Summer is here (at last) and we think rum withstands high temperatures better than whisky. If it’s 30°C and up a rum can still be tasty, in my opinion, as long as they’re not 60% ABV or more. In fact, I’m often wondering why you would ever go beyond 60% and insist on cask strength bottling anyway, but let’s not take up that discussion today.
We’re having six rums, most of which arrived in the past few weeks. We start this session with two slightly older rums though, both bottled for TastToe, one of the leading spirits shops here in Belgium.
HD & LP 38 yo 1983 (53,6%, TastToe 2022, 220 btl.)
Nose: Hampden comes out first. Lots of fermented banana and pineapple, black olive tapenade, antiseptics and seawater. Some tarry notes. Then aniseed and parsley. Maybe a hint of papaya. I’m getting clear hints of an old Palo Cortado cask too (the extreme ones like La Bota 47), with a little tobacco in the background, as well as light tea leaves. A vague buttery hint as well, after a while. Top class.
Mouth: exotic fruits again (pineapple, banana, star fruit) with plenty of esters. Then mashed banana, charred notes, hints of pickled vegetables and more of this tapenade. Really briney after a while. Then lots of charred notes and burnt sugar, mixed with anchovies, miso broth, black pepper and dark treacle. Suddenly coffee and dark chocolate appear. More Long Pond now? In any case, very complex!
Finish: long, on warming spice, light smoke, green peppercorns and some hints of bitter oranges.
This blend has a bit of everything. Funky fruits, old wood influence, olives, brine, char… you name it. The nose is near-perfect and the palate excels in complexity. We can only assume both components were excellent on their own, and bringing them together was a great idea. Still available at TastToe.
Guyana / Diamond / Versailles REV 16 yo 2006 (57,4%, Nobilis Rum for TastToe 2023, 228 btl.)
Nose: prunes and raisins, with chocolate notes, liquorice and sweetmint. Hints of leather and caramelized peanuts. Coca-Cola with whiffs of herbal syrup and camphor. Then dark berries and hints of tobacco appear.
Mouth: quite some dried fruits again, like prunes and blackberry syrup. More tobacco, followed by blood orange. Then black tea appears, with a firm woody side and some burnt sugar. Salty notes come forward, along with leather and a hint of bitter clove oil and oak tannin.
Finish: not as long as expected. Mostly charred oak, burnt sugar and liquorice.
A tad pressure-cooked perhaps, with a marked bitterness. A rum for vermouth lovers, so to speak. Certainly impressive for a middle-aged rum. Still available from Broekmans and probably TastToe as well. Score: 87/100
Next is a Nicaraguan rum which aged for 16 years in the tropics. Then it moved to France, where Famille Cabanne put it into ex-cognac casks.
Nicaraguan Rum 19 yo (61%, The Purist 2024, ex-cognac cask)
Mouth: quite round but with enough punch – wood spice. Sweet caramelized notes. Then some coconut shavings, pepper, clove and a very light hint of spirity glue. Getting a tad woody after a while, with some charred notes, hints of pencil shavings and a bittersweet edge.
Finish: medium length and wood-driven. Caramel sweetness, oak char and a hint of molasses sweetnss.
Most rum aficionados don’t seem to have a high opinion of Nicaragua. This one is a nice surprise though, especially with the added complexity of the cognac influence. Only available from Wine4You. Score: 88/100
Long Pond 40 yo 1983 ‘Avarice’ (51,6%, Distilia ‘The Sins’ 2024, cask #1134, 203 btl.)
Mouth: quite explosive again. More fruits at its core (lime, tart berries, pineapples) with some browned butter. Then mild herbs and mild esters (rather more grassy than tarry), including a drying (tannic) note and some Seville orange. Light pastry sweetness and subtle caramel in the end, although the tangy notes tend to have the upper hand.
Finish: quite long, still plenty of tart fruits, with some oaky notes, esters and some tannins.
A true Jamaica character but also very balanced. Gorgeous nose! Distilia already had a wonderful Long Pond 1983 in their ‘Golden Age of Piracy‘ series. Perhaps I liked that one just a bit more (especially on the palate), but this is also quite outstanding. Score: 91/100
The next bottling was done to celebrate the first year of opening of Clos des Spiritueux, a spirits shop in Bordeaux.
Long Pond 17 yo 2006 (60,1%, Zero Nine Spirits ‘Geisha’ for Clos des Spiritueux 2023, 50 cl, 288 btl.)
Mouth: really intense again, with lots of salty notes, sour berries and wet soil. Then some acetone and petrol, peppermint and lemon juice. A bit too strong neat – water helps but also brings out a sour woody side. Liquorice, aniseed and heavy tea with lots of acidic fruits.
Finish: long, on very sour fruits, woody notes and a teaspoon of brine in your glass.
Long Pond often comes at extreme strengths and here as well, you need good teeth to cut through, if you know what I mean. Slightly masochistic, with a surprising acidity throughout – adding water is a must to unravel this one. Still available from Clos des Spiritueux. Score: 89/100
T.D.L. 14 yo 2009 (63%, The Roots for Dram4ALS 2024, bourbon cask #4, 201 btl.)
Mouth: mango and tangerine comes out, although they fail to express themselves entirely due to the high ABV and the firm woody notes. More Vicks, peppermint and camphor. With water it becomes fruitier, adding star anise and fruit tea. It never loses the herbal bitter astringency and the hint of charred oak.
Finish: long and intense, on orange peels, some salty liquorice and olives.
Nice tropical fruits but we’ve had TDL 2009 before that was even more fruity. In this case the herbal side is quite strong, landing in between the Colours of Rum release and the TWJ bottling. By the way, this is a charity bottling to support an ALS foundation. High quality and a good cause, what’s not to like? Score: 90/100