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Tasting Notes Category: Rum

Shane

MLC/HJF Jamaican Blend 2002/2021 66.3% for Wu DRAM Clan

Nose: oh. Oooooh. Ohohohoh. Yum. The kids rejected the manga I cut for breakfast. Too ripe. I’ll admit a slight fascination with sweet fruits after they cross that point into natural fermentation. I don’t like the squishy mouthfeel (shudder), but the smell and flavor are captivating, and this manga got a second life as a lasse. You are probably thinking that is a weird typo, but nope, I’m not referring to japanese comics, in the Canaries we have both mangos and mangas. Two different species that most of the world just has one name for. I kinda wish we had jasmine flowers on this island. It’s so prevalent in coastal California that the smell viscerally brings me back… well, I guess it’s not home anymore. But it was for over 20 years. We need a word for a place you lived in for a major part of your life that shaped you, but isn’t where you were born or where you consider home today. I had to let go my car-blanket poncho when we moved. I picked that thing up on the border of Mexico when I did my first solo surf trip deep into baja. It had this scratchy goat wool smell that I’ve never quite found in anything else, but is the base-note in this pour. A fucking it, the lets wrap up some notes. A bit of balsa and epoxy. Pencil shavings. Cinnamon and nutmeg. This nose is special. Common palate don’t let me down.

Palate: A big warm fruity hug of deliciousness. It’s potent and the flavors merge so well into the heat. Fabulous for someone who likes it a bit spicy. Like an atomic fireball using the full christmas cupboard. I used to take the long bus ride from San Jose out to the Nicoya peninsula when I lived in Costa Rica. This was pre big highways, when it took 7-12 hours in an old often broke ass bus. Street sellers would lean into the window and you’d fill up with snacks. Pineapple slices and longan were my go to. I miss those tiny pockets of joy. And while it wasn’t on the menu, this also has an asian pear (aka apple pear) vibe. The long finish turns herbal, nearly wintergreen.

Rating: 8 / 10 – I went into this pour in a weird headspace. It’s 12:18am and I’m just wrapping up a long but highly fruitful workday. And I’m HUNGRY for my second dinner. But it’s lentils with red-curry cauliflower. And if I eat that I can’t taste anything else. And I feel like being creative and tasting something new. So hungry…… but dram first. And holy shit this is good. So good I’m suspicious of my review, but then again, those lads at WuDram know what’s up. Time to eat.

Tasting Note

Shane

St Lucia 9 year Cask 26 The Secret Treasures John Dore Still 55%

Nose: Most people treat creme brûlée like they are all equal. Let me assure you there are not. St lucia has delivered a powerfully simple nose, with sweet depth. A luxurious cinnamon creme brûlée, salted dulce de leche, honey glazed peanuts. Touch of cherries.

Palate: Mild and pleasant, but it is missing the evocative character I was looking for. The oak seems to be the main element followed by a general sweetness. On a larger pull, a hint of bitterness, grapefruit peel and dark chocolate. The element of salt coming through at the end, which I quite enjoy.

Rating: 6 / 10 – A perfectly pleasant rum, a 5 at first, but letting it sit really helped surface more depth and I went back for a second pour.

Tasting Note

Shane

Savanna 2021 Unshared 6 year Tropical Aged Ex-Cognac Cask #714 55.9% for LMDW 65th Anniversary

Nose: I often see pineapple in rum tasting notes. They all pale in the intense light of this holy pineapple bomb. And I don’t mean canned pineapple. We used to visit our sisters in Oahu and Maui and we’d go upcountry and pluck them at that point where the sugars are at the verge of natural fermentation. Where sweet and funk come to dance. Layering underneath, bourbon vanilla extract, a dash of cloves, a richness that almost reminds me of when blending egg white foam into drinks, and a dusting of cocoa powder.

Palate: Nose to mouth: 1:1. Flavor-town all aboard!!! Choo Choo. Big fruit on the palate, first stop pineapple city. Sweet, citric, and funky. It’s like someone took a Hampden home to meet the parents and it is on its best behavior. All the fruit, none of the fumes. Powerful oak spices, cinnamon, cardamom, star of anise, cloves. The tannins are well pronounced but not too bitter for me. Frankly, this could be the ultimate crossover for the bourbon folks.

Rating: 8 / 10 – I tried it and immediately bought a bottle. I opened that bottle and it now sits under my desk and I reach for it more than any other open rum. Already scheming for my backup. No idea how long this infatuation lasts but dang this just connects with my palate. Now I need to find out if this is a standout or true to its DNA Savanna. I rarely mention packaging, but for some reason this box and label just connect with me. I can’t even tell you why besides it evokes the land and the labor, of time passing and the way things were. It is both nostalgia and art. I have a soft spot for old black and white photos. And maybe I’m getting older.

Tasting Note

Shane

Privateer Unaged Pot Still Rum 2020 62% for Habitation Velier

Nose: Tastings sometimes happen under the strangest circumstances. I sat down with my sample only to have my wife immediately tell me it is my turn to hang with the kid while he does his daily ablutions. These can take a while. So here I am, sitting cross legged on the floor of the bathroom, laptop perched on one leg, and a copita of newmake rum in my right hand wondering.. does this actually smell earthy or is it just my kid? To make it up to me, Sojourn volunteered to help me with the notes. First note from him… “OUCH. That hurts my nose dad. Way too strong. Oooouuuch ouch ouch. Forget it, I’m out. But you can write cherries in your notes.” Kid has an amazing nose but this defeated him. For me, trying this blind, I would have guessed a poire williams brandy. Quite fruity. Crisp pear, unripe bananas and a bit of salinity. The lightest pastry vibe but hard to appreciate it with the potent alcohol wafting off this. Resting did not help.

Palate: Yup, this is hot. Damascus in summer type of hot. And yet, oddly gentle in flavors once you crawl past it. A savory licorice vibe paired with bosc pears. Hints of pineapple. It’s yum. Then it gets oddly mineral and a touch coppery. That salt from the nose shows up as green olive, more the brine than the flesh. I like all the individual elements, and can see more evolving as it sits, but it is time to take my parents out to a fancy dinner. So peace.

Rating: 4 / 10 – I’d either need more concentrated flavors to stand up to this heat, or dial it back a notch. This has great potential but I would not reach for it regularly. That said, I’m curious to try more Privateer as this has all the elements I like in a complex rum.

Tasting Note

Caroni Edition 5 Deodat “Breeze” Manmohan 66.7% for Velier

Nose: Yup 4 pours in, and I’m rude. You need more pencil lead in this. And while the eau de pineapple is absolutely lovely, it apparently isn’t rotten enough for Ryan. He’s being real picky, and according to him I’m spoiling for a fight. Ryan says this is tame and wonders what to do with the straight jacket… he wanted a CARONI. I find it classy and suggest he trades it for a tux. Oyster mushrooms and fish on the grill. Squeeze of lime or yuzu-soy sauce. Potting soil. grilled peaches, and creme brûlée.

Palate: Banana leaf, tar, and a loooong finish. Pineapple juice on the way to piña colada town. Burnt ends and the touch of salt n funk of grilled oysters. Roasted red bell pepper. Toasted marshmallow. And an oak 2×6. Full modern stud, none of that pennyfeather 2×4 garbage. Sandalwood.

Rating: 8 (Ryan) 9 (Shane) / 10 – Wow, this is so damn good. One of the most elegant Caroni’s I’ve had. A Caroni that took a shower and put on shoes and a tuxedo t-shirt. Maybe even brushed its teeth. Then headed to a family event. And while I usually ignore price when rating, and if possible, Ryan and I happen to google how much our 10CL bottle is worth… daaaang. 360GBP on auction this week. Thank god its so good and I got it back when it retailed. I need to get through samples faster. Bless you Velier Small Great Bottles.

Tasting Note

Shane

Bellevue Guadeloupe 1998 19 Year 55.5% for Rum Artisanal

Nose: The first crack of the bottle is so enticing. Good & Plenty’s movie theater box of candy will always have a special place in my heart. The crunch following an explosion of black licorice. For whatever reason, anise is a European palate in the same way rootbeer is an American one. And don’t cross the streams. This was supposed to be a quick nip and to bed, but this needed to sit and 15 minutes later, I’m still enjoying the smell. It is not complicated, but just hits the right warmth, nutmeg and a lick of cloves and oak. A hint of the herbal, but it’s hidden under the warmth. Fingers crossed it isn’t all consuming.

Palate: Strongly herbal. Curses. Not my week on that front. Not the spirits fault, just the wrong drinker. But not the typical mint or eucalyptus vibe, a bit more nuanced, leaning towards sage and marjoram. Even going lightly vegetal, cucumber and green bell pepper. I would totally pair this with a very mild lemon sorbet. Although that basically leaves me with a throat lozenge. A touch more fruit or oak influence would be nice for the palate.

Rating: 5 / 10 – Premature excitement. Happens to the best of us. It’s a fine pour just not for me.

Tasting Note

Shane

Demerara Solera N014 (Guayana) 40% for Rum Nation

Nose: Sniff. Nadah. So I waited. And finally recruited my daughter. Serenity smells hints of anise, apricot and honey. I kinda see the apricot. I smell an indiscriminate sweet warmth, like when the pacific company cookie factory would make snickerdoodles during a strong wind, and you could smell something baking from across town.

Palate: A slightly funky pecan snicker doodle indeed. The palate is far more robust than I expected for the ABV. Not complex, but rich and a touch too sweet for me. Caramelized bananas and vanilla extract.

Rating: 4 / 10 – Seems like a great intro pour to real rum for someone who has only ever had Captain Morgan’s. Although for me, with the overwhelming sweetness, it’s right between a 4 and a 5. Was a hard call.

Tasting Note

Shane

Hampden 2011 LFCH 60.5% for Habitation Velier

Nose: I love splitting pineapples with my wife. She takes the juicy exterior part. And the core is all mine. It’s nature’s chewing gum, and I can just masticate to my heart’s content; far less bright and far more basey than what people think of when they eat pinneapple. I sometimes miss grilling on charcoal, not often mind you as it’s a pain in my ass, but there is something kinda magical to the smell of the first briquette catching and the lighter fluid flares. There is a new plastic rubber smell, not full on like some of the high ester siblings, closer to the new set of swim fins my son brought home last night. A very pleasant but just slightly restrained vibe.

Palate: oh… that is excellent, more on the industrial and saline than fruit side of the spectrum. And yet still pleasantly sweet. My orthodontist used bubblegum flavored molds when making my retainers. I kinda of loved the taste… but it was also brutally shoved into my mouth and I was told not to move as I gagged. Reminiscent of the Hampden experience in general. =p That strange bubblegum wax vibe merges well into spices, cinnamon and cloves. A post surf session salinity. Just the thirst and mouth pucker of having been in the ocean. The warmth of mountain pastries with a touch of molasses soaked sugar and raisins. And the finish fades into honey cough drops.

Rating: 7 / 10 – a surprisingly refined Hampden. I come for the fruit funk more often than not, but am pleased to see how well this spirit does even without getting smacked with a pineapple. Low ester for the win.