The Cane Spirit Society is a group of rum enthusiasts that got together in order to purchase rare bottles, sample and discuss them. Our first session featured a couple of delicious rums from Belize (read about it here) and now, coming from the second session, I’ll be talking about a long-aged rum from the mysterious New Yarmouth Distillery.
For those you haven’t hear about New Yarmouth, it’s a distillery located in the Clarendon Parish in Jamaica and it’s owned by the Campari Group alongside Appleton – this is where the legendary Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum is made. There aren’t a lot of rums from them on the market, even amongst independent bottlers, that’s why I’m always excited to try some whenever I can. The intensity of the rums made at the New Yarmouth Distillery can rival those from Hampden Distillery as they both use dunder and (potentially) muck pits.
The Royal Cane Cask Company is based in the Netherlands and they are an independent bottler. They focus on bottling old and rare rums and they always release them as single casks. This New Yarmouth was distilled and put into the barrel in 1994 and it was aged in the tropical climate of Jamaica for 24 years before being transported to Liverpool, UK for an additional period of 3 years, making this cask 27 years old in total. The rum was bottled in 2022 with only 296 bottles being released.
The Royal Cane Cask Company – New Yarmouth 1994 is molasses based, column still distilled and aged for 27 yeas in an ex-Bourbon cask. Bottled at 60.3% ABV without any additives.
On the nose seems pretty tame for the ABV. Allspice, ground coffee, ripe bananas and apricot brandy. Sour cherries, dried fruits and rich honey. I was expecting some Jamaican funk, but that’s not the case – it feels more like a high proof Appleton release. Spicy tobacco, ripe plums and some milk chocolate. Nougat, old leather and ginger biscuits.
On the palate the oak gives it an astringent feel. Dry tobacco, nail varnish, black pepper and stone fruits. Raw cacao nibs, ripe bananas and pineapples. Once again, there’s barely any funk present – it’s the barrel maturation that is the most prominent. Orange zest, cloves, ginger and cinnamon. Biscuits, black walnuts and a touch of balsamic vinegar. The finish is long with warming tobacco and hints of tropical fruits.
As I mentioned this is mild for a Jamaican rum, similar to the rums in the Appleton range. It has a lot of body and the tobacco note really lifts it up, but I was expecting a little bit more, more layers and oomph. Still very enjoyable and interesting, but I wouldn’t spend my budget on a full bottle.
It’s priced at £252 (Master of Malt) which is fair for a rum aged this long, but, as I said, the complexity is somehow lacking.
The Royal Cane Cask Company – New Yarmouth 1994 (Cane Spirit Society) score:
Flavour/taste: 58/70
Value for money: 12/15
Transparency/purity: 15/15
Overall: 85/100
Cheers!
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