Bacardí Ocho is one of those rums whiskey drinkers can easily appreciate.
A dark sweetness of butterscotch & toffee on the nose.
Soft & smooth palate replete with heavy fruits & a touch of nuttiness.
Growing woody spiciness from 8 years in oak barrels add some flair to the long finish.
An easy going sipper of a rum found widely in stores around Ireland.
Sláinte
It’s not only whiskey that’s exploring different varieties of barrel ageing – the craft beer world is too!
DOT Brew excel in barrel ageing.
This Red Ale has been aged in used Irish Whiskey barrels that previously held rum.
Pours a lovely dark ruby red with a decent head.
Rich sweet dark caramel nose.
Quite a welcoming heavy molassey palate – very engaging.
All topped off with a winter warming hug of rum.
Nice!
Sláinte
Dark – very dark.
Aromas of coffee, sweet vanilla & molasses.
Almost nitro smoothness on the palate.
For such a high strength ABV offering this is quite a light experience.
Despite it’s full year in bourbon barrels – I didn’t pick up a noticeable bourbon influence. Truth is – I got more of a rum vibe going.
Those heavy – slightly burnt – molasses combined with rich dark brown demerara sweetness were actually more suited to the Narwhal & pirate ship motif displayed on the eye-catching can!
A ‘beast of a beer’ indeed!
Sláinte
After having a run of underrated bargain basement beauties with Lidl’s Liberté Rum & Dunnes’ JG Kinsey Whisky – I suppose a disappointment was inevitable.
Aldi’s Old Hopking White Rum is presented with a rather plain white label that gives little away.
‘Bottled In Germany’ it says. A common practice using ‘Imported Rum’ from undisclosed sources. Where the sugarcane or molasses came from is not stated – nor method of distillation. At this price point – that information is a bonus.
So onto a taster.
Oh dear!
A perfumed floral aroma greeted me.
More reminiscent of my wife’s gin rather than a rum!
This followed through in the palate – which was smooth & mellow – with a mild heat to keep it real – but otherwise no defining character.
Old Hopking is a simple easy sipper – but I wasn’t expecting a rose garden in my rum!
Sláinte
Despite visiting the Sunny South of Ireland – I’ve yet to encounter the sugarcane plantations of Kinsale.
Blacks Brewery & Distillery – based in the town – imported the molasses to make their Golden Irish Rum.
Presented in a distinctively shaped bottle – common across the Blacks Gin & Whiskey spirits range – with an elaborately designed label bearing both the Blacks Crow & a pirate ship – along with other steampunk style contraptions – the suitably golden liquid lured me in.
A heavy funk on the nose – Jamaican style – with a hint of ripe fruitiness on top.
Luscious on the palate – the fruitiness puts in more of an appearance.
A gorgeously growing softly tingling spiciness rounds up this delightful rum – as the gentle funk slowly fades away.
I can see why it achieved Gold at the recent World Rum Awards.
It’s beautifully balanced with a complexity of flavours resulting in a charismatic characterful spirit.
Rum ahoy!
Sláinte
Goslings are a long established name in Rum.
Now part of the Castle Brands portfolio – which in turn is owned by Pernod Ricard.
This Black Seal Bermuda Black Rum is a popular seller from their varied range.
A decent pungently dark molassey treacle on the nose.
Easy delivery on the palate.
Mild mannered with a touch of spice at the end.
No rough edges & perfectly balanced.
A pleasant easy sipping rum that just lacked a little character for me.
Sláinte
Ahoy mateys!
Shiver me timbers & splice the mainsail.
The Jolly Roger is back with this strikingly designed bottle of rum.
I couldn’t resist.
A rich ruby red glow lured me in.
A smoky funk on the nose.
Blended Jamaican Rum from both pot and column stills
Dark sweet caramel – almost treacly liqourice to begin with.
Softly smooth mid palate.
A warming oaky spice on the long finish.
Yo ho ho an’ blow the man down.
A gem of a rum to raise the sails!
Slàinte
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;
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Welcome to the dark side.
Of rum at least.
Dark Rums are characterised by their – well – darker colouring.
This can come about through the use of heavily charred casks & longer maturation times – although as in whiskey, added caramel is not unknown.
Dark rums are also usually stronger flavoured than their lighter colleagues – and it was for this reason I picked up a bottle of Old Hopking in my local Aldi.
‘Imported from Trinidad and Jamaica’ also piqued my interest.
Jamaican rums are generally made from molasses, distilled in pot stills & are considered full bodied with strong flavours. Suits me!
So how was Old Hopking Dark Rum?
The nose certainly offered a lot more than the clearer rums I’ve tried. Soft, funky & sweet with some burning rubber going on.
An easy delivery slowly developed through a burnt caramel sweetness into a touch of warm woodiness & gentle spice.
A long lasting hug of warmth.
I really enjoyed this one.
I think I’ve just been touched by the dark side!
Sláinte
The renewed & growing interest in brown spirits doesn’t just stop at whiskey.
Rum is also showing an increase in appreciation.
The enterprising Íon Distillery near Omagh, County Tyrone, is banking on this appreciation by producing a rum aged in whiskey barrels!
I couldn’t resist trying it out.
A bottle was promptly sourced via the fast & efficient KWM Wine & Spirits online store in Kilkeel.
Íon – meaning pure – combine the history of the past blended with a sense of people & place finished in a modern innovative twist.
Sugar cane molasses from the Caribbean are distilled in a ‘doubler style’ copper pot still, infused with spices, cut with locally sourced water & laid to rest in ex-bourbon barrels.
Ogham style markings – found on ancient stones around Ireland – are used as an attractive motif on the bottle – along with images of the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley’s Castle – who possibly downed a few bottles of contraband rum in her time!
I poured a glass.
The lovely golden hued liquid gave off a gorgeously spicy bouquet of cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg over an underlying gentle toffee sweetness.
Light in body, the soft caramel notes gave way to a growing spiciness & warming heat in a smooth delivery.
The spices left an enjoyably prickly sensation at the end as they slowly faded.
Very entertaining.
More of a winter warmer to me than a summer sizzler.
Being a bit of a purist myself I couldn’t help wondering what the rum would be like without the additional spices which tended to dominate the more subtle flavours within.
However this is in contradiction to the latest trend which shows spiced rum to be the fastest growing category in this segment.
Perhaps Íon are onto a winner here!
Sláinte
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