7 rums: Savanna, TDL, Hampden, Fiji, New Yarmouth…

It’s been two months since we’ve had our last rum session – weird. Time to make things right. Here’s a recent load of bottlings, mainly from Kirsch Import and friends, as well as from The Whisky Jury. I promise we’ll do a session with other bottlers soon, as there’s a lot more to write about.

 

Savanna 10 yo 2013 ‘Unshared cask’ (49,8%, OB for Germany 2024, cognac cask #778, 640 btl.)

Nose: polished wood up front, with a big fruity core. Dried apricots, oranges and even hints of strawberry candy, as well as golden raisins. The link with cognac is certainly noticeable. Then light vanilla. Oaky aromas too, in a floral and slightly volatile way, not uncommon for French oak.

Mouth: more rummy notes now, with sweet bananas, more acidic lemons, oranges and a faint coppery note. Then oak spice appears, like ginger and pepper, along with a grassy side. Mid-palate the apricots come out again, with candy sweetness and more green bananas and mildly drying oak. Salted almonds in the end.

Finish: quite long, still fruity with a big cognac feel to it.

While the nose often bent over towards cognac, on the palate it is clearly rum again. If you like rum and cognac, here’s a chance to have them at the same time. The previous (younger) release was fine, but this is raising the bar. Still available in German stores.

 

The next one is a secret rum. Just like in whisky, nowadays distilleries don’t want their name on independent bottlings any more. In this case it says Distilled in Lluidas Vale on the label, which is simply the local name for Worthy Park. I’m still not getting why they insist on obfuscating it when they use a very, very obvious synonym.

 

Secret Jamaica 9 yo ‘Lluidas Vale’ (50%, Rest & Be Thankful for Wu Dram Clan & Kirsch 2024, 2 barrels)

Nose: pencil shavings, lemons, green apples and unripe pineapples, as well as a dash of fresh gasoline. Then green olives, green spice and a hint of vanilla. Plenty of bananas too, of course, providing a nice counterweight for the esters.

Mouth: the onset is much milder than expected. Sweet and ripe fruits, with fresh and baked bananas are taking the lead, alongside pineapple sweets and vanilla. Hints of pepper and fresh oak shavings. Mid-palate some funky esters appear, but it’s certainly not the most challenging Moneymusk (?) ever.

Finish: medium long, but no new elements. Mild esters, bananas, lime and vanilla.

A pretty good and pretty mild release, one that offers enough depth but remains highly drinkable at all times. Check Kirsch Import for retailers. Score: 87/100

 

 

HD 2016 ‘Multi-mark blended at birth’ (59,2%, The Whisky Jury 2024, refill barrel #101301)

Nose: a lot of varnish and soft glue here, even a hint of vinegar, with very ripe and sweet mango and banana in the background. A bit of soursop and pastry notes. Then pickle brine and clam juice. A slight alcohol spike as well. Not entirely what we expected so far.

Mouth: much sweeter than the typical Hampden. Lots of pineapple sweets, Wiliams pears and mashed bananas, along with generous varnished notes. Marzipan. Then some salted liquorice and a mix of lemon and light petrol. Still a tad spirity and a woody hint comes out towards the finish.

Finish: quite long, peppery and sweet, with some salmiak and olive brine.

The added roundness and sweet fruitiness of this bottling seems to take away some complexity. There’s also a spirity edge which maked this one of the lesser releases in this series so far. Pretty nice on its own, but it doesn’t seem to meet HD expectations. Score: 87/100

 

 

TDL 14 yo 2009 (62,9%, The Whisky Jury for Harmony & Gene’s Dram 2024, refill barrel #20, 256 btl.)

Nose: also quite fruity, this time more on peach, tangerine candy and big hints of mango. The solventy notes are present but more subdued. Some liquorice and aniseed.

Mouth: ah, almost the tropical fruits that we find in old cognac. Think pink grapefruits, mango, passion fruits and pineapple cubes. Later it becomes a little more oaky than how we remember cask #3, with herbal tea, peppermint. A faint hint of salt towards the end.

Finish: long, now more towards peach and citrus. A bit of oak spice as well.

The tropical fruit explosion that these TDLs can offer is quite marvellous. I would still pick cask #3 as my favourite, but this is more or less on the same level. Check TWJ for retailers. Score: 91/100

 

 

Hampden 8 yo 2016 LROK (65%, Rest & Be Thankful for Wu Dram Clan & Kirsch 2024, bourbon barrel #4, 227 btl.)

Nose: funk. Overripe bananas, pineapples and lime acidity, but also green olives in brine, glue and solvents. Then some brake dust and bicycle shops. Saltiness and minty herbs grow strong over time, as well as some fresh oak.

Mouth: quite explosive, with plenty of esters. There’s more glue, hints of petrol and lots of briny notes. Banana pudding, a bit of brown sugar, some mango and salted lemons. A lightly caramelized note comes out in the end, along with drier hints of green olives and rubber. Even a camphory edge.

Finish: long and estery, plus some liquorice, olives and oak spice like cinnamon and clove.

Pure Hampden, perhaps not yet at the optimal age for complexity but already offering a lot of pleasure. More to my liking than the gentler multi-mark. A nice powerhouse which you can find on German shelves. Score: 89/100

 

 

New Yarmouth 30 yo 1994 (67,6%, Flensburg Rum Company 2024, 199 btl.)

Nose: very rich exotic woods – polished of course. Fantastic humidor aromas, with demerara sugar and cigar leaves underneath. Then it moves towards maple syrup, vanilla pods and coconut, coming close to an American bourbon at times. Glazed chestnuts, toasted walnuts and plenty of minty notes as well.

Mouth: very strong – George T. Stagg anyone? Warming oak with some obvious tannins but also plenty of leathery notes, molasses and caramel. Cocoa and cinnamon liqueur. Then a little nail polish remover, caramelized nuts and vanilla. Lovely, but quite alcoholic. With water nice oranges come out, with a few drops of vermouth.

Finish: long, still citrusy, with rich caramelized notes, orange cordial and leather. A light tarry edge too.

A very bourbonny and woody Jamaican, this New Yarmouth. Hardly funky, but instead a very polished, rich profile for bourbon lovers. Water is required. Overall one of the best 1994s I’ve had though. Check Oldman Spirits. Score: 90/100

 

Up next: Fiji rum from Dos Delincuentes. If that name doesn’t ring a bell: it’s a collab between FRC and Wu Dram Clan. It comes at a crazy strength of 72.5% ABV.

 

Fiji 17 yo 2006 (72,5%, Dos Delincuentes 2024, bourbon barrels, 256 btl.)

Nose: a bit raw, with a fierce attack, some paint thinner and rubbery notes that are quite common at this strength. Pear sweetness underneath. Also salty liquorice, anchovies and brine. Bitter almond too. Very compact.

Mouth: rather criminal strength. Nice banana sweetness with pineapple though, I admit. Then tarry hints and green olives in brine as well. Water brings out tart kiwi with vanilla pastry and creamy caramel ice cream, along with peppery notes and some woody notes.

Finish: long and hot. Salted caramel, with a little rubber, liquorice and hints of grapefruit.

I’m not the biggest fan of these Fiji rums, and the ferocious ABV is not helping either. I don’t mind extreme flavours but this is just raw, with limited complexity and pleasure in my book, even after playing around with water. Score: 86/100