8 Rums: Uitvlugt, Hampden, Clarendon, Diamond…

With the arrival of spring, rum is always a good choice. Today we have a selection of 8 assorted rums from different names. We focus on two countries: Guyana (Uitvlugt and Diamond) and Jamaica (Hampden, Clarendon, New Yarmouth). Then there’s also an outsider from South Africa.

 

Uitvlugt MPM 30 yo 1992 (50,4%, The Whisky Blues 2022, barrel, 215 btl.)

Nose: plasticine, pine needles, hints of pencil shavings and mild hints of bananas. Crushed olives, whiffs of new plastics and muddy / leafy notes. Then some dusty nuts and old closets. The whole is quite elegant and almost floral at times too.

Mouth: lemon peels, grapefruits, genepy and active wood. Oyster plant, plenty of liquorice. Then it becomes salty and very herbal, leaving quite a firm bitterness behind, as well as a mildly phenolic element. Maybe a hint of tangerine sourness, but it’s mostly the herbs and wood taking the upper hand.

Finish: long, drying, on walnuts, juniper and tangy herbs.

Interesting evolution from ‘refined’ funk to increasing wood. Overall a nice experience, but perhaps a little austere and bitter for my taste.

 

 

Uitvlugt / Port Mourant 24 yo 1997 (53,4%, The Colours of Rum 2022, ex-cognac cask #5, 262 btl.)

Nose: really nice and clearly more expressive than the MPM. Plasticine and linoleum, with funny notes of plywood and freshly opened Ikea packs. It works. Then a little cod liver oil, hints of old apples, new leather satchels and grapefruit peels.

Mouth: totally in line. Sweeter than expected, but also quite vibrant. More youngish wood, grapefruit and lime, leather and olives. Liquorice, gingery notes, lemon peels and mild petroly notes. Salted honey and some tarry notes.

Finish: long, on salty liquorice, wood and truckloads of grapefruit. Maybe even a hint of mango.

I’m not sure I’m getting the cognac, although there’s probably some extra fruitiness? Still available from Master of Malt for instance. Score: 89/100

 

 

Diamond 2010 (58,1%, Berry Bros for Wine4You 2023, barrel #85, 60 btl.)

Nose: slightly neutral, with some pencil shavings up front, followed by salted pineapple, green banana and unripe pear. Then oysters and whiffs of sour herring. Varnish, cardamom, a little leather and a hint of vanilla cream.

Mouth: spicy attack, while at the same time a little thin or alcoholic. White pepper, ginger and all-spice. Then more sweet-and-sour fruitiness of pineapple, hints of sugar cane and cardamom. A little mint.

Finish: medium, with mild gingerbread, lemon and subtle bitterness.

Another Port Mourant perhaps? Not the most complex or characterful rum in this session, but a nice daily sipper. Available from Wine4You. Score: 83/100

 

 

Clarendon Estate 2004 (59,2%, Berry Bros for Wine4You 2023, barrel #23, 60 btl.)

Nose: slightly more esters perhaps, but overall still a lightweight expression, I’d say. There’s white pepper and a nicely tart fruitiness of lemon and green apple, maybe green banana as well. Hints of graphite oil, menthol, petrol and grease. A funny mix of floral women’s powder and varnish too.

Mouth: more fruits now, think lime and unripe mango, but also fresh oak. Menthol and white pepper, as well as aniseed. Slightly pungent, with alcohol and some brine towards the end.

Finish: quite long, but rather drying, losing most of its flavour along the way.

With all the excellent rums of today, this falls short a little. Berry Bros. is a big name in whisky but these two rums are not on the same level in my opinion. Value for money is fine though. Score: 81/100

 

 

Jamaican Rum 10 yo MJH3 (56,5%, Watt Rum for The Nectar 2023, bourbon barrel)

Nose: mild esters. Fermenting bananas with green olives, mixed with caramel woody notes. Hints of warm pineapple and coconut too. Then it shows lime, a subtle vinegary / yoghurty touch, fresh oak shavings and capers. A bit indecisive, hesitating between sweetness, funk and fruits.

Mouth: now more focused. Bright lemons and varnish, with unripe pineapples and plenty of green bananas. A pleasant balance of fruits and funky esters. Hints of tar and liquorice towards the end.

Finish: quite long and narrow, on liquorice and wood, with echoes of bananas.

I wasn’t too sure after nosing, but on the palate it is clearly a tight Hampden. A nice variation on the classic profile. Available from Care for Craft for instanc. Score: 87/100

 

 

HD 10 yo MJH3 (59,9%, The Whisky Blues 2023, bourbon barrel #40, 235 btl.)

Nose: more plankish than the Watt version. A lot of woody notes, rather fresh shavings mixed with hints of glue. Then perhaps a fruity sourness (unripe apricot? green plum?) and a light waxy note. Stems and liquorice as well.

Mouth: intensely salty, peppery with lots of green olives and liquorice. Green bananas after a while, green walnuts, lemon peels and green herbs. Did I mention the colour green? Drying wood and drops of bitter coffee.

Finish: long and rather numbing. Some bitterness, liquorice and spice, leaving little room for other flavours.

Sharp and fierce, a rather demanding rum. It suffers from comparison with the other MJH3 but even then I’d say this is not my favourite marque. Score: 84/100

 

 

New Yarmouth 13 yo 2009 (61,6%, The Whisky Jury 2023, cask #14, 239 btl.)

Nose: very forthcoming, with ester levels approaching Hampden levels. A lot of overripe bananas and pineapples, with nice hints of glue and acetone, gherkins and green olives. A subtle confectionary note in the background. Then lighter hints of lime blossom, mint, tar and newspaper ink. Water highlights the industrial side.

Mouth: quite overwhelming again, this is hot! Sour fruits prevail at first, along with salty liquorice and capers, green tea and olive oil. A burst of banana sweetness and pineapple after a while, along with a chalky dryness. Fermented fruits and a green, grassy note in the end. Takes water well, making it more drinkable without taking away the flavours.

Finish: maybe not as long as expected, but clean and moreish. Liquorice, herbal tea, grassy touches and lingering fruits.

Very good. Coming close to Hampden at times, although this is probably a bit sweeter and fruitier. A bit tough to drink neat, but that is easily solved by adding a few drops of water. Score: 90/100

 

Between the Kruger National Park in northeastern South Africa and some of the oldest mountains in the world, Robert Greaves produces Mhoba Rum. He makes it from the native Nkomazi variety, in a very artisan way, in the agricole style.

 

Mhoba Rum WR10 2019 (63,5%, OB for Kirsch Import 2023, ex-Woodford Reserve cask, 252 btl.)

Nose: pleasant surprise. Nice solventy notes up front, with black olives and diesel oil. A lot of fruits behind this: pineapple, green banana and nice mango. Whiffs of acetone and lime. Almost Jamaican in terms of esters. Then hints of brown sugar in the distance, as well as some fresh leather.

Mouth: pineapple and lime at first, followed by salty notes, light  coconut and some charred woody notes. Raisin / prune and (salted) caramel sweetness underneath, even a hint of buttered corn. Then vegetal notes, ginger and more of these numbing solventy / estery notes. Just a hint of rubber.

Finish: very long, still finding a nice balance of sugary sweetness, funky esters and spice.

I hadn’t heard of Mhoba but it’s definitely an interesting first encounter. Really good, well balanced, good depth and a nice funk. This should be on your radar. Score: 90/100