Compagnie Des Indes, a brand you’ve most likely seen if you’re in any of the rum forums online. Independent bottler located in the city of Beune, France, focuses on the “terroir” diversity of the different rum producing countries. With the exception of some blends, they mainly bottle single casks that are free of additives and “representative of their origins”. I’ve heard mostly good things about their releases.
My bottle comes from Trinidad and it’s distilled at the (‘sigh’) only working distillery on the island – T.D.L – Trinidad Distillers Limited. If you haven’t heard about T.D.L you definitely know Angostura. Yep, that’s where those bottles of bitters rocking oversized labels come from.They also have their own range of rums, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.
The distillery was established in 1949 when their “state of the art multi-column commercial distillery” was build, although their bitters were perfected in 1824 by a German doctor, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, (Surgeon General in Simon Bolivar’s army in Venezuela), and the company itself was formed in 1921 by his sons. There’s your mini-history lesson for the day, you can find more on their website.
I’m actually excited to try this, giving that the Angostura range is known for being dosed and quite… not exciting, this is my chance to see what’s underneath. The label gives me pretty much all the information I need: distilled (in multi-column stills) at T.D.L in February 2005 and bottled in July 2018, it’s aged for 13 years. It doesn’t specify the barrel type so I’ll assume it’s ex-Bourbon since that’s usually the default. My bottle is from a limited run, being the number 293 out of 385. Bottled at 45% ABV with no additives or “cold filtration” as the website states. Shall we?
On the nose it’s quite sweet, deserty. Caramel, toffee and vanilla jump out of the glass. If I go deeper I can find sweet, fruity estery notes like candied banana and raspberry chewy candy with a hint of menthol. Charred wood along with some earthy peppery spices and cardboard notes save the whole experience from being boring.
On the palate the caramel and vanilla reappear. It’s drier than the smell suggested though. The creamy oak and butterscotch are followed by lemon zest which gives it an edge. Earthy floral and Earl Grey tea notes shine after the sweet notes upfront fade out. The finish is dry and peppery and it’s probably my favourite bit.
The vanilla and caramel are a bit too much, even undosed. It’s not a bad rum but not particulary exciting either. Am I okay with my purchase? Yes. Would I buy it again? No. Now I will have to get some other Compagnie Des Indes bottle to impress me, because I know they are good. If you have any recommendation feel free to comment or message me.
Compagnie Des Indes Trinidad 13 Ans score:
Flavour/taste: 45/70
Value for money: 10/15
Transparency/purity: 15/15
Overall: 70/100
Cheers!