Review: Holmes Cay Belize 2006 16 Year Old vs Tamosi Obano-Oyo Belize 2006 (Cane Spirit Society)

A while ago, the Rum Reverend himself, Roger Barnes, told me he wants to put together a group of people with excellent taste in rum in order to do together what individually would be almost impossible. I know it sounds quite Avenger-y, but his idea was for all of us to pool money together in order to purchase bottles that are usually out of one person’s budget.

That’s how the Cane Spirit Society was born and we managed to have our first tasting on the 10th of April (2024) at Trailer Happiness. We went with comparing two rums from Belize, both from the same year, with the same age, but bottled by two different independent bottlers – Holmes Cay and Tamosi. Both these brands are highly praised by the rum enthusiasts so it wasn’t very easy to choose a favourite – on that note I’m having a closer look at my samples and sharing my results with you here.

Holmes Cay Belize 2006 16 Year Old

Holmes Cay is an independent bottler based in America and it was founded by Eric Kaye and Maura Gedid with the purpose of seeking out exceptional rum that they would release without any adulteration and always at cask strength.

This single cask rum (cask number 151) was sourced from the Travellers Distillery and was fully aged in the tropical climate of Belize.

Holmes Cay Belize 2006 16 Year Old is molasses based, column still distilled and aged for 16 years in an ex-Bourbon barrel. Bottled at 61% ABV without any additives.

On the nose it smells rich and spicy. Dried hibiscus, pomegranate molasses, sour cherry and nutmeg. Red apples, allspice, vanilla and Port wine. It isn’t as intense as the ABV might’ve suggested. Rich plums, dried figs and traces of peat-like smokiness. Dusty old books, stone fruits and red berries.

On the palate the ABV becomes more evident. Sour cherries, red berries, red apples and fresh ginger. Hibiscus, grenadine and blood orange. All about this rum just shouts “red”. Ripe plums, sweet chilli, pink pepper and stone fruits. Some cinnamon, cacao nibs and cloves as well. The finish is long with red fruits and warm spices.

It feels both summery and wintery, with apples and berries complimented by Christmas spices and a lovely, oily mouthfeel. It’s a little less complex than what I was expected, but it’s very enjoyable nonetheless.

Tamosi Obano-Oyo Belize 2006

Tamosi is an independent bottler based in the Netherlands and it was founded by Benjamin Boothe with the purpose of telling stories while enjoying a fantastic glass of rum. Each bottling contains a printed narrative of stories from the original peoples of the Caribbean (the Arawaks, the Caribbean, the Warau, the Akawaios, the Macusi) as well as stories brought back from the African continent.

For this release the back label talks about Obano Oyo Koyaha which is considered by the Arawakas to be Earth Mother Spirit and the front label depicts the Winged Tamarind Monkey which is a visual manifestation of the Earth Spirit. This is also a single cask rum from Travellers Distillery, but it was aged in Belize for 13 years before being moved to Europe for the following 3 years.

Tamosi Obano-Oyo Belize 2006 is molasses based, column still distilled and aged for 16 years in an ex-Bourbon barrel. Bottled at 58.6% ABV without any additives.

On the nose the oak spices are really coming through. Cloves, cinnamon, ginger and shoe polish. Sour cherries, new furniture and burnt matches. It feels more woody and the Holmes Cay. Charred oak, treacle and canned plums. Raisins, ink and marmalade. Toasted biscuits and strawberry jam as well.

On the palate it has a nice, thick mouthfeel. Sour cherries, pomegranate molasses, marmalade and stone fruits. Strawberry jam, cacao nibs and cayenne pepper. It is more spicy and rich than I was expecting. Rich plums, cloves and cinnamon. Blackberries, charred oak and toasted almonds. The finish is long with Port wine and warm spices.

I think this is the complexity and intensity I was missing in the Holmes Cay. The mouthfeel is better, the flavours coating my mouth and the spices imparted by the oak are more prominent. I find it funny given it was the Holmes Cay that was fully tropical aged unlike the Tamosi, but I guess this proves ageing climate is not always everything.

I think it’s pretty obvious, but I do prefer the Tamosi Obano-Oyo Belize 2006 to the Holmes Cay Belize 2006 16 Year Old – they are both fantastic rums, but the Tamosi is definitely one of the best rums I’ve sampled so far this year. The Holmes Cay can be bought for £125 whereas the Tamosi is a little more spicy at £145. They are both worthy to be purchased, but if you can spare a little more money I would definitely recommend the latter.

I wouldn’t be able to review these rums without being part of the Cane Spirit Society, so please make sure to support us and follow our Instagram to see what we are up to.