Langs Rum is a brand that has been “revived” by Ian Macleod Distillers’ last year. According to them, the original Langs Banana Rum was being made in the 1860s with rum imported from the Caribbean in Glasgow. The Lang Brothers brand joined Ian Macleod Distillers’ portfolio in 2003 as part of the firm’s acquisition of the Highland whisky distillery Glengoyne from Macallan owner Edrington and last year in September they launched their Langs Banana Rum, which apparently, stays true to the original recipe.
Later in December they added Langs Mango & Ginger and Langs Pineapple to the range. I saw Langs Pineapple on offer on Amazon so I decided to grab a bottle, especially as my housemates have been demanding Pina Coladas from me lately.
It seems that Ian Macleod have jumped in the flavoured/spiced rum wagon, Langs being the first flavoured rum in their portofolio – they also have the Watson’s Demerara Rum which I have reviewed here.
Langs Pineapple Rum is molasses based, a blend of pot and column still distillates from Jamaica. The base rum contains components that are both unaged and aged in ex-Bourbon casks, infused with natural flavous in Glasgow and bottled at 37.5% ABV.
On the nose there is… pineapple. Ripe, canned pineapple, coconut water, lime zest, candied strawberries and a slight mineral note. It’s pretty straight forward pineapple, hard to nose anything else. Some caramel and passion fruit as well.
On the palate it’s pretty much the same as the nose. Sweet pineapple juice, lemon zest, strawberry and passion fruit. It’s definitely sweetened, but not as badly as I was expecting, you can actually feel some Jamaican rum flavour in there. Vanilla, toffee and a sprinkle of ground coffee. The finish is medium to short with canned pineapple, sea salt and caster sugar.
If it’s pineapple you are looking for, it’s pineapple you are getting with this. Not as subtle as Plantation Stiggin’s Fancy, but I think the sweetness is comparable and it’s more accessible at £22 on Master Of Malt or Amazon. All in all not a bad flavoured rum, but there are a couple of complaints like I wish it was at least 40% ABV and a little less sweet.
…but here’s my biggest complaint, notice which words are the largest on the label:
- Langs – the brand, makes sense;
- Pineapple – the flavour, again, all the sense;
- Jamaican Rum – but it was flavoured and bottled in Glasgow… oh, it says in very small letters above it “Crafted with the finest”, I guess that makes it ok?
…it doesn’t! I don’t mind it as a back label information, on the contrary, but don’t make it look like you’re calling it “Jamaican Rum”, that’s just confusing and deceiving marketing. It’s neither Jamaican, and if we were to be specific, nor rum.
At least they specify, again in small letters, “Spirit drink”, I’ll give them that.
Langs Pineapple Rum score:
Flavour/taste: 40/70
Value for money: 14/15
Transparency/purity: 9/15
Overall: 63/100
Cheers!