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Denizen Merchant's Reserve 8 Year Rum
Distiller Score 90
At the risk of not being considered a “crowd pleaser”, Merchant's Reserve pulls no punches. Pronounced notes of petrol, iodine, cinnamon, pear, and a hint of grass and fresh herbs. The taste is equally earthy and intense with flavors like leather, tobacco, sweet potato, and smoke. There is nothing boring or mediocre about this rum, it is a must have for top quality cocktails.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Dictador 12 Year Solera System Rum
Distiller Score 83
Notes of vanilla, roasted nuts, coffee, dried dates, and baking spices present themselves along with wet potting soil. Heat persists on the palate but the flavor is fairly pleasant with notes of vanilla, under-ripe sugarcane, mixed nuts, cocoa nibs, and caramel before a strong, lingering metallic note on the finish.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Doorly's 12 Year Rum
Distiller Score 90
In the bottle, the Doorly’s 12 has an inviting dark mahogany hue. The nose is subtle, primarily vanilla and oak. Much like the first sip of a fine Scotch, the Doorly’s 12 immediately lets you know you’re tasting something exceptional. Oak, vanilla, fruit, and spice are in ideal harmony -- all present but none dominating, and the finish lingers for quite a while. The finish is pleasing, dry and free of any sugar like you may find in many “premium” rums at a much higher price. The flavors continue to evolve the longer it spends breathing, so take your time with it. This is a rum that you’ll want to enjoy neat while pondering how you might sneak it into a fancy whiskey tasting lineup to see who you can fool. The only “complaint” is that this should be at a slightly higher proof.
Reviewed by Matt Pietrek
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Angostura 1919 Rum
Distiller Score 83
1919 offers a rich complex nose of vanilla, toasted oak, sweet fruitcake, stone fruits, and delicate baking spices. With a single sip baked-peach-pie, cinnamon, vanilla, toasted oak and allspice reveal themselves to be driving flavors with subtle undertones of fennel, pineapple-upside-down-cake, and pecans. The finish on this rum is round, sweet and spicy with just enough complexity to keep you coming back.
Reviewed by Ryan Conklin
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Kirk and Sweeney 12 Year Rum
Distiller Score 82
The nose is heavy with vanilla-extract followed by caramel, toffee, and butterscotch. After the hard-candy aromas come dried fruits like plum, fig, and a hint of banana. On the palate, there is notable dusty oak, followed by a hint of orange peel with a medium-long finish of baking spices like cinnamon, cardamom pod, and a wee bit of clove, but it’s the vanilla that lingers the longest.
Reviewed by Ryan Conklin
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Two James Doctor Bird Jamaican Rum
Distiller Score 92
The rum delivers a funky sweet ester-rich aroma of passion fruit, coconut husks, and dried lemon peel. Additional notes of pineapple, pencil lead, and ripe strawberries also appear. As you sip this dense spirit these aromas appear on the palate along with dark caramel, grapefruit pith, and charred oak. The long finish is a swirl of the ripe strawberries, oak tannins, and copper mineral notes that linger on the tongue long after the rum is gone.
Reviewed by Paul Senft
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Privateer The Queen's Share Rum
Distiller Score 91
The liquid in the glass is a medium gold hue. The nose is wood forward and dry, bringing to mind a custard-filled doughnut. Once the initial ethanol heat passes, the flavors are challenging to pull apart as there’s a lot going on here. Caramel and dried fruits dominate, with a pleasingly rich, viscous mouthfeel. Since this is aged in new American oak, it’s vanilla forward, similar to a bourbon. This is a rum you’ll want to add a wee bit of water to and take your time to ponder what you’re tasting. Massachusetts-based Privateer may be small in scale, but they’re proof that in the right hands, New England rum can go head-to-head with renowned Caribbean producers when it comes to big, bold rums.
Reviewed by Matt Pietrek
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Appleton Estate Reserve Blend
Distiller Score 88
The “Jamaica funk” is unmistakable. Ripe banana, orange peel, magic marker and welded metal round out the aromas. The palate is very similar with the addition of caramel, rubber and iodine. This rum is classic, soft and with a pleasant kick on the finish.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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The Real McCoy 5 Year Rum
Distiller Score 90
The golden rum provides a host of pleasant aromas including ripe fruit and freshly baked sweets. The fruits include banana, mango and kiwi, and the sweets are represented by cream puffs and toffee candies. Also here is a dose of spice including mixed pepper and cardamom. The rum enters with a nearly simultaneous presentation of fruit, spice and sweets. The mid-palate is hit with the oaky tannins and the sweetness, while the upper palate receives the spice and bright fruits. The kiwi and mango noted upon nosing are here, and are now amped up even further by a melange of citrus zests--principally lemon and orange. Subsequent sips provide more oak and vanilla with caramel and the toffee. There is the slightest bit of leather and tobacco as well, and as the long finish fades, the tannins and sweetness fall away gracefully. A delightful rum with complexity beyond its years.
Reviewed by Josh Miller
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Ron Centenario 20 Fundación
Distiller Score 85
The aroma has a strong caramel aroma with notes of oak, vanilla, and black pepper along with a hint of cinnamon. The first sip reveals the caramel, vanilla, and cinnamon found in the aroma along with rich cocoa and toffee. Additional sips reveal toasted almonds and soft mineral notes as the rum settles in a light sweet finish.
Reviewed by Paul Senft
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The Real McCoy 12 Year Rum
Distiller Score 87
In the bottle, this is rum is a bit darker than you’d expect for a twelve-year rum. The aroma is of oak, light fruit, and non-objectionable feints of nail polish remover, a result of wood aging and especially common in Barbados rum. The initial taste is sweet fruit, although it’s a dry rum with no sugar added. In the mid palate, vanilla and oak take shape. It finishes with a slight bit of pepper and tad more burn than you’d expect from an expertly aged twelve year rum.
Reviewed by Matt Pietrek
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Appleton Estate 8 Year Reserve Rum
Distiller Score 84
Tropical fruits including mangoes and overripe bananas lead on the nose, along with a bit of pot still funk and burnt caramel. The palate shows fiery cinnamon, leather, and tobacco, along with brown sugar and toffee, before getting drier towards the back with cedar wood. The finish is short, offering molasses and Jamaican allspice.
Reviewed by Jake Emen