Tastes

It smells sweet with caramel and a bit of squash and meat umami. It doesn't have a super deep nose though. The palate is caramel that's a tad light. It tastes like a standard rum, with a bit too much sweetness, but also some added richness. There's some alcohol flavor too.

The nose is a lot of tropical fruit with some spice and funk. It smells divine. The palate is very sweet with tons of tropical fruit, but it isn't out of control. There is some savory papaya, mango, and passion fruit reigning it in. The vanilla and orange blossom are great additions. There is wood and there is spice and the two balance the hogo very well. All of the flavors work well together, aside from the little bit of alcohol that sticks out. This reminds me a surprising amount of Bushmill's 21, but it's probably better and it sure is a lot cheaper. There are otherwise no off notes and the flavor is interesting and balanced. The white pepper adds a fair amount of burn and some vegetation. The flavor is butterscotchy and viscous, though the finish tends a bit toward a lighter caramel flavor. There are hints of orange marmalade, but they are subtle and nice. There is richness with some oil that gives a mild but pre alent nutty flavor. No nutty bitterness, but it does make the drink more creamy and present. This lands in the 20 to 21 score range, making it an exemplar of what rum can be. I love the flavors and I love the complexity. It's a rum for everybody without being a rum for nobody. What a marvelous success. There's eventually a bit of a root beer or cola flavor here. It gets a little too sweet at points but it is still delightfully balanced and delicious. It's a bit weaker than other Plantation offerings with named years, but it's still excellent. That hint of apricot that comes through is a lot like an Irish whiskey, but this avoids that usual Irish error. It isn't perfect, but I love it. This is more interesting than Plantation 20th. It's sweet for sure, but it has nice fireworks and lots of tropical fruit notes. There are wood and spice flavors, but they don't overwhelm. The balance is excellent and it's interesting. I'd like some more complexity and a bigger punch, but this is a great drink. This tasting is directly following Foursquare Premise. The nose is fruity. Not light, not overly sweet. Fruity. Apricot jumps right out with a rich presence that reminds me of Bushmill's 21. OK. I'll break out the Bushmill's 21 to compare. There are some other tropical notes too, like in Kavalan Soloist Port, but without the oppressive smoke that overtakes everything. This is much more subtle than that. The nose alone is fascinating, with so many layers to explore. This is the nose complex nose among rums I have tried. It kicks Ron Diplomatico and Ron Zacapa to the curb. Foursquare Premise, you might not be beaten here in pure hedonism, but you are on notice. There's a tiny bit of squash and chili pepper scent in here, but they are subtle. It has a richness and engaging complexity that make it something I could sniff for days. Maybe a little pineapple too. The palate is immediately sweet with the fruit and a tiny bit of mineral with some vegetal flavor too (remember: immediately following Foursquare Premise). It has tons and tons of fruit. There's a bit of floral, but the apricot and pear and banana and mango and pineapple overwhelm it. There's someore harshness than in some other spirits, but it's nothing like the harshness of most whiskeys less than 15 years old. Its harshness is on par with that of a sherried 15 year old whiskey, but that harshness gives it some life. It's rich and complex with a terrific balance that tastes of impeccably aged rhum agricole. This is a treat with complexity of so many different aspects of rum. Some of the umami comes through and there's even some of that soy sauce and garlic of Helios (in very small quantity). It's tremendously interesting. Not all of the flavors quite land, but it's fascinating and everything goes together quite well enough. It's a pleasure to contemplate. It isn't quite on par with Foursquare Premise based on this tasting, but it's a contrarion alternative that's delightful to sip and offers a new perspective. This is amazing, especially for the price. I'll leave it at 21 for now, but this is a treasure for sure. It's rum (possibly just rhum agricole) in a nutshell, showing off the purities of this tropical drink in a stunning way. This is clearly better than both of the Rons and also Plantation 20th, though with its strong character, I can see why many would gravitate towards the more standard offerings (and also not gravitate toward Foursquare Premise either). This is such a delight. Following it up with Foursquare Premise, I still like the Foursquare a bit better. Maybe that is a 23 and this is a 22 then? But then where does Springbank 12 land? Springbank 12 is also right there in that 22 range, despite its extra waxiness. It tastes terrific right after Foursquare Premise. There is quite a group of competitive spirits assembled here. Springbank 12 has a finish that is a tad off though.

The nose is full and smoky. The palate has some sweetness that tends toward light caramel mixed with plenty of wood. It tastes a bit on the young side, withy he flavors not being fully integrated. It's good, but nothing spectacular. Given its only mild complexity, if like it to be smoother. I do appreciate the dry tannins and not being overly sweet, but it has that lightness and minerality that Evan Williams Black does.

It smells rich and wood with some sweet cinnamon spice, balanced hogo, and a bit of fruit. The palate is very nice with the wood, hogo, and spice forming one end of it while the syrupy orange forms the other. The balance is great thanks the alcohol does not get out of control. Vanilla and coconut are present. Some quince comes through too. There are notes of nice milk chocolate. This is really and exceptional rum that I would be delighted to sip. The nose is nice with some hedonism mixed with rugged wood and fireworks. The way that the fruit, but oils, vanilla, and butterscotch sneak in is amazing. The spices have a Christmas richness that I quite enjoy. The finish is a bit drying with lingering notes of tropic fruits and fireworks left overnight in a bucket of water. It isn't a super long finish, but it is a decently long one. The milks chocolate and wood do continue for a while as well, along with some notes of acceptable astringency (coffee?).

It smells mild with a sweet toffee and banana presence but the palate is mainly harsh, tart, and bitter. It really buns and it's quite difficult to suss out any deeper flavors at this proof. The alcohol is warming but doesn't bring in that nice sweetness that high proofs usually have. It's frankly a massive challenge to drink. With water added, it becomes less painful, but still seems predominantly alcoholic. With further water added, the drink comes under control, but it doesn't have a ton of flavor. It's largely bitter and tannic. It's really quite a challenge to drink. It's super drying and excessively spicy but there are some hints of tropical fruits and banana in here along with some astringent flavor that may be raspberries. The fireworks are super present too. Vanilla is there but gets shouted down by everything else. It isn't sweet at all. This seems like a good mixer for a boozy drink but otherwise I'd say it's more of an interesting experience than a worthwhile drink. At least there are none of those gross bread flavors or anything. When it's ridiculously diluted, some nicer flavors start to come out. It's still dry and I appreciate that, but the spice dies down a bit and some more banana and molasses flavors come out. The richness with water added is actually really good. Since adding water is always an option, I feel fine bumping this drink up some points. Like, 6 points. The nose isnt as full of smoke as I expected. It does smell like alcohol, though not 69%. There's quite a bit of fruit on the nose.and some smoke and a bit of spice do come out. There's actually quite a lot of fruit presence. The palate is shockingly smooth at first, though some burn does cut in and cost the tongue in a sort of wet wipes vibe. There's a ton of tasty tropical fruit though. It isn't quite as viscous as Smith And Cross and it doesn't have the same complexity or richness. Still, there is plenty of flavor. I would like some more in the fireworks department though. The balance is better here. There's a bit of an Everclear presence, but nothing out of control. The sweet tropical fruits - including banana, papaya, mango, and a numbing orange zest presence - are quite nice and keep this drink from sinking under the alcohol. I think I prefer Smith And Cross a tad for its funkiness, but this is quite good in terms of general dark rum characteristics. Definitely a strong mixer. The finish has an increased amount of wood and Everclear, with a hint of beef jerky. It's a decent sipper overall. Man, I'd really like to have a bottle of this and a bottle of Smith And Cross. Of the two though, I'd definitely rather sip the Smith And Cross. This has too much alcohol for sipping. Water does tame it though. There are the same flavors, but the fruit is a bit sweeter and lasts longer. That bitter Everclear note does unfortunately last even with water added (though maybe my palate is a wreck after Smith And Cross and this). That keeps this from moving up an extra point. It's quite good, especially for the price. Still. There's that bit of Everclear aftertaste that I don't like. I personally prefer Smith And Cross. Others may disagree. This is very good though and is indeed sippable.

It smells rich with firework smoke. It is fairly harsh with a lot of spice and a bit more alcohol flavor than I would like, but it isn't bad. That firework taste definitely does come through and it helps to mask the alcohol. Although there is some sweetness, the bitter smoke makes it taste like a man's drink. I actually kind of like the fireworks. There's a lot of vanilla and some sort of dried fruit. The minerality is a bit much, but this is a borderline sippable drink. The flavor is quite abrasive but is also very full. The banana presence is there but is not overwhelming.