Now here’s a rum I wasn’t really aware of until I attended the Paris Rhum Fest 2024. This is a brand hailing from Disaronno which might already raise some eyebrows, but you shouldn’t dismiss it until you try it.
Rump@ablic was launched in 2022 in both Italy and France and it will make its debut to the UK in July – I heard the launch party is at Trailer Happiness, just saying.
They are acting as an independent bottler, sourcing rums from various producers for their Origin, Mixology and Sicilian Legacy ranges. The Sicilian Legacy Line, which is the equivalent of their premium range, is a collection of rums that have been taken to their historic Florio Cellars in Marsala in order to finish their ageing in – drum rolls – former Marsala wine casks for around 6 months. The aforementioned Florio Cellars have been making Marsala wines since 1833 so it sounds like they might know a thing or two about it.
The Sicilian Legacy Line is comprised of a Barbados rum, a Jamaican rum and a blend of Jamaican and Venezuelan rums.
Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Line Barbados
This is the first release of the range with the rums being sourced from Foursquare Distillery and, according to them, this is a pot still only that has been aged in ex-Bourbon casks before being finished in Marsala wine casks. I’m very excited about it as you don’t try pot still Barbadian rum every day.
The Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Line Barbados is molasses based, pot still distilled and aged for at least 3 years in ex-Bourbon barrels before undergoing a 6 months finish in Marsala wine casks. Bottled at 43% ABV without any additives.
On the nose it feels fruity and sharp. Unripe bananas, stone fruits and fresh ginger. Cacao nibs, vanilla and ripe pears. It has a lovely floral aroma as well. Saphron, fruity honey and Lillet Blanc. Biscuits and a touch of cider vinegar.
On the palate there are more woody spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Yellow apples, floral honey, cardamom and stone fruits. The Marsala influence gave it a lovely honey-ish layer, it reminds me a bit of Lillet Blanc. Pears, ripe bananas and a touch of liquorice. Some English Breakfast tea as well. The finish is medium to long with fruity honey.
Despite this being a Barbadian pot still rum, it goes down surprisingly easy, maybe too easy – my only complaint is that it’s a little thin. At a higher ABV this would’ve easily been the rage of the Foursquare enthusiasts, but I guess we’ll see how it fares when it launches. For me this is absolutely delicious.
Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Line Jamaican
This is the second release of the range with the rums being sourced from Jamaica. While they said they can’t reveal the distillery where it’s sourced from, my very first impression was that this was almost definitely Worthy Park. All of that changed when I noticed that on the website (and on the label) they mentioned it’s distilled from both pot and column stills and since Worthy Park does not have column distillation, then it might be just part of the blend. The ageing is also confusing as they just say it’s only aged for 6 months in both Marsala casks and ex-French oak, but when I asked, I’ve been told the pot distillate has been matured at least for 3 years in ex-Bourbon casks.
The Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Line Jamaican is molasses based, pot and column still distilled and aged for at least 6 months in French oak and Marsala wine casks. Bottled at 43% ABV without any additives.
On the nose it feels tropical and sharp. Roasted pineapple, sweet banana chips, nail varnish and English Breakfast tea. Almonds, walnuts and dried apricots. It doesn’t seem too funky, but it isn’t mild either. Yellow apples, dried figs and some Oloroso-like minerality. Fruity tobacco, marmalade, ginger and some damp cardboard.
On the palate the sharpness stays. Yellow apples, dried fruits, canned pineapple and passion fruit. Nail varnish, stone fruits and wasabi. The Oloroso notes are still here as well. Honey, walnuts and some charred oak smokiness. Peppermint, biscuits, tobacco and vanilla. There’s some minerality to it once again. The finish is medium to long with dried and tropical fruits.
Given that this is a Jamaican rum, the Marsala cask influence doesn’t come through as much, but I think it made it more fruity and gave it that honey-like layer. It’s nothing too wild, but it is well balanced and complex… I will happily have this as session rum and finish it in one go. Tasty!
Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Line Jamaican & Venezuelan
This is the third release of the range with the rums being sourced from both Jamaica and Venezuela. I’m not sure about this one coming around to the UK as it was launched mainly for the French market. This is a blend of column still distillates from Venezuela and pot still distillates from Jamaica. Same story about the ageing process, they only mention the 6 months spend maturing in Marsala casks.
The Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Line Jamaican & Venezuelan is molasses based, pot and column still distilled and aged for at least 6 finish in Marsala wine casks. Bottled at 43% ABV without any additives.
On the nose it feels fruity and dark. Yellow apples, ripe bananas, caramel and ground coffee. Palm sugar and a hint of peat smoke. The Venezuelan component comes through more smell wise. Pineapple juice, biscuits and black pepper. Some ginger and nail varnish as well.
On the palate the flavours match the smell. Palm sugar, agave, dried figs and yellow apples. Black coffee, black pepper and ginger beer. It’s surprisingly easy to drink. Mulberries, cacao nibs and canned pineapple. Pears and white grapes. The finish is medium with coffee and some fruity notes.
This feels like a Venezuelan rum that has a small amount of Jamaican rum added for some backbone, but it really is the lightest from the collection. It should appeal to almost anybody that just started drinking rum neat. It isn’t outstanding, but it has more personality than other “premium” light rums. It just pales a little when compared with the other two expressions.
This range from the newly launched Rump@blic has exceeded my expectations and I’m looking forward to see it on the UK market. The Barbados it’s definitely a hidden gem as far as I’m concerned and I’ll be looking to get a bottle as soon as I can.
Since they are not in the UK yet I am not sure about the actual price, but in Europe they range at around €40 which I find it to be fantastic value, maybe except for the Jamaican and Venezuelan – it’s a little too light for me. If the price difference will change considerably for the UK, I will change the value accordingly.
Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Line Barbados Rum:
Flavour/taste: 56/70
Value for money: 15/15
Transparency/purity: 15/15
Overall: 86/100
Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Line Jamaica Rum:
Flavour/taste: 53/70
Value for money: 15/15
Transparency/purity: 15/15
Overall: 83/100
Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Line Jamaican & Venezuelan Rum:
Flavour/taste: 50/70
Value for money: 14/15
Transparency/purity: 15/15
Overall: 79/100
Cheers!