During these uncertain times the online alcohol sales have gone through the roof, (I might’ve contributed to it myself) so, as a cocktail bartender and rum blogger, I decided to put together a list to guide anyone on a budget looking to put a/another bottle of rum in their spirits cabinet. Either for homemade drinks, … More Article: My Top 10 Value For Money Rums
Veritas (or Probitas in the US) is the first collaboration between two family owned Caribbean distilleries: Forsquare from Barbados and Hampden from Jamaica. They are both high regarded distilleries, known for their high quality distillates and no additives ethos. The “white” rums are slowly distancing themselves from the idea that they have to be made … More Review: Veritas White Blended Rum
The second in the Foursquare Distillery (Barbados) – Velier (Italy) collaboration. Molasses based, pot and column still distilled, a blend of 3 different vintage rums aged in 3 types of casks: Bottled at 56% ABV with no colouring, additives or chill filtering. While not on the market anymore, when it was released in 2017 there … More The Barrel Sample: Foursquare Triptych – Velier
From Mount Gay, Barbados, (presumably) the oldest commercial rum distillery in the world, comes their very first exclusive bottling released in 2018 for The Whisky Exchange – Mount Gay Select Blend. I’ve been focusing a lot on the new blends and releases from Trudiann Branker, the most recent one reviewed just a few days ago … More Review: Mount Gay Select Blend – The Whisky Exchange
The Dutch independent bottler The Duchess once again brings a very old and interesting rum on the market – an 19 year old Mount Gay, part of the Tropical Hummingbirds Series. Mount Gay, from Barbados, is arguably the oldest rum distillery in the world with documents of its existence tracking down all the way to … More The Barrel Sample: The Duchess – Barbados Oldest Distillery 19 Year Old (Mount Gay)
During lockdown I had the pleasure to join an online tasting with Miguel Smith of Mount Gay and that’s where, besides mixing a delicious Old Fashioned, learning about a Coffey Still broken since 1929 that has been restored a couple of years ago and ending up purchasing the Mount Gay Select Blend (more on that … More Review: Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend
There are companies that release rums at the minimum ABV required by the European regulations – 37.5% ABV. And then you have Richard Seale who released some of his flagship rums with an increased ABV – R.L. Seale 46% ABV is a good example. White rums with a higher than 40% ABV aren’t unusual, most … More Review: Doorly’s 3 Year Old (47% ABV)
This is probably the oldest (oak maturation wise) Foursquare (Barbados) I have ever tried. Comes from The Duchess, a Dutch independent bottler I’ve reviewed before on my website, and it’s part of the Hummingbirds series. Molasses based, a blend of pot and column still distillates from 2001, aged for 8 years in the tropics and … More The Barrel Sample: The Duchess – 18 Year Old Foursquare
Part of the Habitation Velier range which consists of unique, pure pot still distillates from around the Carribean. As the name suggests, my sample of rum was distilled at Diamond Distillery, Guyana, in the legendary Port Mourant Double Wooden Pot Still. With a congener level of 537.59 gr/lAA, it’s molasses based, (wooden) pot still distilled … More The Barrel Sample: Port Mourant White – Habitation Velier
I kept postponing this as I decided I need a clear head and a good night’s sleep before I dive into these two, which never happens, so I might as well get on with it. The two new rums from Richard Seale’s Foursquare Distillery in Barbados showed on the UK market “just now”, a month … More Review: Foursquare Nobiliary vs Foursquare Plenipotenziario