Battle Of The Rum Bottlers - Chapter 1

Sometimes you get these ideas in your mind that are brilliant. Other times they are crazy or plain stupid. The latter happens more in my life than the former, unfortunately. If it wasn’t like that, I’d be very rich and perhaps not writing rum articles. So count yourself lucky I’m not that brilliant! The idea for this article definitely belongs in the second category. A slogan popped into my brain:”Battle of the independent bottlers”. Who’s the best independent bottler?! Shouldn’t be too hard. Just compare loads of them and Bob’s your uncle.

There are a few problems with this idea. First, the sample size. A massive amount of bottles is needed for such an endeavour to make it somewhat scientific. I don’t have enough. Next to that, what’s best? Try and define that! Best at label designs? Best flavour? Best prices? Best marketing? Best at not being sleazy? Best at giving free stuff to influencers?

I have barely started this article and the conclusion already is that this won’t be scientific. Phew. That lifts a massive weight off my shoulders.

It all kind of ties in with a question I have received quite a lot over the years, which is “who I think is the best independent rum bottler?”. I’ve always assumed they were asking me who releases the most great rum. I’ve never really been able to answer it with 100% satisfaction. Thing is, different companies bottle for different palates and budgets. Which means there will always be some expressions you won’t like, no matter which company it is. Taste is mostly subjective after all. What’s less subjective is how they behave, their marketing and their pricing. Since I don’t shy away from praising and criticizing rums and their producers/bottlers, I do receive their feedback from time to time…..especially when I’m unhappy about something.  I’ll share some of that in this article to give you a bit more insight into how that goes at times.

The way I did the tastings was by making groups of certain expressions, typically from the same country. This wasn’t always possible with every country of course, but it worked out with most of them. I’d taste them on multiple days and would sometimes cross reference with a rum from a different group as comparison. It might not be scientific, but it was a lot of fun.

I’ll give you the list of all the bottlers that are in this experiment and then the expressions that are covered in chapter one. I’ve added each bottler’s country of origin and a little marketing blurb from the web.

The bottler cast:

Single Barrel Selection - S.B.S (1423) (Denmark) – Single Barrel Selection is a 1423 series of single barrel rums from all over the world. Our rum is either sourced directly from distilleries or from a rum broker. The barrels get shipped to Denmark where they are stored at our own warehouse.

Plantation Rum (Maison Ferrand) (France) – I looked at their mission statement and laughed while searching for a bucket. It’s basically a tribute to owner Alexandre Gabriel. The only thing missing is calling him Alexandre the great. Next to that, a whole lot of marketing nonsense, which is their specialty. I’m not repeating that here.

Velier (Italy) –  In 1983, at the age of 25, Luca Gargano acquired some Velier shares and under his influence the company began to specialize in the importation of exceptional distillates such as the legendary stock of St James Rum distilled in 1885 discovered by Luca in 1991. Since then these selections of rum have multiplied and led to the emergence of exceptional ranges.

Sample X (Netherlands/Belgium) – Sample X is the result of a meeting between Dutchman Erik Molenaar (Kintra Spirits) and Belgian Jürgen Vromans (Rum Mercenary). These two enthusiasts are well-versed in selecting and bottling whisky and other spirits. With Sample X, they offer selections from both famous and more confidential distilleries.

Valinch & Mallet (Italy) – An Italian bottler run by rum and whisky enthusiasts Davide Romano and Fabio Ermoli.

Bedford Park (Canada/UK) – Bedford Park stands for excellence in every bottle. We are meticulous in our search for great spirits and steadfast in our passion for what is poured into your glass.

Rolling Fork (USA) –  Jordan Morris and Turner Wathen are honoring the fine traditions of American whiskey making, and doing it with a twist, by crafting rums that meet the high standards of American whiskey standards and live up to the motto of “No Finer Spirits.”

Dràm Mòr (UK) – Dràm Mòr Group Ltd. is an independent Single Cask Spirits bottler based in Dumbarton, Scotland. We are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of unique spirits to our customers through our expert team and specialist cask selection process.

Berry Bros & Rudd (UK) – Founded in 1698, Berry Bros. & Rudd is Britain’s oldest wine and spirits merchant.

Rum Artesanal (Germany) – The independent rum bottler. In our portfolio you will find outstanding single cask rum bottlings, intense and characterful blends and an entry line for the beginning of the journey.

Duncan Taylor (UK) – Established in 1938, Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited is a specialist independent whisky merchant with one of the largest privately held collections of aged single malt and single grain Scotch whisky casks.

Compagnie Des Indes (France) – Whether single casks or carefully selected blends – we always focus on bringing out the character and qualities of each local origin.

Colours of Rum/Wealth Solutions (Poland) – The Colours of Rum series was born to showcase the best that the rum world has to offer. We have created one of the largest premium rum collection that keeps getting bigger and more diverse.

Bira! (Canada) – Bringing unique, unadulterated rum from around the world. Bottled and sold exclusively in Canada.

Transcontinental Rum Line (LMDW) (France) – Transcontinental Rum Line is an invitation to travel in the world of rum. A composition of rum-producing countries from a global perspective.

Single Cask Nation (USA) – Single Cask Nation is America's leading independent bottler that brings together a global community of passionate whisky and spirits lovers.

Chorlton Whisky (UK) – Chorlton Whisky, named after a South Manchester suburb, is a new player in independent Scotch whisky and rum bottling. It stands out for its quality and unique character.

Raising Glasses (USA) – Our focus is the acquisition of superior single cask spirits (primarily rum and whisky) from around the world for our “Raising Glasses” brand.

Holmes Cay – Holmes Cay Rum curates a continuously evolving collection of exceptional rums, distilled and presented without additives.

Kill Devil (Hunter Laing) (UK) – We are specialists in blended and single malt scotch whiskies, over the years we have been fortunate enough to acquire stocks of aged rums.

The cast for chapter 1:

Valinch & Mallet - New Yarmouth 1994, 26 years, Jamaica, 56.9%

Valinch & Mallet – Esters’ Delight 2008, 15 years, Jamaica, 54.8%

Sample X - Long Pond 2001, 20 years, Jamaica, 60.1%

Velier – Papalin, 5 years, Jamaica, 57%

Plantation/Planteray – Xaymaca, France, 43%

S.B.S – Jamaica 2008, 11 years, Jamaica, 62.9%

Rolling Fork – Foursquare Wheated Bourbon, 9 years, Barbados, 57.15%

Rolling Fork – Lost Cask Selection Guadeloupe 1998, 22 years, Guadeloupe, 55.3%

Dràm Mòr – Foursquare, 13 years, Barbados, 60.9%

Raising Glasses – Full Circle 110, 55%

Raising Glasses – Pelee’s Fury II, 10 months, Martinique, 61.5%

Holmes Cay – Fiji 2004, 16 years, Fiji, 58%

Holmes Cay – Mauritius 2007, 13 years, Mauritius, 55%

Kill Devil – Guadeloupe 1998, 20 years, Guadeloupe, 58.8%

Single Cask Nation, Foursquare 2011, 11 years, Barbados, 55.8%

Let's get to the tasting!

Valinch & Mallet - New Yarmouth 1994

Nosing

Oaky, crayon, light funk that’s been absorbed by the oak, super elegant fruitiness => not the rotten type. Mint, light pickle, lemon, hint of bbq sauce, chocolate. I was expecting more in my face New Yarmouth fumes, but it’s somewhat velvet. Very nice.

Tasting

Oak, tobacco, menthol, citrus, light chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon. It’s buttery and pretty sweet.

It starts off a little hot but finishes so softly. Talking about the finish, it’s incredible. A great balance of wood and a myriad of flavours with no bitterness, while lasting a long time. I prefer New Yarmouth rum a little younger than this one. The unique NY funky flavour profile is more at the forefront when there is less barrel influence. I feel this makes it stand out more from the Jamaican crowd. Many bottlers have a fascination with 20+ year old rums though, I’m not sure why (prestige? money?). All that being said…..this is a phenomenal rum. I had it together with the Bedford Park Hampden LROK 2000 and actually contemplated stopping this entire experiment. What can one enjoy after such brilliance?!

Valinch & Mallet – Esters’ Delight 2008

A blend of Jamaican rums from different distilleries.

Nosing

Oak and vanilla are quite strong, pineapple, menthol, banana, pine. Quite fruity, however it’s mellowed by oak and vanilla. A little on the hot side. Pretty nice nose.

Tasting

It’s quite hot and very oaky. Vanilla, caramel, light menthol, light pineapple, bitterness. I’m not a fan of most Clarendon rum. I feel it’s got a certain off note in it that I don’t appreciate. I’m tasting it with this one as well. It’s fairly flat. I love the vibrancy of Jamaican rum. This one doesn’t have it. The finish is bitter and on the short side for such a rum. A very mediocre blend. I tasted it with a couple of rum friends. One of their comments was:”unfortunately this will turn into expensive rum and cokes”.

I posted a little blurb about this rum in a group I run called Rum Club Canada. This release had been brought in/promoted by a local group. Because I didn’t like it, I received a storm of criticism and a bunch of rather silly remarks. One of the people responding in public was Davide Romano, owner of Valinch & Mallet. He came up with a conspiracy theory to explain why I didn’t like his rum. According to him I was working with another brand (Bedford Park), promoting them in the Canadian market, while trying to hurt the competition with a bad review. This is laughable of course, since it’s not what I do. I don’t work for anyone and I feel any good rum is a welcome addition to our rum desert. Even better, there is no way I have the star power to seriously hurt a brand. I guess I should have thanked him for the compliment. What this exchange really turned into is a fine example of how not to respond to a review as a brand owner. It looks petty and unprofessional. 

Sample X - Long Pond 2001

Nosing

Heavy on citrus fruits, oak, mineral stones, sweet raspberry, light menthol, very fruity but slightly underwhelming after tasting V&M New Yarmouth before it.

Tasting

Citrus galore, a bit hot, very sweet, light acetone, oak, red fruits, mineraly, quite a bit of oak spice sucking the saliva out my mouth. Finish is long and solid with no bitterness. This is excellent Jamaican rum.

Velier – Papalin Jamaica

A blend of rums from Hampden, Worthy Park and Long Pond.

Nosing

Anise, mint, beautiful oak, molasses, light licorice, hint of paint. It’s somewhat reserved.

Tasting

Pine, menthol, anise is quite strong, oak, banana, pineapple. A little on the hot side. Finish is long, oaky and fruity. No bitterness. An excellent young rum blend.

Plantation – Xaymaca

A blend of Clarendon and Long Pond rums.

Nosing

Pine, light oak, faint Jamaican funk, light newspaper. I’m really reaching to get something from this bland expression.

Tasting

Oak, light pine, light menthol, tiny bit of fruity funk. Somewhat sharp for the low abv, must be young. Finish is ok, not super long, not expressive, but at least it’s consistent from start to finish. Consistently mediocre. I imagine this is what water tastes like in Jamaica.

I don’t really see the point of this rum. It’s likely made for mixing, although I feel it will disappear in cocktails rather quickly. Fixing it with Wray & Nephew or Rum Fire might be a good solution. As a sipper I think Appleton 8 is well above it. It’s easy drinking, that’s for sure. Is it meant as a gateway to Jamaican rum then? Us mortals need that as a stepping stone for getting into the wonderful world of Jamaican funky rums? I don’t think we do. But, everything Planteray does seems to be aimed at easy drinking. Toning down much of the wonderfulness of spirits by adding sugar or putting it in all sorts of different casks (or, rumour, adding neutral/unaged alcohol). Different casks do wonders for marketing, but they also mellow the spirit and can influence the flavour profile, depending on what’s been resting in that cask before it was filled with rum. This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how it’s done. Planteray uses a lot of cognac casks. I believe this is one of the reasons why many of their expressions have a similar taste. Doesn’t matter if it’s from Panama, Trinidad or Jamaica, they all have that same flavour vibe to it. Needless to say, if you really want to get a good idea what the different flavour profiles from various countries are, it’s best to skip Planteray.

S.B.S – Jamaica 2008

A blend of Jamaican rums.

Nosing

Oak, paint thinner, menthol cigarettes, pineapple, orange peel, dates.

Tasting

Oak, pretty hot, pineapple, banana, citrus, menthol, good amount of sweetness. Finish is fairly long with a hint of bitterness. No saliva left in my mouth after this one. Good rum. A little more rough around the edges, which we all like from time to time. A bar with an s&m theme should definitely have this rum on their menu.

Rolling Fork – Foursquare Wheated Bourbon 9 years

Nosing

Bourbon, coconut, oak, newspaper shop, light tobacco, light sour note. Fairly light profile overall. My apologies for using the L word three times in a row.

Tasting

Very oaky and fairly sweet. Tobacco, coconut, vanilla, light caramel, cinnamon, lots of wood spice. Is it a great Foursquare rum? No. Is it a nice alcoholic drink? Yes.

Dràm Mòr – Foursquare 13 years

Aged for 8 years in Barbados(ex-bourbon cask) and 5 years in the UK (ex-Scottish whisky cask).

Nosing

Oak, vanilla, strong coconut, orange peel, light banana and tobacco.

Tasting

Fresh and expressive. Oak, coconut, vanilla, tobacco, very sweet, light fruitiness. Finish is fairly long and solid, carrying those flavours through to the end. No bitterness. This is very Foursquare. If you want to introduce someone to FS rum and you don’t have a distillery bottling available, this would be a good choice to do it with. Dràm Mòr picked a nice cask. Compared to the Rolling Fork 9 year, the freshness and expressiveness of the Dràm Mòr jumps out at you. This despite it being older than the Rolling Fork release. My guess is that RFs heavy cask influence has muted the vibrancy of the spirit. 

Single Cask Nation – Foursquare 2011

Nosing

A little bit flat in comparison to Dràm Mòr. Very much on the nutty and cinnamon side of things. Oak, vanilla, light spearmint, light red fruit, light cardboard.

Tasting

Very light profile. Feels to me like lots of column rum. Pretty thin mouthfeel. Oak, vanilla, light tobacco, light molasses, cinnamon, nice oak spice although a little bitter. It’s not a great Foursquare, but it’s Foursquare, it’s fine. Will please plenty of people.

Rolling Fork – Lost Cask Collection Guadeloupe 1998

Nosing

Heavy oak, tobacco, cheesy paint, strong olives, light chocolate, vanilla. Nice nose.Heavier than the Kill Devil below.

Tasting

Strong oak, molasses, anise, vanilla, caramel, some sweetness, peppery. It’s mostly oak. Basically like sucking on a stave. Finish is oak, oak and oak. I want to like it, as I paid a ton of money for this bottle, but it’s crap.

Kill Devil – Guadeloupe 1998

Nosing

Brighter and fresher than the Rolling Fork Guadeloupe. Fruitier. Oak, tobacco, molasses, light paint, olives, light cardboard, caramel, licorice.

Tasting

Strong oak, licorice, caramel, vanilla, minerals. There is some sweetness, but it’s mainly overpowered by oak spice. Finish is solid with some ginger, bitterness…..and again….oak. Not great.

I have a weak spot for these 1998 Guadeloupe releases from Bellevue (Damoiseau). I’ve tasted a few around the 12 year mark and then I did a review with a 17 and 18 year release. They were all great. However, the above two have been in cask for too long. It’s ruined the good spirit unfortunately and they’ve simply become marketing vehicles.

Since we are on the topic of Rolling Fork. After posting a review of a few of their expressions, quite a lot of people were upset. No public attack from RF though, at least none that I’ve noticed. A few days later, one of the RF guys sent me a private message. He was particularly unhappy about me mentioning Maison Ferrand, as they want nothing to do with them. I understand that. At the same time, if you have a slogan on your website that states you are crafting rums that meet the high standards of American whiskey, then you are waiting to be compared to Maison Ferrand. MF’s owner, Alexandre Gabriel, once said something like it. In his case he was bringing rum up to the standard of cognac. Half the rum world fell over that disrespectful comment, rightfully so. I guess when you swap cognac for bourbon, it becomes more acceptable? Clearly a case of selective outrage. We exchanged our views, then chatted about rum in general for a bit and that was that. No problem. Quite a difference in maturity compared to Davide Romano.

As I mentioned, there were more people upset at this review. Turns out Rolling Fork seems to have a loyal following. A few Facebook rum groups were flooded with positive posts about Rolling Fork after my review. I thought that was great. Some unfriended me on Facebook, which I also applaud. Next to that, I received some private messages. One turned into a fairly long convo, where this particular chat partner finally said “you just don’t understand this type of rum”. How do you respond to that one? Well, I typically don’t. There is nothing to say to such a comment, which is only made when someone doesn’t have any good argument left, but still wants to “win”. My argument was and still is that the expressions I’ve tried tasted more like American whisky than rum. Makes no sense to me, as I want to taste rum. So he’s right, I don’t understand it (unless you are telling me it’s to make bourbon drinkers buy your “rum”). Just like I don’t understand Bumbu or Dos Maderas. Robert Burr, an American rum promoter, used to make the same “you don’t understand” comment a lot when someone said something negative about one of the many mediocre rums he was promoting. Being compared to him is not a good thing.

Another comment/question I received was “why do you make so many enemies?!”. At first I had no idea this had something to do with my Rolling Fork review, until someone told me this particular person had worked with RF before, or has plans to…..I don’t know, as it makes no difference to me, although it’s always interesting to find out about someone’s angle. In this case he needs good relationships with producers and promoters as he wants barrel picks and free stuff. I love good relationships with producers, as many of them are super passionate and knowledgeable rum people, which makes it interesting and fun to converse with them. However, it’s not a necessity for me to be able to do what I do. Being a rum blogger is like balancing on a thin cord. Producers love you when you write positive articles, as it’s free marketing for them. However, things can turn sour quickly when you write something that isn’t seen as positive, certainly with a small guy like myself. It would be different if I had 5 million followers. In my case I’ve always set a personal goal of writing for the consumer, not for the producer. I’m still doing it that way, despite the expected criticism and lack of free stuff.

Raising Glasses – Full Circle 110

A blend of rum from no less than 8 countries. They must have thought “more is better!”. Or perhaps it helps with marketing? I tend to prefer less is more. The countries: USA, Madeira, Thailand, Ghana, Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana.

Nosing

Oak, vanilla, light molasses, caramel, light citrus, light crayon, marzipan. Pleasant but pretty unremarkable.

Tasting

Strong marzipan, oak, vanilla, buttery popcorn, spicy oak, milk chocolate. The wood spice is slightly overwhelming, which might be burying some flavours. Mouthfeel is on the thin side. Finish is a bit short with some bitterness. Before I tasted the next rum, I almost forgot to rinse my mouth with water. I didn’t really need to, as there was no flavour left.

I’m slightly confused by this one. A light 55% blend. Who’s it for? A sipper? A mixer? Neither? As a sipper it is too light and thin to be very interesting. I’m assuming it’s a mixer, however I can imagine it disappearing rather quickly, but then I’m no cocktail expert. A new rum drinker won’t buy it at 55%. After checking their website it turns out it is indeed aimed at cocktails. Not my specialty.  

Raising Glasses – Pelee’s Fury II

A grand arôme rum from Le Galion distillery in Martinique, aged for 10 months in ex Mount Gay cask.

Nosing

Almond, pineapple, vinaigrette?, olives, light blue cheese, fresh cut grass, honey, light glue, faint coconut. Super interesting nose.

Tasting

Sweet coconutty oak, pineapple, cheese, olives, almond, honey, raisins. It is of course a super charged fruity rum, but the oak balances things out nicely. This is a great rum.

Holmes Cay – Fiji 2004

Nosing

Glue, plastic, raisins, papaya, oak, vanilla, molasses.

Tasting

Plastic, raisins, menthol, oak, vanilla, molasses, light chocolate. A little too woody for me. Finish is fairly long with quite a bit of wood spice and bitterness. I find Fiji rum typically hit and miss. This one is somewhere in between. I like the flavour profile, but the oak influence and bitterness are a little much for me.

Holmes Cay – Mauritius 2007

Rum from Grays distillery.

Nosing

Raspberry, strawberry, oak, pine, raisins, light paint, cigar box, new car, light leather, burnt wood, nuts, lots of chocolate. It has a velvet vibe to it. Fantastic!

Tasting

It’s fairly medicinal. Oak, pine, raspberry, strawberry, raisins, cognac, faint paint, dates, menthol. Texture is velvet. Finish is long without bitterness. Despite the cognac cask perhaps being slightly strong on it, this is a fantastic rum. Grays distillery and Holmes Cay hit it out of the park with this one. We need more please!

Conclusion

As you can already see in this small comparison, the differences can be massive, even with the same bottler. I don’t think the perfect independent bottler exists, but it’s interesting enough to continue this “research” to find out if I’m wrong about that. There will be a second chapter and maybe even a third. Actually, with the amount of expressions from bottlers out there I can probably make it to chapter 26, although nobody would be reading it anymore by that time. What this does mean is that we are lucky to be alive in current rum times. So much variety and volume of fantastic rum out there right now.

Happy rum times!

Scores

Valinch & Mallet New Yarmouth 1994 – 92

Valinch & Mallet Esters’ Delight 2008 – 50

Sample X Long Pond 2001 – 88

Velier Papalin Jamaica – 85

Plantation Xaymaca – 52

S.B.S Jamaica 2008 – 82

Rolling Fork Foursquare Wheated Bourbon 9 yr – 72

Dràm Mòr Foursquare 13 yr – 88

Single Cask Nation Foursquare 2011 – 74

Rolling Fork Lost Cask Collection Guadeloupe 1998 – 62

Kill Devil Guadeloupe 1998 – 69

Raising Glasses Full Circle 110 – 70

Raising Glasses Pelee’s Fury II – 87

Holmes Cay Fiji 2004 – 76

Holmes Cay Mauritius 2007 – 90

Click here for info on the scoring method.

Click here for the complete list of reviews.