Ultimatum 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.