An attractive barrel shaped presentation caught my eye.
Premium Panama Rum – Cask Aged.
What’s not to like?
Pours a rich deep brown.
Viscous legs coat the glass.
Sweet golden caramels with a hint of oaky tannins on the aroma.
An easy going demerara style palate greets me with a lovely flourish of lip smacking spice on the finish.
Yo ho ho and a barrel of rum!
Sláinte
Emanates from Old St Andrews Fine Spirits – creators of the Golf Ball Whisky reviewed earlier.
It’s that time of year when a certain reflection is done of the previous 12 months – and anticipation of those to follow.
My reflection in this instance came about via the stats figures within the WordPress computing machines.
A somewhat random & unexpected Top 10 list of blogs pops up based on views. Not all were written in 2020, some don’t feature Irish Whiskey & others aren’t whiskey related at all!
It’s a fair representation however of my journey through the world of spirits.
What I’d consider my best pieces – spending hours researching, constantly rewriting & fretting over – don’t particularly appear highly. Others randomly do – while a few are not entirely unexpected.
I raise a glass to each & every reader who visited my site – hopefully you’ll keep returning.
Many thanks.
Sitting in front of the computer can be a lonely place & without the feedback & growing readership – would feel even lonelier.
Without further ado – here’s the list – with links to the original blogs.
What was your favourite?
Proper Twelve v Jameson, Irish Whiskey Blends, 40%. Dec ’18.
Black & Blue Premium Whisky, 43%, India via Nigeria. Jan ’19.
Discovery, Highland Single Malt, 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky, 40%. Sept ’19.
The Busker Irish Whiskey, Royal Oak Distillery. May ’20.
Ben Bracken Islay Single Malt, 40%. Dec ’18.
Best Classic Whisky, Blend, 43%, Nigeria. March ’18.
Ron Rumbero, 4 x 40ml miniature pack, 15% to 38%. Dec ’19.
Rampur Select, Single Malt, 43%. Apr ’20.
The World Of Rums, 4 x 40ml Miniature Pack. Nov ’19.
Wall Street, Blended Spirit, 39%, Vietnam. Dec ’17.
Sláinte
All photos authors own.
Well travel may be curtailed with COVID – but that doesn’t stop me from sampling the delights of Colombia, Guyana & Panama with these 3 rum miniatures!
Dictador XO Insolent, 40%, Colombia
The bottle is certainly attractive!
Very sweet fruit cake on the nose. Bit empty on the palate. Sweet but ultimately bland on the finish.
The nose promised much more – but sadly didn’t deliver for me.
El Dorado 12 Year Old, 40%, Guyana
What a contrast – nuttiness on the nose!
A gentle sweet & smooth palate that came to life on the finish. More of that nuttiness, touch of spicy tannic oak, good depth & flavour with a nice tingling dryness too.
Much more my style!
Ron Abuelo 12 Year Old, 40%, Panama
Sweet dark fruits on the nose.
Again – this rum came alive on the finish. A bit more bite from this one, the nuttiness more subdued, more whiskey like in the drinking experience.
A lovely sipper!
Thoughts
Sad to say Dictador fell flat for me – more style over substance with the fancy bottle.
Both El Dorado & Abuelo impressed.
El Dorado won out by displaying more rum like characteristics.
A very enjoyable miniature tasting!
Sláinte
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.
Warning: content might leak!
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Your dedicated source of all things rum. Reviews, ramblings and obscure folkflore guranteed.
Another UK rum blog
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tokyo bar & cocktail guide
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WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 