Dràm Mòr Rum Review

Since 2019, husband and wife Kenny and Viktorija Macdonald are running independent spirits bottler Dràm Mòr. Located in Dumbarton, Scotland, they bottle whisky, armagnac and rum. There have been a few times where I wondered what the name Dràm Mòr stands for, but was always too lazy to look it up. Until today that is. According to their website, it stands for “big whisky” in Scottish Gaelic. However when I put it in Google translate it came out as “big drama”. I hope that’s incorrect. I’m not a huge fan of whisky, but I absolutely hate drama. Changing the translator from English to Scottish Gaelic, “big whisky” is translated as “Uisge-beatha mòr”. Right! You might be wondering about something super important……..what about “big rum”?! Google says:”Rùm mòr”. Ok, let’s move on, shall we?!

The thing I’ve noticed about Dràm Mòr is that they are not afraid to bottle younger, or middle aged rums. A lot of bottlers seem to focus on high age statements and big dollar signs. To me, the 8 to 12 (or 14….16) year bracket has a lot to offer. Often times I find them more interesting than many 20+ year old rums, a category where you can find relatively more expressions with too much cask influence. The younger ones have relatively “fresher” distillates and therefore stronger roots to their origin. It makes the uniqueness of the distillery stand out. A cask can mute a profile so much that it almost turns the liquid into a generic rum. 

Viktorija generously sent me some samples to try.

The Cast

Cuban 12yr – Secret distillery – # 139 59%

Trinidad 17yr – Trinidad Distillers Ltd – # 2 57.5%

Jamaica 9yr – Secret distillery – # 072 62%

Jamaica 11yr – Hampden – # 26 53.2%

Fiji 8yr – Secret distillery – # 22 62%

Guyana Diamond 10yr – DDL – # 20893 55%

Martinique 6yr – La Favorite – # 08 54%

Nosing

Cuban 12yr # 139 59%

Burst of alcohol at first, vanilla, light oak, raspberry, hint of raisins, light green apple, light honey and rice cookies.

Trinidad 17yr # 2 57.5%

Paint, crayon, mint, slightly medicinal (very common for this type of rum), light red fruit, unused black bin bag, molasses, oak, light on the oil, mineral stones. Smells like a proper rum distillery. Wonderful.

Jamaica 9yr # 072 62%

Oak soaked in acetone, pineapple, banana, hint of cardboard, honey, pickled oak, pickled onions, candle wax, cheese, burnt oak, citrus. Jesus! Great nose.

Jamaica 11yr # 26 53.2%

Oak and fruit are much more balanced than the 9yr. More tame. Citrus, pineapple, cigar box, hint of anise, oak, light strawberries. Nice, but prefer the craziness of the 9yr.

Fiji 8yr # 22 62%

Dirty, like it’s supposed to be I guess. Plumbs, plastic, molasses, oak, lettuce, banana, cardboard, marzipan, vanilla, citrus. It’s slightly medicinal.

Diamond 10yr # 20893 55%

Caramel, oak, pepper, light crayon, raisins, pencil, vanilla. There is some fruit under the oak, but it’s hard to pinpoint.

Martinique 6yr # 08 54%

Heavy on the minerals, not grassy, cane juice, green bananas, quite some dusty oak, hint of sausage, some olives.

Tasting

Cuban 12yr # 139 59%

Pretty hot, lots of oak, menthol, vanilla, raisins, white pepper, banana, strong caramel, light licorice. Mouthfeel is on the thin side. It starts off with a good amount of sweetness, then turns dry and slightly bitter towards the end. Finish is on the shorter side.

Trinidad 17yr # 2 57.5%

Diesel, oak, vanilla, pretty spicy, licorice, dark chocolate with raisins. There is a charcuterie shop vibe (meat, olives, cheese). It’s fairly balanced and easy going for this type of rum.

Jamaica 9yr # 072 62%

High ester notes all the way. Compost, cardboard, acetone, pineapple, nuts, light plastic. Fruity sweetness is battling with the strong wood spice. Long fruity, oaky, estery finish that ends very dry. Mouthfeel is full and thick. Love it. Need some heavy rinsing before going to the next sample.

Jamaica 11yr # 26 53.2%

Lots of menthol infused with oak, pineapple, overripe fruit, it’s sweet. You need to take your time with this one. At first it seems rather straight forward and too oaky. But after a few more sips you realize there is more to discover. Finish is long without bitterness. Mouthfeel is a little thin. Not super exciting this one.

Fiji 8yr # 22 62%

Heavy plastic, rubber, oak, anise, mint, vanilla, barrel aged toothpaste, cardboard. It’s too hot, quite a bit better with some water. It’s definitely weird. Mount Gay XO drinkers might not like this, if you know what I mean. I think it’s interesting.

Diamond 10yr # 20893 55%

Oak, caramel, vanilla, pretty sweet, menthol, raisins. Finish is pretty long and solid. Easy going for 55%.

Martinique 6yr # 08 54%

Very very earthy. Too much for me. It’s like going into the yard and licking the ground. Oak, minerals, hint of brine. It has a tequila vibe. Very dry.

Conclusion

A bit of a mixed bag here, which is to be expected with such different rums. The one I like best, by far, is the 9 year Jamaican rum. Round, fat, sweet and sexy. I’m not always a fan of high ester rum, but this one works very well. The distillery is unknown. My first guess was Hampden, but then I also got some Long Pond graveyard vibes at the end. I’ll leave further guessing to everyone else.

The 6 year Martinique was definitely not my Favorite. Way too much on the earthy side of things. I’m starting to appreciate agricole rhum more and more, but not this one.  

I don’t think I’ve ever tried a Cuban rum that I was amazed by. This 12 year expression doesn’t change that unfortunately. Remember the song “Things That Make You Go Hmmmm” by C+C Music Factory? Well, this rum doesn’t do that. It’s a pleasant drink with some things to explore, but it’s not exciting, I’d grab a Jamaican instead.

Lastly, the 17 year Trinidad rum has an incredible nose. I kept smelling it for a long time. That might have gotten me excited a little too much. When I finally tasted it, I can’t deny I was slightly disappointed after that awesome nose. It’s a wonderful sipper, but it’s not a thing that makes me go wow. 

In the end I feel this bunch contains one great rum, four good rums and one average rum. That’s a pretty good result.

Scores

Dràm Mòr Cuban 12yr – Secret distillery – 74

Dràm Mòr Trinidad 17yr – Trinidad Distillers Ltd – 79

Dràm Mòr Jamaica 9yr – Secret distillery – 88

Dràm Mòr Jamaica 11yr – Hampden – 78

Dràm Mòr Fiji 8yr – Secret distillery – 81

Dràm Mòr Guyana Diamond 10yr – DDL – 80

Dràm Mòr Martinique 6yr – La Favorite – 69

Click here for info on the scoring method.

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