottling from the Sancti Spiritus Distillery in Cuba retails at around £40.  For that you get a 70cl bottle and the rum has an ABV of 46%.  This may disappoint a few Cask Strength connoisseurs.

    Ultimatum have developed a clean modern look for all their bottlings and the results are very professional.  The rum comes with a synthetic cork enclosure.

    Ultimatum Sancti Spiritus has an out-turn of 326 bottles.  So likely a single cask offering. As with nearly all Cuban rums this is produced on a Column Still.  Information provided on the bottle is sufficient rather than a full explanation.  But its a lot better than some.  Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any website for the brand.

    I don’t really have a great deal more to say on this particular rum.  I previously tried finding out the origin of the Sancti Spiritus Distillery in my review of a Bristol Classic Rum bottling.  All I ever did find out was that the distillery was in Central Cuba and had been in operation since 1946.  So without further ado lets crack on the with tasting and nosing.

    In the glass the rum is a slightly dull golden brown.  It looks a little “washed out” but as we all know you shouldn’t judge a rum by its colour.

    The nose is pretty straight forward.  It’s quite alcohol forward depite the 18 years of ageing.  I’m not detecting any finish or anything fancy with this rum.  It’s been in an ex-bourbon cask and has possibly had quite a lot of European ageing.  Not a typically Cuban like rum.  It’s actually quite a difficult rum to describe.  The nose has a young alcohol sweetness to it, which mixes alongside notes of oak and spice.  There is a slight banana note to it and some white and red grapes.  Some nice vanilla ice cream comes though as well.

    The nose is reasonably inviting.  Reasonably complex.  It’s certainly different to other Cuban rums i have had to date.

    Sipped the rum is pretty spicy with a lot of sweet/sour bourbon notes and its quite woody.  It has a slight bitterness which makes it seem a touch on the dry side.  The finish is a good length and is pretty spicy.

    As you progress with sipping this it does show some more sweetness as your palate adjusts to the dry, oaky profile.  The banana returns alongside a touch of coconut and tiny note of anise.  This is a very straightforward yet quite rewarding sipper.

    The finish seems to lengthen as you progress and has a nice spicy kick which I really enjoy.

    This is a solid, good honest rum at a fair price.

  • Bristol Classic Rum Port Morant 1990 Demerara Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Bristol Port Morant 1990 rum review by the Fat Rum PirateAnother independent bottling up for review this time a Port Morant Demerara Rum from English bottlers Bristol Classic Rum.  Rather than bore you all with yet another monologue about Demerara Distillers Ltd/Diamond Distillery I will instead focus on the possibly incorrect labelling of this rum.

    In both Guyana and Jamaica there are towns called Port Mourant (Jamaica) and Port Morant (Guyana). In times gone by both these towns have lent their names to Rum Estates/Distilleries.  In more recent times the Guyana version of Port Morant is, as well as a town now a name given to a double wooden pot still taken from the Port Morant Estate.

    The Port Mourant (to give it its correct spelling) is used in many of El Dorado’s rum and a healthy portion of Port Mourant distillate is in Pusser’s blends.  So it is more than likely that you have enjoyed Port Mourant rum before just perhaps not in this guise.

    The rum itself was matured in oak casks until 2005 when it was transferred to a used Port Pipe to be finished, for a further two years.  It was bottled in 2007.  I’m not 100% sure where the rum was aged.  From what I understand much of the ageing is performed in the UK, in what has been described to me as being almost like a kind of underground quarry!

    The rum retails at around the £80-90 mark in the UK and seems to appear sporadically on various online retailers and in specialist shops. It’s very much a rum which you have to look out for.  I think more than one run from the 1990 casks have been released some with a Port finish and some without.  However, Bristol Classic Rum do not keep information on all their past products readily available on the site.  The rum comes in the usual Bristol bottle and although the rum is pictured with a Bristol tube protector this particular bottle did not come supplied with one.  The rum is bottled in a 70cl bottle at 46%ABV.  A hydrometer tests reveals 0-5g/L of additives/sugar.  So it is a pure rum.  As you tend to get from indie bottlers.Bristol Port Morant 1990 rum review by the Fat Rum Pirate

    The Port Morant 1990 is for a Demerara rum quite light.  It is medium brown in colour with red flashes.  On the nose it has a familiar El Dorado/Demerara element to it but it also has a more earthy, slightly grassy note.  Similar in some respects to the Bristol Diamond Distillery 1998.  A deeper nosing reveals aniseed and wine like notes.  It is a complex and very unusual nose.

    When sipped the rum is definitely not altered with sugar (see my Pussers 15 review if you prefer a sweeter tipple).  The rum is pleasantly sweet but not overly so.  The ageing in Port Pipe(s)? definitely gives this rum a very distinct flavour.  Far different to anything I have encountered previously with Demerara Rum.  Again aniseed comes to the fore along with a rich long lasting spice.  It is fairly dry rum but if offers a long finish.

    The rum definitely gets better with a second glass.  If you allow the palate to breathe for a while the second tasting even is much more rewarding than the first. Once your palate warms upto the rum you definitely begin to enjoy it more.  It’s much like a real ale.  You may not love it on the first few sips but as the pint gets nearer to the end you find yourself, if it is a winner ordering another.

    Bristol Port Morant 1990 rum review by the Fat Rum PirateThe fruity notes in the rum shine once you become accustomed to the rum.  Classic Demerara flavours such as raisin and currant but the port finish seems to give way to more plum and even a little orange citrus.

    It’s not a deep dark almost treacly chocolatey Demerara like say Lemon Hart or El Dorado 8.  In many respects it reminds me most of Pussers Navy Rum (Blue Label).  However, unlike the Pussers Navy Rum this has an extra refinement which makes me not want to mix it with cola.

    As a sipper it just remind me more of Pusser’s 15, however this is nowhere near as sweet and as mentioned has more in common with the younger variants of Pusser’s rums.

    4 stars

     

  • 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…….

  • Santa Teresa Anejo Gran Reserva

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Santa Teresa Anejo Gran Reserva Rum review by the fat rum pirateSanta Teresa Anejo Gran Reserva. The Santa Teresa brand hails from Venezuela. The Hacienda Santa Teresa is situated in the valleys of Aragua near the capital Caracas. The estate was founded way back in 1796.

    Indeed, Santa Teresa’s flagship rum is name after the year the estate was founded. Santa Teresa 1796 is one of the mostly widely recognised “Premium” rums the world over. Bacardi took over distribution of that rum, but not the rest of the Santa Teresa line up in December 2016. This has enabled Santa Teresa 1796 to become available more widely, particularly in Travel Retail Duty Free.

    I have previously reviewed both the 1796 and the Linaje rums from Santa Teresa.

    Hacienda Santa Teresa grow and harvest their own estate sugar cane. Once the juice is extracted, the remaining molasses is used to produce Santa Teresa rum. The molasses is then fermented for 12-16 hours. The resulting wash of around 8% ABV is then distilled on either a Continuous Column Still or a Copper Pot Still.

    Two different cuts of alcohol are taken from the Continuous Column still. From the fourth column a light, pretty much neutral spirit is taken at 95% and from the first column a oilier, more flavourful spirit  at 75% ABV. These two cuts form the base of every rum Santa Teresa produce.

    From what I can see the Pot Still at Santa Teresa is only used for the 1796 and the Bi-Centennial Blend, they bottled a few years back. There is nothing which indicates that any Pot Still rum is contained in this bottle.

    It has also been noted that all Santa Teresa rums are aged in ex-bourbon and I understand that Santa Teresa Anejo Gran Reserva is aged up to 5 years. The minimal amount of ageing required under the Venezuelan DOC Denominación de Origen is 2 years to call the spirit a rum. Although Santa Teresa operate a “solera system” (which is perhaps more genuine than some) I do not think the solera is used for this expression. It is far more likely just a blend of different barrels of different ages.

    Santa Teresa Anejo Gran Reserva is particularly popular in mainland Spain and its islands, where it is in pretty much every liquor store and bar. Especially in tourist areas such as Benidorm, Mallorca and Salou (in my experience). In the UK a 70cl bottle will set you back around £22-26. It iSanta Teresa Anejo Gran Reserva Rum review by the fat rum pirates bottled at a respectable if unremarkable 40% ABV.

    Presentation wise it has a unique contoured bar style bottle. Label information is minimal and isn’t translated into English. So it’s not terribly useful to me. When pouring, as is the case with many rums and spirits from South/Central America it has plastic diffuser. This is to prevent the refilling of the bottle with a cheaper spirit by nefarious bar owners. The label has been updated and re-jigged a fair few times over the past few years. It’s likely you will find a few variations for sale especially in bricks and mortar stores.

    So let’s move on and see how Santa Teresa Anejo Gran Reserva goes down.

    In the glass we have light golden brown spirit. The nose is light with lots of vanilla. There is a note of tobacco and some toffee. Warming woody spices float over the top and they are nicely integrated and balanced.

    It’s not a hugely complex nose. Nor is it particularly “big”. It’s a light gentle rum which isn’t trying to be anything it’s not. It smells like a fairly simple and straightforward mixing rum. As seems to be a theme, the rum registers 8g/L of additives. These are probably softening the spirit a little to reduce the burn and astringency of the younger rums in the blend.

    Sipped it is best described as light, slightly boozy, woody, tobacco water. Which doesn’t sound all that appealing and to be fair in terms of a sipper, it’s not particularly good. It’s just too light and lacks in any real flavour. There is nothing really to distinguish this from many other similar “rons” at this price point.

    It is though marketed and priced as a mixer. To expect a Premium Sipping experience at £22-25 is a big ask.Santa Teresa Anejo Gran Reserva Rum review by the fat rum pirate

    It’s popular with cola, I drink quite a lot of this type of rum when I am on holiday. It’s usually readily available in most bars and in the supermarket you usually get rums like these for less than €15.

    Santa Teresa Anejo Gran Reserva does seem less sweet than some other “rons” and has a bit more of a tobacco, smoke and woody profile. I don’t mind this as a mixer at all to be honest. If the price is right. It’s the kind of rum for long lazy days on the beach or in the garden.

    That said though, this is in the grand scheme of things pretty average. Well maybe a touch above. So we’ll give it an extra 1/2 star. Not a rum I would go out of my way to find but if it was more readily available and less than £20 I’d buy the odd bottle for weekend mixing.