The World Of Rums, 4 x 40ml Miniature Pack

Miniatures.

Love ’em.

The opportunity to taste and sample a variety of styles & flavours before committing to a large bottle.

Lidl are currently showcasing The World Of Rums – including offerings from;

4 Rums, 4 styles, 4 flavours c/othewhiskeynut

Panama – La Réunion – Cuba and Jamaica.

Rums are often categorised into styles based on their former colonial occupiers. It’s not particularly scientific or pretty – but neither is the use of Scottish Regions to define the flavour of whisky.

Which one suits your palate? c/othewhiskeynut

Being Lidl –  it’s likely to be sourced private label brands too. As confirmed by ‘Imported & bottled by: ‘Pabst & Richarz Vertiebs GmbH‘ on the outer packaging.

But what interested me were the differences of flavours showcased by the individual rums themselves.

Sir Francis Drake 6yo c/othewhiskeynut

Panama. Sir Francis Drake. 6 Years Old. 40%

Spanish style. Light, buttery & sweet.

Pale straw. Vanilla sweetness followed by darker molasses & treacle notes. Soft & sweet palate – a bit too sweet for my liking – but develops a pleasant oaky spice from the cask ageing.

Easy & enjoyable.

Coeur Du Soleil c/othewhiskeynut

La Réunion. Coeur Du Soleil. White Rum. 37.5%

French style. Rich , fruity & complex.

Clear spirit. Pungent vegetal nose – reminds me of Mezcal. Palate was smooth & characterful. The earthy herbaceous notes give a slightly savoury yet sweet appeal that slowly fades.

Very alluring.

Ron Santero 3yo c/othewhiskeynut

Cuba. Ron Santero. 3 Year Old. 38%

Spanish style. Lean & clean.

Clear spirit. Soft subtle & sweet. After the other 2 rums, Santero’s delicateness just merged into a bland neutrality for me. Cries out for mixing.

Characterless.

Caribica c/othewhiskeynut

Jamaica. Caribica. Brown Rum. 40%

British style. Funky, heavy & bold.

Light brown. Noticeable funkiness on the nose – reminds me of burnt rubber. Syrupy palate. The funk is lost a little to a treacly dark sweetness, but re-emerges on the finish.

Is Jamaican funk the Islay peat of the rum world?  Finding it challenging.

Thoughts

An interesting & entertaining taste experience.

I’d have thought there’d be a rum here to please every palate.

La Réunion’s Coeur Du Soleil was the one for me. The powerful mix of sweet, sour & savoury notes demonstrated the full bodied style of ‘Rhum Agricole’ using freshly pressed sugarcane juice bottled straight off the stills.

C’est très bonne.

What is your style?

Santé

A brief guide to styles of rum can be found at the handy Tenzing blog here.

Laughfrog Highland Single Malt, 40%

I couldn’t resist the humour of this Laughfrog Highland Malt Scotch.

The mispronunciations of Laphroaig are legendary – why not turn it into a marketing opportunity?

Pity Select Drams bottled it with Highland Malt – perhaps too close to the bone for Islay?

Don’t croak it! c/othewhiskeynut

Anyway – it made my glass.

The first thing I noticed – or rather didn’t – was a rich phenolic peat smoke. A more muted sweet biscuity malt greeted me instead.

This followed into the palate which developed a full bodied mouthfeel.

A lovely drying gentle spiciness brought up the tail end.

An entertaining easy going malt with a touch of character & perhaps a dash of peat in the background.

Certainly wouldn’t make you croak!

Sláinte

Irish American Whiskey Trio Taste-Off

I couldn’t say goodbye to my latest selection of Irish Whiskey brands only available in America without a taste challenge.

Emptying what was left of the miniatures – and a pour from the 750 ml US size bottle – the first thing I noticed was the almost identical golden colour from all 3 whiskeys.

All 3 are NAS – non age statement – offerings at 40% ABV.

All 3 are sourced brands from unspecified Irish Distilleries and

All 3 taste remarkably different from each other.

I’ll kick off with Kilbrin.

The attractive front of Kilbrin c/othewhiskeynut

This one immediately appealed to my palate. Fresh, lively & inviting. A gorgeous spicy kick towards the end endeared this blend to me.

Kavanagh was up next.

Kavanagh Single Malt c/othewhiskeynut

More malty – biscuity even. Hardly surprising as it’s a single malt. A smoother delivery – cultured perhaps – with a gentler spiciness adding some character.

Wolfhound rounded up the trio.

The Gentle Giant c/othewhiskeynut

Compared to the others, I found the ‘roar’ of the hound a rather dull & muted affair. The honeyed sweetness just didn’t set my palate alight.

Without a doubt my clear winner – and rather surprisingly so – was Kilbrin Irish Whiskey.

It has character & attitude in abundance.

For me it captures the beauty of a good blend.

The balance of both malt & grain whiskeys compliment each other giving complexity to the palate.

Kudos to Kilbrin!

Sláinte