The UK Rum Club x SBS Release

As a few readers may be aware, I am one of the Founders and Admins of The UK Rum Club which is a Facebook Group with around 2600 members. We focus on pure rums over spiced, flavoured or doctored products

Along with our first release due out in the next month or so which is a Chairman’s Reserve bottling in conjunction with Royal Mile Whiskies, we have recently announced a collaboration with S.B.S Single Barrel Selection

An important announcement was made on the Facebook Group and a small extract is contained below:

We are extremely happy announce that in collaboration with S.B.S and Skylark Spirits, The UK Rum Club will have a pre-Christmas charity release!

With that in mind, to allow members of The UK Rum Club to experience the wilder and geekier side of Jamaican Rum and to expand their horizons, the collaboration with S.B.S has come to fruition

We are releasing the SBS x The UK Rum Club High Ester Jamaican Rum collection of 4 200ml bottles and whats more, your purchase will benefit charity

The pack will contain 4 individual 200ml bottles, each containing high ester Rum from a different Jamaican distillery.

They will be unaged and will all be bottled at 57% abv.

You will have the chance to experience:

Worthy Park – WPE – ester level of 600-800 g/hlaa

Hampden – DOK – ester level of 1500-1600 g/hlaa

Long Pond – STC^E – ester level of 550-700 g/hlaa

New Yarmouth – NYE-WK – ester level of 1500-1600 g/hlaa

Each pack of 4 bottles will be in its own presentation box and will be a limited run of 125 units priced at £99.99 plus postage

What is perhaps most important though is that 10% of each box, thats £10 of your purchase, will be split between two charities that are in need of funding, and that have a direct connection to Steven (Rum Diaries Blog) and Wes (The Fat Rum Pirate)

The charity that we here at Rum Diaries Blog has chosen is MyAware – Fighting Myasthenia Together

The charity that Wes over at The Fat Rum Pirate has chosen is CHUF – Childrens Heart Unit Foundation

Click the link to join the UK Rum Club, to read why we have chosen these charities and if you would like to, sign up to purchase a pack and help charity in the process The UK Rum Club Facebook group link

Your support really would be appreciated

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Rum Exchange Jamaica Trelawny Rum

Rum Exchange is Facebook Group that was created by Andreas Isopp to, you guessed it, provide a platform for bottle and samples trading…..but much more than that, it is also a company that was set up to facilitate the introduction and selling of Rums that not considered ‘mass market’. They take complete control of the import, trade and distribution of these brands and products. They provide a link between producers, retailers and consumers.

Two bottlings have formed their inaugural release under their own Rum Exchange brand name. Release #001 is the one being reviewed here today, the Rum Exchange Jamaica Trelawny Rum and release #002 is the Rum Exchange Jamaica St Catherine Rum. Now you don’t need to be a genius to read between the lines on the distilleries for these two releases but we’ll play the game.

Both Rums have been sourced from and bottled by 1423 in Denmark who are behind the SBS series amongst other things. They both have a percentage of distillery based tropical climate maturation and non-distillery maturation in the climate of continental Europe. Tropical maturation has been in ex-bourbon barrels whereas the continental maturation has been in ex fortified wine barrels. But lets get down to business.

Rum Exchange Jamaica Trelawny Rum – 61.5% abv – Pure Single Rum

This Rum, a release of 355 bottles (mine is number 85) is a Pure Single Rum from Hampden Distillery in Jamaica. Distilled in 2013 it saw 3 years of distillery maturation in ex-bourbon prior to being shipped to Denmark and spending a further 2 years in an ex-oloroso barrel. It was bottled in May 2019 at a bruising 61.5% abv. Presentation wise I like the squat square bottle. Sits well on the shelf and pours well. The artwork is definitely of note with the image depicted being Banana Plantation by John Dunkley who was a Jamaican sculptor and artist (the labels were the work of Jordan Harper who is an all round nice chap who I first met on the British Bourbon Society Facebook page). The label is also keen to state that the rum is free from sugar and colouring which hints that those oloroso barrels were VERY influential!

Tasting Notes

Nose: Heavily sherried. It’s all raisins and fruitcake in the early exchanges with added Quality Street toffee pennies and a dollop of Cartmel toffee sauce. The brightness and depth of the Jamaican Rum does fight through after a while though. Its funky….but not balls our high ester funky. A little astringency follows, not unexpected given its relative youth. Candied Pineapple. Caramelised Pineapple sugars. Banana bread. Quite sweet with a hint of bitter burnt sugar. As the Rum warms in the glass there is a little spicy oak influence bringing barrel notes of pepper, an earthy turmeric and maybe a hint of fenugreek seeds. It also becomes slightly nutty. It draws you in as this is complexity that some may think was unexpected….but lets not mix up maturity with age. It continues to gain momentum and its complexity starts to win you over.

Mouth: Youth and abv definitely show themselves initially. Its hot and a little prickly. This gives way to an initial savoury assault of roasted root vegetables. Smoked cheese. A little wood influence brings spicy ginger root before the sherried notes kick in. Pineapple juice fights through. The mid-palate has stone fruit. Quite a bit of bitterness. Molasses. Treacle toffee. Pickled balsamic onions. The spice begins to grow. The finish is mildly sweet with pineapple upside down cake but the savoury muscles in. Smoked cheese. Pickled onion Monster Munch. Reds Kansas BBQ sauce with a little sweet smoke.

I tried this a few weeks ago in an online tasting with Johnny Michaelsen of Spirits People. We tried a little water in the glass. Maybe enough to take it down to around 55% abv. We both found that this dulled the experience and it lacked a little robustness maybe due to a relatively short time in the barrel or the mixed maturation locations but it all kind of unraveled and became too dull an experience so we both added more Rum to the glass to bring the abv up again.

All in all an interesting take on a Hampden and it is definitely different enough, in a good way, to make this a worthwhile purchase. All too easy is it to allow the fortified wine barrels to suffocate the distillate and although the sherry is robust, it doesn’t ruin the experience. Not a classic representation of Hampden, but its tasty stuff.

4 / 5

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Habitation Velier Worthy Park 2007

We’re no strangers to Worthy Park here at Rum Diaries HQ, we even started up the Worthy Park Society on Facebook, which you can join by clicking here. We have also written about quite a few Worthy Park releases. Todays review focuses on another Habitation Velier bottling, but this time it actually has the Worthy Park Distillery name on the label as opposed to WP or Forsyths from the previous Habitation Velier releases…..and talking about Habitation Velier releases, my thoughts on the earlier bottlings can be found here and a little history of the Worthy Park Estate can be found here. Right back to it…..

Worthy Park 2007 – Pure Single Jamaican Rum – 59% abv – 10 years old – WPL Marque

What is different about this release apart from the name. Well, a distillation date of 2007 for a start….but it is also the WPL marque. WPL being the Worthy Park Light marque with an ester level of 60-119 gr/hL AA which we first saw in the Habitation Velier Forsyths WP 2005. It was a very impressive Rum. This too has seen a maturation period of 10 years at the Worthy Park Estate, the Vale of Lluidas in the Parish of St Catherine. It also suffered a loss of 64% to evaporation….but this release is presented at 59%. Time to dig in….

Tasting Notes

Nose: Quite a calm approach for a 59% spirit. The trademark overripe banana is clearly present, the signature of Worthy Park. Quite waxy. A nice level of astringency, not too nose destroying and not underwhelming either. Nice integration of the alcohol here. New white board marker pens. Quite a lot of cereal notes and some spicy rye. Ice cream wafers. A touch of milk chocolate with freshly shaved coconut. Black tea, a freshly opened bag of mixed nuts and a beautiful warming and slightly spicy sweet oak. Something ‘dairy’ is in there too.

Mouth: Big oily mouthfeel. A real chewy palate pleaser. Citrus notes, salty lemon rind. Sweet cure bacon. Heavy bourbon oak influence and well-integrated alcohol. You have to wait for the sweetness to join the party…..but it does. Cocoa, banana chips, biscuity cheesecake base, BBQ bananas. Sweet grain whisky. The mid palate has the fading sweetness of coconut and milk chocolate and brings forward the stewed black tea before the spicy grains and bourbon oak make another appearance. The long finish is full and spice led initially. Very oaky, drying and suitably warm. A hint of molasses bitter sweetness. A short wait brings a smoke led oaken character and lightly smoked cheese. Molasses rounds off a truly pleasurable rum. So very drinkable.

Again Worthy Park have produced a corker of a rum. The only thing that this rum suffers from for me is the fact that it’s not the exemplary 2006 WPM…..but it’s not meant to be. Different marques, different Rums. They are all 100% unmistakably Worthy Park but they are doing things slightly differently than the Hampden, Monymusk and Long Pond releases. Less bright fruit, more banana and oak influence. It works, makes them unique and I love everything that they stand for and nearly everything that they produce. Colour me smitten. It’s worth your money.

5 / 5

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

La Confrérie Du Rhum – La Mauny Millésime 2005

La Confrérie du Rhum began as a Facebook group created in March 2013 that developed into a platform to enable spirit professionals, bartenders, producers and everyday enthusiasts like you and me to come together and talk about their shared interest: Rhum. Since the beginning of 2015, a number of special vintages have been chosen for release by the guys heading up the group La Confrérie Du Rhum and this time it is the turn of Maison La Mauny to provide the liquid. They do so in the form of a 2005 vintage Extra Vieux Rhum Agricole that has seen a full 11 years in French Oak that proudly carries the Martinique A.O.C (appellation d’origine controlee) marque. It is released at 49.7% abv and the release is limited to just 1000 bottles priced at €90.

La Confrérie Du Rhum La Mauny Millésime 2005 – 49.7% abv

Tasting Notes

Glass: A deep, dark coppery red greets you when you pour the Rhum into the glass. It has the unmistakable aroma of a well aged spirit. Given that it’s almost 50% abv, there is nothing particularly aggressive jumping out of the glass. On the contrary, this Rhum has a well-rounded fruity nose. There is a hint of marzipan combining with ripe dark berry fruits and this combination is reminiscent of a jammy Bakewell tart. The nose develops into stewed dark fruits and begins to allow nutty and leathery notes to come to the fore. Further time sees the development of a light cocoa and an ever developing oak influence. Time in the glass uncovers layers of complexity in this Rhum which lets not forget, has seen 11 years of age in the tropical climate of Martinique. This is an island that I have read has a climate that leads to one of the greatest losses to evaporation. There was potentially the chance that this length of time could have been too excessive, but to my surprise the years have been very kind.

Mouth: An intensely dry entry sucks that moisture from every corner of your mouth. There is a lightly acidic quality and a very prominent bittersweet tang that reminds me of the bottle of Umeshu Plum Sake that I have chilling in the fridge. A second wave of stone fruits and a chewy homemade blackberry jam follows. The oak influence starts to creep back into the experience with a charred, almost toasted note coming to the fore. The long finish begins with a growing menthol eucalyptus note and further develops into drying oak shavings and a peppery, celery quality.

There are layers upon layers of complexity within this Rhum and it deserves time and patience far in excess of what this small taster allows. Benoît and Jerry really know how to pick their special releases as for me, they have delivered on all of the previous releases that I’ve purchased. This one will be no exception…..when it comes back into stock that is….

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

La Confrérie du Rhum Cuvée No2

This is the second release linked to the La Confrérie du Rhum Facebook Group and makes a switch to the French West Indies in the form of Guadeloupe. Hailing from the Bellevue au Moule Estate and Distillery which was established at the end of the 19th Century by a Mr Rimbaud from Martinique. The distillery is now owned and run by Mr Hervé Damoiseau after it was acquired by Mr Roger Damoiseau in April 1942.

This particular expression was distilled in March 1998 in a column still. Cask #86 was aged in Guadeloupe until September 2013 when it was transferred to Germany. The Rum was extracted from the barrel in November 2014 and bottled in January of this year (2015). This makes the Rum a rather accurate 16 years and 9 months old! This is NOT an Agricole…..it is a molasses based Rum.

A little more subdued, this releases label has a more muted colour palette, being shades of cream but the same fonts have been used along with the same red text. There is also a greater availability of this release as 156 bottles have been produced. The bottle shape and familiar red wax seal from the first release remain.

Again, the Rum was inhaled so quickly that this only represents my initial thoughts based on one the one glass that I have enjoyed. As before, if I am successful in obtaining a bottle, I reserve the right to revisit my notes…

La Confrérie du Rhum Cuvée No2 – 42% abv

Tasting Notes

In the glass: The Rum is a crisp coppery gold in the glass. A little swirl leaves a wall of Rum, then long droplets lazily meander back down. The first aroma is perhaps one of my childhood, but it is of Fruit Salad chewy sweets. It’s beautiful. There is a little astringency, a tiny medicinal edge and a lot of fruit there. This smells like it will be quite syrupy. Next there is some freshly cut apple and a heavy dose of rhubarb! Spicy oak and vanilla round this one out. It is a pleasure to sit and smell.

In the mouth: Initially there is a whiff of smoke along with the medicinal note. This is not at all like the aromas. It is not syrupy and is most certainly not as fruity as the nose says. The oak is dominant and there is a slight vanilla sweetness that gets dried out very quickly by the moisture sapping oak. A touch of liquorice and some pepper hit my tongue next. This is so so drinkable. The finish is of a decent length and has a cheek tingling oak spice. Hints of smoke and that drying oak influence and medicinal note carry this over the finish line. Where did the fruit go? Would less age allow more of the fruit to push through the oak? There is a bitter note right at the end like treacle coated raisins. There is also a faint prune note right at the back of the finish.

Sadly this sample is now gone……but I’m hopeful of a bottle of this Rum when it goes on general sale. 156 bottles means that there is a better chance for more people to try this, and try it you should. It is a certain purchase for me.

Big thanks again go to Benoît Bail for allowing me the opportunity to try this Rum.

*Bottle Image Courtesy of MsOdD*

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content

La Confrérie du Rhum Cuvée No1

La Confrérie du Rhum is a Facebook Group that if you are not yet a member of, you should rectify by clicking the link. The group, set up in 2013 by Benoît Bail has over 3600 members drawn from all corners of the globe with varying levels of involvement in the Rum world from brand ambassadors, producers, distilleries, bottlers, bartenders to Rum lovers, bloggers and amateur enthusiasts. The past 18 months have seen the group have huge success becoming bigger and more well known for its forum activity along with its sharing of articles, images, websites and ideas.

Due to popular demand, Vincent Bidault de Villiers , Jerry Gitany and Benoît, the custodians of the group decided to bring to market a special bottling commemorating the group that will be sold to its members in January 2015. This special edition La Confrérie du Rhum Cuvée No1 500ml bottling will be very limited with just 55 bottles being produced.

The Rum itself is sourced from Barbados, specifically by way of commemorating what is seen as being the birthplace of the history of Rum. It was distilled at the W.I.R.D (West Indies Rum Distillery) in 2000 before being aged in American Oak barrels for 13 years, partly in Barbados, then Germany before being bottled for La Confrérie du Rhum in 2014. The bottles have been hand wax dipped by Benoît himself to increase the visual appeal and to compliment the red label. The label itself has a map of Barbados along with the name and logo.

This Rum was inhaled so quickly that this only represents my initial thoughts based on one glass, and whilst I have asked to be considered for a bottle once available for purchase, this is not a sure thing. If successful I reserve the right to revisit my notes…

La Confrérie du Rhum Cuvée No1 – 43% abv

Tasting Notes

In the glass: The Rum is a pale gold / straw in the glass and is ridiculously pungent. A swirl leaves reluctant little beads decorating the glass…..there is the apparent aroma of something quite medicinal….almost like a peated whisky. I have encountered this aroma before and this alongside the distillery (W.I.R.D) would lead me to believe that it is a Rockley Still (style) Rum……for some reason, whilst I find these qualities a little suffocating, dominant and hard to get along with in a whisky, they are very appealing to me when found within a Rum! Oak is certainly apparent as is the faint whiff of heavy-duty cardboard boxes. There is also the hint of something resin like. There is also the aroma of tropical fruit but more like stewed fruit…it reminds me of a fruity teabag that has been left to brew for a while. It is certainly heavy on aroma with a good dose of smoke rounding it off.

In the mouth: Initially there is a little sweetness and it is very whisky like from the off. My mouth is instantly filled with the medicinal iodine, smoke and oak that I would associate with an Islay whisky. This subsides as the Rum drys out quite rapidly to leave liquorice torpedo sweets, tar like molasses, and a little more of the medicinal edge reminiscent of sticking plasters. The finish is a long one for sure with the faint medicinal notes remaining and accompanied by black pepper and more of that liquorice and tar like molasses.

I have tasted a similar Rum from the same distillery but that was at a much higher abv. That was more intense on the aroma but much of the flavour was hidden behind the cask strength and needed releasing with a drop of water. Colour wise you would think it a little light for a Rum of this age but the other Rum of this style also shares its colour. If you get the opportunity to try this then you really should. It’s medicinal notes won’t be for everyone but I’d love to hear your thoughts.

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content