Kill Devil Barbados 9 Year Old Single Cask is my rum today. The Kill Devil brand hails from Hunter Laing, Scotland, which deals mostly with blending and bottling scotch, but their rums also caught the attention of the enthusiasts. They have bottled rums from countries like Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Venezuela and so on, and as I know, with no adulteration so far. I have to say, I do love their branding – Kill Devil – it’s how rum was called a long time ago since the 1600 after the English occupied Barbados and discovered rum, some people say because it was very harsh in taste, other people say because it was associated with the death of the people that were victims of the tropical diseases (they were also drinking rum so ‘kill devil’ took most of the blame). I have to say, it’s a very badass way to call rum.
My Kill Devil Barbados is a Foursquare distillate that has been aged, most likely, both in Barbados and Scotland for 9 years in total. The bottle specifies “Single Cask Rum” with 374 bottles available. Distilled from molasses in 2007 I’ll jump to conclusions and assume this is a blend of pot and column still and that it has been aged in ex-Bourbon casks – if you know otherwise, do message me. Bottled at 46% ABV free of additives.
On the nose it’s clearly Barbadian, but slightly drier than what I know from Foursquare. Very spicy with charred oak, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cloves and a slight saltiness. The signature cherries and dry fruits from FS, lemon zest and orange peel. Smells a bit dusty as well.
On the palate: quite creamy on the entry and then it goes dry and spicy towards the end. The oak comes through a lot followed by the cherries and dry fruits and then spicy oak again. Unsweetened dark chocolate and a bit floral and savory with canned mushrooms in the background. Besides the cinnamon and cloves I get some nutmeg and black pepper. Citrus notes develop more and more mid palate and towards the finish. There is a slight but unmissable smoke, charred wood, on the finish along with the citrus. Very spicy and dry.
Probably one of the driest Foursquares I’ve tried and for “just” 46% ABV has quite the bite, not my favourite but with each sip it’s growing on me. It’s nice to try a different take on a Foursquare juice, and while I do prefer their releases, I am not complaining.
Kill Devil Barbados 9 Year Old Single Cask score:
Flavour/taste: 46/70
Value for money: 11/15
Transparency/purity: 15/15
Overall: 72/100
Cheers!
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