Review: Chairman’s Original

If you follow their social media, you’d know that recently Chairman’s have upgraded their packaging and that they also launched a new Chairman’s Mai Tai RTD with Harvey Nichols on the market. Well, imagine my surprise when I received a package from them containing a bottle of the revamped Chairman’s Original and one of their canned Mai Tais – thank you Dave and Ashera! This made me realise I have never actually reviewed the Chairman’s Original, so here we are. I’ll also share my thoughts on their Mai Tai RDT – I am a bartender after all.

Chairman’s Original is crafted in Saint Lucia at St. Lucia Distillers which is the last remaining distillery on the island and was the result of a merger between the two then remaining distilleries in 1972, following the collapse of the sugar industry. One of these distilleries, the Dennery Distillery, was founded by Denis Barnard and he remained in charge of it. His son, the late Laurie Barnard, launched the Chairman’s Reserve brand in 1999 and nowadays he is still considered the “Chairman” of St. Lucia Distillers due to his innovative thinking in rum crafting.

Chairman’s Original is the flagship of their range and it’s easily one of my favourite rums – I actually featured it in My Top 10 Value For Money Rums article back in 2020. It’s worth noting that Chairman’s use their own proprietary yeast that was cultured from the sugar cane plantations from around the distillery – the cane was planted by Laurie Barnard himself.

The new label on the bottle offers us some useful information about the production, but even more can be found on their website. The Original is a blend of 3 different distillates, one distilled in the John Dore 2 pot still and the other 2 being distilled on their column still, being drawn from a medium plate and, respectively, a lower plate. The said distillates were aged separately before marrying and left to rest further in casks. The result is a rum that has been matured between 4 and 5 years.

Molasses based, pot and column distilled and aged between 4 and 5 years in ex-Bourbon barrels. Bottled at 40% ABV without any sweeteners.

On the nose it feels quite dark for its young age. Dry tobacco, black tea, menthol, pencil shavings and sandalwood. Raisins, nutmeg, stone fruits and cloves. It has plenty going on, just not in an intense way. Some bananas and almonds as well.

On the palate it’s a bit thinner than the nose led on. Pencil shavings, black tea, walnuts and almonds. Unripe stone fruits, cacao nibs and oak spices. Quite layered and balanced. Menthol, nutmeg and somehow of a grainy note. The finish is short to medium with oak spices and nutty flavours.

This is simply one of those quintessential rums that any rum drinker should have in their collection – for drinks, shots or even sipping. It’s one of the most complex entry level rums out there! And the new packaging is pretty elegant and modern as well, I like it. It can be priced anywhere between £24 and £30 and I still think it’s fantastic value for money.

Now for the Chairman’s Mai Tai RTD – it’s actually good! It’s better than Mai Tais you’ll find at most cocktail places. Most of the RTDs out there are pretty sugary and basic without any really balance or complexity behind them, but the Chairman’s Mai Tai delivers – just make sure to have it over ice for the best experience. You can get one for £5 from Harvey Nichols and it’s great if you want to bring some tropical vibes to your Christmas parties.