Unconventional Distillery Opus

Bythefatrumpirate

Unconventional Distillery Opus Rum Review by the fat rum pirateUnconventional 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.Unconventional Distillery Opus Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

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 sUnconventional Distillery Opus Rum Review by the fat rum pirateweet 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Liberte Black Spiced Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Liberte Black Spiced Rum Review by the fat rum pirate Liberte Black Spiced Rum is a new entrant to the ever expanding Spiced Rum market. Liberte Black Spiced Rum is actually a supermarket “own brand”.  This one hails from German discount supermarket Lidl.

    It has already received a bit of coverage in the press as perhaps being an alternative to the ever Popular “The Kraken”.  The Kraken pretty much has the “Dark Spiced” market sewn up.  For some reason despite the ongoing popularity of Morgan’s Spiced Gold – the Captain Morgan company have done little to promote or make available their Black Spiced Rum in the UK.  Despite making it pretty much a Kraken knock off in terms of appearance.

    I’ve reviewed a few “Dark Spiced” rums over the years and this is another like Captain Morgan’s Black Spiced and Sazerac’s Black Magic that is partly trying to mimic the appearance of The Kraken.  This particularly example isn’t quite as brazen as though two offerings. This may have something to do with the fuss a few years ago surrounding supermarket “own brands” mimicing established “named brands” (Puffin biscuits spring immediately to mind and some own brand cola’s in red tins).

    Nevertheless the bottle shape and general appearance is sufficient enough for The Kraken to spring immediately to mind when viewing this offering.

    A 70cl bottle with a cork stopper which is refreshingly given a respectable 40% ABV. Making it a “genuine” spiced rum not a rum based spirit drink. It will set you back £15.99.  It’s quite difficult to find a bottle of The Kraken for less than £20 nowadays. Such is its on-going popularity.

    On the rear label of the bottle you do actually get a little bit of information about the actual base rums in this blend.  You also get some rather dubious information about charred casks.  The rums in this blend hail from the Dominican Republic and Trinidad.  I’m not surprised to see Trini rum in here as Angostura seem to single handedly supply the UK supermarkets.  Sainsburys did have a very competent rum from Jamaica as their “house” rum but that has been changed to Trini rum. It states the rums have been aged. By law I believe the DR rum will have to be at least a year old but there are no such restrictions on Trini rum.Liberte Black Spiced Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    If you can read the label in the photo, you will also note that the producers have also given some information about the taste of this rum and the spices used.

    So without further ado lets move onto tasting this.

    In the glass we have a very dark almost black spirit.  Clearly coloured with caramel as well as “aged” (I suspect one has had more influence than the other). A reddish/orange hue around the edges of the rum in the glass.

    The nose is very sweet.  Huge amounts of concentrated vanilla and caramel dominate.  Surprisingly there is a little hint of oak spice and quite a sharp hit of alcohol.  Clove and maybe a tiny hint of ginger.  It has a kind of “burntness” to it. Like old coffee grinds.

    Sipped its not as sweet as the nose would suggest.  It’s quite artificial tasting – synthetic flavourings.  It doesn’t really offer a great deal on its own.  Tastes a bit like a sugar substitute with a really biter artificial after taste.  There is a little bit of oak and spice but its mostly just young alcohol giving you a bit of a burn.  Burnt toffee and some cloying clove and vanilla keep drifting in and out of the mix.  Up front it offers a quick sharp burst of sweetness. Followed by a fade of bitterness and just about no finish at all.

    The rear label mentions that mixing this really develops the flavours.  For once this isn’t simply bullshit.  When you mix Liberte Black Spiced Rum with cola you really do get a very different offering to the sip.

    Coffee.  Now I like coffee but I’ not that keen on overly sweet vanilla laden coffee.  Which is what this gives you when you mix it with cola.  Vanilla laden coffee with some steeped cloves.  Lovely………

    This is yet another spiced rum which seems reasonable enough, for about half of the first glass. Liberte Black Spiced Rum Review by the fat rum pirate To be honest as much as it was no show stopper sipped, at least it was drinkable.  Mixing this just gives you a very sweet, cloying drink. Which only the sweetest sweet tooth will manage to drink beyond a glass or two.

    If you like The Krapen (that’s not a spelling mistake) then I would really recommend this Spiced Rum.  It’s just as bad and is a few quid cheaper.  I can’t imagine anyone who enjoys The Kraken will notice a great deal of difference. It’s just as sweet and cloying. So should really appeal. This will sell by the truckload on the run up to Christmas.

    Sad but true.

  • Worthy Park Special Cask Release Quatre Vins

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Worthy Park Special Cask Release Quatre Vins Rum Review by the fat rum pirateWorthy Park Special Cask Release Quatre Vins. This believe it or not, is the eighth Special Cask Release from Worthy Park. I know, because it says so on the bottle.

    The Worthy Park Special Cask Releases are a collaboration between Worthy Park Estate and Danish spirit distributors and bottlers 1423.dk. The rums are tropically aged in Jamaica, in ex-bourbon casks before being sent to Denmark for further maturation. In what so far has been a variety of ex-wine and fortified wine casks.

    The results so far have been pretty impressive, so I was pleased to see the intriguingly named Quatre Vins appear online. Quatre Vins refers to the secondary maturation. This time the distillate has been given time in, ex- Monbazillac, ex-Sauternes, ex-Moscatel and ex-Jurancon casks.

    Worthy Park Special Cask Release Quatre Vins was distilled in 2013 and aged at Worthy Park for 4 years in ex-bourbon casks. It was then aged for a further 2 years, in the wine casks detailed above. I am unsure the length of time in each cask or if the rum was divided into 4 and then re-blended at the end. The rum has been bottled at 52% ABV and there are 1,318 bottles available. Distribution is mainly in Europe (particularly Denmark). A 70cl bottle will set you back around £70. If you are outside of Denmark you may wish to try ordering from here.

    Presentation wise, it uses the same bottle used for the other Special Cask Releases, which was first used for the Worthy Park Estate Reserve. The 3/4 stubby bottle with a chunky synthetic stopper, is clean and modern. Information on the actual rum is also provided on the front and rear labels.

    Now, before we go on I will point out that I am unfamiliar with any of the wines used in this blend, aside from Moscatel. I have “heard” of all but the Monbazillac but never, to my knowledge tasted any bar the Moscatel. Which was far too sweet for me. So don’t expect any detailed analysis of any of the notes or which wine provides them!

    First up, in the glass we have a dark brown spirit with a vivid red/orangeWorthy Park Special Cask Release Quatre Vins Rum Review by the fat rum pirate hue. Upon nosing you are immediately aware it is a Worthy Park rum. If you have experienced any of the other Special Cask Releases you will also note that a second maturation has occurred. This is Worthy Park with a bit of a twist.

    The familiar banana, slightly stewed tea and coconut aromas are present and correct. The wine influence is actually quite subtle but it is noticeable.

    It gives just an extra little hit of sweetness. If you’d ask me how this had been finished I might have guessed at Sherry.

    There’s a slight sulphur like note which mingles alongside white grapes and a touch of what I can only describe as meat juices! Yes its quite a meaty nose. This initially was a little strange but after some time in the glass this element takes a backseat and it all calms down.

    This is a fairly young rum at only 6 years old. That said the nose is nicely balanced. The second maturation definitely adds a lot of sweeter notes but it is still quite “aggressive”. It’s still quite boozy and a little in your face.

    On the sip you get a lot of sweetness on the initial entry. There is a lot of red grape and some burnt banana. There’s a really nice spicy note on the mid palate a kind of sweet/sour spicy note a little like a Szechuan sauce. This moves along into some nice spicy oak, ginger and some milk chocolate. This all moves along nicely with the overarWorthy Park Special Cask Release Quatre Vins Rum Review by the fat rum pirateching note of black tea.

    Finish wise it’s of a reasonable length with a good amount of bite to it. It’s rich and satisfying. It fades nicely and it makes for a quite a moreish rum.

    It is a rum which is very intense on the first sip. The entry is very flavourful. It moves beautifully into the mid palate though. Each flavour stays just long enough not to become to overbearing.

    As alluded to earlier quite what each individual wine is doing I am not quite sure. What I do know is that I think this is certainly the most balanced – overall of the Special Cask Releases, so far. The others had very distinct flavours but also had some flaws. This is just a bit more rounded.

    It certainly drinks like a rum much older than its six years.

     

     

     

  • Arehucas Carta Oro – Golden Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Arehucas Carta Oro Rum Review by the fat rum pirateDestilleras Arehucas have been producing rum in the Canary Islands since 1884.  So they have over 130 years of rum making experience.

    Honey Rum (or Ron Miel) from the Canary Islands is quite famous.  It is basically a golden rum blended with honey.  The ABV of which is usually around the 20% mark.  Making it more of a liqueur than a rum.

    As well as producing Ron Miel Guanche, perhaps the most recognised brand of Honey Rum Arehucas also produce “straight” rums.  Carta Oro is their entry level rum.

    Bottled at 37.5% ABV Carta Oro has quite a distinctive yellow label and cap which makes it stand out from the crowd.  The presentation isn’t anything too exciting but Arehucas do have a standard red and white logo which is consistent throughout their line up.  The price of this rum varies greatly, even in Spain and on the various islands surrounding Spain.  I’ve seen it as low as 6 Euros and as high at 20 Euros.  If you get a bottle imported into the UK expect to pay upwards of £20 for a 70cl bottle.  From what I can gather, the rum in this bottle has been aged for only 1 year.

    The Arehucas Distillery is situated on the island of Gran Canaria. Their website speaks of modern industrial techniques and a state of the art bottling plant.  They produce other spirits, so I’m guessing that their rums are produced on multi column stills.  If they do have any old Pot Stills they do not mention them in their marketing.  They do mention however that the Canary Islands are the “cradle of rum” which I find a little puzzling and no explanation is really given!

    Arehucas rum’s go right up to a 20 year old Golden Rum – Captain Kidd which retails at around £180 (probably a lot less in Spain/The Canaries).  I’ve never seen this rum reviewed or tried it myself.  In fact I’ve heard next to nothing about it.

    The distillery has a museum and a visitor centre so I’ve I’m ever in Gran Canaria I’ll try and get along for a visit.

    Anyway moving onto the contents of the bottle.

    Arehucas Carta Oro Rum Review by the fat rum pirateFirst up for a rum aged for only 12 months its remarkably dark.  Clearly amongst the modern industrial techniques lurks one of adding Caramel Colouring.  I’ve no real issue with this. It’s a fairly standard practice. Some insist it alters the taste but I have no real way of determining if this is true.  I’ve been told that the small amounts needed to alter the colour do not in anyway change the taste or smell of the rum.  I’ll leave others to argue the toss about it.  I think the rum world has a lot more problems to worry about such as fake age statements, suspect “finishing” and reviews for freebies.

    Again I digress apologies.  Back to Arehucas Carta Oro.

    The rum is a nice golden brown colour.  A classic rum colour if you like.  It’s quite vibrant and certainly looks the part.

    Unfortunately the nose isn’t very inviting.  It smells mostly of young slightly gritty alcohol.  It’s a kind of sweet tobacco like nose.  It reminds me a little of Havana Club.  There is a little vanilla on the nose and flashes of oak but all in all it all smells a bit too smokey for my liking.

    Sipped it is a little subdued (possibly due to the low ABV).  It’s quite sweet – vanilla, maybe a trace of chocolate.  The sweetness though is mainly the young aggressive alcohol which makes sipping quite an unpleasant experience. Initially it seems quite light and nicely balanced but it quickly turns in the palate and becomes almost metallic tasting with far too much of that tobacco note.  I don’t think it is so much bitter more just unpleasant with to many off notes.

    Mixed in a rum and cola its passable.  It’s fairly innocuous but you notice more on the finish how young and unbalanced the rum is.  After a while it just becomes unpleasant.

    Other than being cheap this rum doesn’t really have any redeeming features.  Young, alcohol heavy with some metallic, tobacco-ey notes which just all meld into a pretty awful experience be it as a mixer or a sipper.  I suppose at only 12 months of ageing you shouldn’t expect much.

    To be fair I didn’t expect much so I wasn’t overly disappointed.  This rum itself is extremely disappointing though.

  • Dzama Rhum Vieux Aged 3 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Dzama Rhum Vieux Aged 3 Years Rum review by the fat rum pirateDzama Rhum Vieux Aged 3 Years. Dzama are a brand of rums from Madagascar, pronounced “Zama” it was founded in 1980 by Lucien Fohine.  Groupe Vidzar is the controlling company. Domestically it accounts for around 60% of all rum sales and operates out of the countries capital Anatananarivo.  (You learn quite a bit researching rum)

    I was quite surprised to learn that the population of Madagascar is around 22 million so its a decent sized island.  Originally Lucien Fohine imported Scotch Whisky and he uses these historical links to source his barrels for ageing rum.

    The barrels used by Dzama are ex-bourbon and sherry barrels which have been used by the Chivas Brother to mature scotch whisky.  The company also uses ex-Limousin oak barrels for its older expressions.

    The rums in the Dzama line up are all produced on column stills.  There is a lot of talk about “terroir” on their website. Some of it seems a little fanciful.  To be honest the subject of terroir is becoming a bit of a “here we go again” kind of topic to this rum reviewer.

    They state on their website on the subject of Additives – no artificial ingredients at all.  Be very careful with statements such as these.  No artificial additives does not discount natural additives………….

    Dzama produce a number of rums.  I don’t think they are hugely popular outside of Madagascar. They use Agricole style naming conventions on their rums but their rums are molasses based not cane juice.

    I bought this particular bottle online from a retailer in Holland is it was on sale.  I got it for just under £20.  This rum when available in the UK retails at around £30.  Surprisingly it is bottled at a very hefty 52% ABV.  Presentation wise it uses a very similar style of straw covering as used by Cachaca producer Ypioca and similar to what Zacapa used to use.  Its interesting.  The stickers on the bottles look a little antique.  I wouldn’t say the presentation is brilliant but it does stand out.

    On Social Media Dzama are fairly prominent.  They use scantily clad women quite a lot and their advertising certainly grabs your attention. I’ve not seen many reviews of Dzama rums.  To be honest before reading this I could only vaguely remember reading one.  I had a good idea who that might have come from, so I quickly logged onto The Lone Caner. Lance had reviewed an older bottling of Dzama. Lance can usually be relied on to have reviewed the more bizarre rums many reviewers over look.  In fact along with Lance and myself I can’t think of many reviewers that will literally review just about anything that they come across.

    But we do so here goes nothing……

    In the glass Dzama Rhum Vieux Aged 3 Years is a golden brown to straw colour. It doesn’t appear to be coloured it looks quite a natural colour.  On the nose I am immediately left thinking about Madagascar’s most famous export. Noted on numerous bottles of Spiced Rum.  Madagascan vanilla. The nose is sweet with caramel, toffee, brown sugar and wafts of vanilla and just a hint of coconut. It’s very sweet but there is still a fair amount of alcohol on the nose. No surprise at 52% ABV perhaps.

    The nose does however smell a bit too sweet. Almost cloying but the sharp hit of the alcohol fumes mean nosing it as length is a real nose twitching experience.  A drop or two of water do help but its still very heavy on the toffee, caramel and vanilla. There is a little bit of spiciness from the oak barrels but not a great deal. Just a touch of oak.

    Sipped at full ABV the rum is much less sweet and tastes a lot less “confected”. It doesn’t however have a great deal of complexity. Its mostly just fiery young alcohol and the sweetness that goes with that. It doesn’t do a great deal else.Dzama Rhum Vieux Aged 3 years review by the fat rum pirate

    A drop or two of water doesn’t really do a great deal flavourwise.  It’s still pretty one dimensional and just well…young and a touch rough.

    I figure for the £18 I paid I may as well mix it.  A simple rum and cola is better than I had expected. The vanilla and toffee notes return and alongside the ABV its a reasonable drink. Alas though its nothing spectacular and nothing I couldn’t get for a similar price in any supermarket. Woods 100 is about £20 in my local supermarket and its loads better (a re-review is long overdue).

    I wouldn’t be in a hurry to buy this again and it doesn’t make me want to go out and buy a load of Dzama Rhum. Another so-so product which has something slightly suspicious about it in the mix. It did remind me (particularly on the nose) of a few of the artificially enhanced vanilla heavy Spiced Rums.

    Which can never be a good thing. Might be a while before we review another Dzama.

     

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  • XM Royal 10 Years Finest Caribbean Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    XM Royal Rum Caribbean Guyana Demerara ReviewXM are the signature rums for Guyanese master blenders Banks DIH (Demerara Ice House).  Despite hailing from Guyana the rum’s are not Demerara rums.  With only one distillery in Guyana (Demerara Distillers Limited) it is easy to think that Banks DIH obtain their rum’s ready for blending from there.  However, research has found that they no longer obtain any rums from DDL and consequently the rum cannot be classed as Demerara rum.

    This is something which I hadn’t noticed until it was pointed out to me  At no point do they proclaim their rum is Demerara.  However, it is wrongly labelled Demerara on numerous websites.  This as my review will attest is not solely due to geography.

    The presentation of the XM Royal is a little cheap, whilst the rum comes with a sturdy protective cardboard sleeve it is let down by the slightly dated label (particularly the XM Royal 10 on the neck) and the metallic screw cap.  At £30 it is not unreasonable to expect a synthetic or corked enclosure.

     

    I originally bought both this and the 7 Year Old in the belief I was getting a Demerara rum similar to the El Dorado range.  As mentioned earlier the geography suggests this is not the case.  However, the appearance of the rum in the glass does nothing to suggest this isn’t a Demerara rum.  Upon nosing the rum it gives that familiar El Dorado almost flowery burst of rich caramel and dried tropical fruits.

    I have found a lot of satisfaction in rums from the likes of Barbados and St Lucia that are aged between 8 and 12 years and this is no exception.  The appearance of the rum is slightly lighter than the aged El Dorado rum’s I have tried (12 and 15 year old).  The XM Royal does not smell quite as sweet as the 12 year old and is slightly oaky a little like the 15 year old.  I would say that the Banks XM rum’s would definitely be enjoyed by an El Dorado aficionado.  As a lot of the rum’s are slightly different age variations to the El Dorado’s (7 and 10 years for example) they could compliment an El Dorado collection.  I have certainly not tasted anything as close to an El Dorado Demerara as the XM rum’s.  the XM’s are slightly thinner than the El Dorado’s in terms of consistency and the overall smell isn’t quite the same but not far off.

    Anyway, that is quite enough talk of El Dorado rum’s.  We know how good they are but how good is the XM Royal?  Well as with the 7 year old I have found that this bottle has went down very quickly.  At £29.95 it was only slightly more expensive than the 7 year old XM XVO.  It isn’t quite as sweet and has a little more oakiness in the profile.  It leaves quite a dry aftertaste when sipped.

    The rum tastes of caramel and raisins and dried fruits, with a little spice and smokiness on the afterburn.  It is pleasantly smooth and has a lot of complexity which makes it a very rewarding sipping rum. It is a rum for someone with a bit of a sweet tooth (not as much as the VXO though in my opinion).  I really enjoy these XM rum’s and can even forgive the fact it isn’t Demerara and that the packaging isn’t quite as good as it could be.

    As anyone who has read my reviews, I do love a cuba libre.  Call me what you like but I do enjoy a rum which can stand up to a bit of diet cola.  The XM Royal just like the XM VXO is excellent when mixed with a little cola. In this instance, whilst the VXO’s sweetness seems to magnify when mixed the Royal seems to become more oaky with a little bit of smokiness in the profile.

    I doubt anyone who enjoys El Dorado’s offerings would be disappointed with XM’s rum, it does have a lot of similarities.  I’d be interested to try the two brand’s 15 year old’s in a blind tasting session.  That could be very interesting.  The one thing that puzzles me is how they get it like this when it isn’t from Guyana?  You know what I think I might have to ask them!

    4 stars

  • Diplomatico Planas

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Diplomatico Planas Ron Rum Review by the fat rum pirateDiplomatico Planas. This is a white rum from the famous Venezuelan rum brand Diplomatico. Most wll known, without doubt for their Reserva Exclusiva. In a slightly different rum world to the one we know today,seen as one of the world’s best. In some circles, it perhaps still is.

    For many rm enthusiasts though the Diplomatico name is synonymous with “added sugar”. The popularity of the Reserva Exclusiva was due too its smooth and sweet profile. Prior to any reliable testing being carried out, this was thought to be down to some exquisite blending techniques, that others simply could not replicate.

    In todays rums world it is more commonly known that it is due to the 40g/L of added sugar. Please note, at this stage I have never tested the rum myself. My bottle was long gone before I had even thought (or known) about Hydrometer tests.

    So along with Plantation, Diplomatico do get a bit of a bashing from time to time from more serious rum enthusiasts.

    Whilst I am seen as one of the “anti sugar” brigade, I like to try to keep an open mind as well. Though some might suggest I don’t. Many people who critique me on Social Media focus on the Hydrometer Tests, as if they are some kind of witch hunt. They are not. They are there for information. I’d like to think I have always been fair and honest when reviewing rum – additives or not.

    Anyway back to Diplomatico Planas, the rum up for review today. Diplomatico originally had Diplomatico Blanco, in a tall thin orange and see through bottle. You can still find the odd bottle lurking online. It was a filtered rum aged up to 6 years and bottled at 40% ABV.

    In 2017 Diplomatico replaced Blanco with Planas – they also replaced their Reserva with Mantuano, around the same time. Diplomatico Planas comes in a more familiar stubby bottle complete with the picture of Don Juancho, a 19th century traveller and rum lover. The presentation is sleek and modern. The  synthetic cork stopper is a nice touch for a Diplomatico Planas Ron Rum Review by the fat rum piratewhite rum.

    Diplomatico Planas will set you back around £30. One of the most noticeable differences, between Planas and Blanco is the ABV. We are now getting a 47% ABV rum.

    Planas is in with Mantuano and Reserva Exclusiva as part of Diplomatico’s “Tradition Range” on their website.

    Planas is a blend of Pot, Column and Batch Kettle distillates aged up to 6 years. So it does not appear much has changed from the old Blanco, apart from the name, bottle and ABV. Planas refers to the name of the Valley where Diplomatico’s distillery is housed.

    It also should be noted that Diplomatico provide some nutritional information on their website which does identify sugar (grams per 100ml) present in their rums. This is noted as having 0.25 grams per 100ml. It is not noted if this is “added sugar” or not. Either way it works out at less than 5 grams per litre. This is backed up by a Hydrometer test. So if this had additives they are at the low end of the the spectrum.

    Let’s get on with the tasting for this one, as I think I have exhausted all my information!

    In the glass the liquid is pretty much as clear as you can get. There may be a slight yellow tinge to it but not much at all.

    Nosed Diplomatico Planas is quite sweet and vanilla forward. It’s a “classic” style of white rum. Custard and White Chocolate mingle alongside some young sweet alcohol. I like the slightly aggressive boozy nature of this rum. Don’t get me wrong it’s not a huge punchy white rum but it does have enough alcohol on the nose to suggest it will stand up in mixed drinks.

    Which to be fair is how it is likely to be used by most people. As I understand it – it has been given extra ABV as that is what bartenders indicated they wanted from a white rum.

    It’s not a hugely complex nose – the vanilla is complimented nicely by desiccated coconut and some toffee. It’s light and quite inviting.

    Sipped Diplomatico Planas is surprisingly tasty. It has a nice aged note to it – some peppery spice and a bit of chilli. That said the younger rums in the blend make their presence felt as does the ABV. Sweet boozy alcohol mixes alongside the vanilla and coconut.

    Finish wise it isn’t huge but it does leave a decent hit of booze and some nice spicy oak notes. Peppery and slightly heated – notes of red chilli. It’s quite a refreshing rum.Diplomatico Planas Ron Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    Mixed – which is I daresay who this white rum will be used, it works really well. The extra ABV gives a nice kick and the sweeter notes of the rum pair themselves nicely with most mixers. Ginger Beer is perhaps the only mixer, where it can’t quite punch above its weight. A rum and coke with Planas is very pleasant.

    It reminds me of Chairman’s Reserve White Label or Elements Eight Platinum due to the sweeter coconut notes.

    This is a really nice, well balanced white rum. It’s not a high ABV grassy Agricole or a unaged Clairin. It’s not a funky Jamaican Overproof. It’s a lighter “ron” style of white rum with more flavour and balance, than most manage.

    At £30 and with the extra ABV this is certainly a good option if you are seeking a “classic” white rum.