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Samaroli Rum Fiji 2001
Distiller Score 85
In the glass, this ten year aged rum is a medium gold hue. The nose is powerful – oil, rubber, and leather, typical for Fijian rums of this age. This is one you’ll want to let breathe for a while. After the initial burst of rubber from the first sip subsides, the mid-palate is dry, with molasses and a bit of wood. The strong, rubber tones make this rum polarizing. Most casual consumers won’t enjoy it, but fans of highly pungent rums will find it strongly appealing.
Reviewed by Matt Pietrek
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Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend
Distiller Score 96
The huge nose bursts with rum raisin backed by tropical funk, with flambéed bananas, citrus zest, orange peel, and brown butter. Palate offers vanilla bean and tropical fruits, with rich molasses, dry oak, allspice, and cloves. Long, smooth finish offers some black pepper and oak, with an emphasis on more molasses with brown sugar. Luscious.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Mount Gay Pot Still Rum
Distiller Score 91
This rum is incredibly funky on the nose, with aromas ranging from warm butterscotch to sweet banana to farmyard. Flavor-wise, it's quite savory, with a touch of saltiness, cedar wood, cinnamon spice and vegetal notes. If you're after an easy, sweet rum, this isn't for you. But if you want something with character and complexity, give it a go (if you can snag a bottle).
Reviewed by Anna Archibald
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Ron Diplomático Ambassador Rum
Distiller Score 97
There’s a lot going on here. There’s fruit (lemon, apricot, orange), herbs (sage, thyme), woodsy botanicals (cedar, birch beer), spice (allspice, clove, ginger, black pepper), strong coffee and a sage-y herbal funk. A fun rancio effect seems to have been imparted from the PX casks (new band name - Rancio Effect) and it finishes long and pretty. A slight tobacco smoke to tie it all together makes you understand why sipping rum and cigar smoking are an age old tradition.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Mount Gay 1703 Master Select Rum
Distiller Score 95
This complex rum provides three distinct layers with its flavor profile. The top layer provides the caramelized banana and char notes from the aroma transmuting into a banana foster flavor. This smokey sweet flavor swirls with the mid-line notes of honeyed pineapple, dried apricot, clove, cocoa, and cinnamon. Lastly, the foundation of the rum is grounded in earthy mineral notes, black pepper, tobacco, and just a hint of dried leather.
Reviewed by Paul Senft
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Plantation Extrême No. 3 Jamaica HJC 1996
Distiller Score 90
A big, funky nose showcases bananas flambé and its requisite flavors, melted butter with cinnamon, and caramelized brown sugar. A big dose of hogo is also present, with tropical fruits including papaya, kiwi, and mango. Those tropical notes stay strong throughout a fiery, astringent palate also offering cloves, allspice, oak, and cooked fruits. The finish is long, peppery, and loaded with spices, with an aftertaste like chewing on tropical fruit bubblegum.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Don Pancho Origenes 30 Year
Distiller Score 88
Aromas of praline, tobacco, dried fruit, honey, vanilla and caramel with hints of clove, cinnamon, and anise popping up for intrigue. The flavors are carried in an oaky richness that slips across your palate with oily deliciousness delivered over and over. The finish hangs and surprises with its depth, clarity, and beauty. This rum is to be savored, enjoyed and shared in moments of triumph.
Reviewed by Forrest Cokely
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Ord River Spike's Reserve Rum
Distiller Score 91
Heavy and biting on the nose, seemingly not as thick as you would expect. Mineral wood and sweet spices open to a vanilla bean and honey base, with small hogo molasses. Over time, the spices open and start to move, turning lightly smoky and wooded. On the palate, the rum warms with spiced vanilla and is quite sweet with a back burn of small herbs, moving more towards tart in the end. Dark fruits, plums and cherries sit atop slightly roasted raisin toast with a dusting of cocoa then lightly smeared with golden syrup. The oak barrels have buttered the rum, giving it a drying finish of vanilla spices, wooded minerals and caramel fudge.
Reviewed by Marcus Parmenter
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Foursquare Triptych
Distiller Score 95
The aroma provides notes of tropical fruit, dark chocolate, roasted nuts and charred oak. As you taste, the rum reveals these same aforementioned notes along with spices, dried orange peel, and cherry. As the rum flavors transitions and fades the smoky oak flavors linger in a long pleasantly dry finish.
Reviewed by Paul Senft
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Flor de Caña Centenario 25 Rum
Distiller Score 81
This rum shows a deep amber color in the glass. The aroma has a backbone of menthol that carries notes of vanilla and toasted wood. There's a fairly strong black cherry cough syrup flavor underneath the considerable and typical oak influenced flavors. The finish is long, but not as complex as one would hope, considering the price.
Reviewed by Paul Belbusti
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Charbay Double Aged Rum
Distiller Score 92
Bright gold in color it has a hot, intense nose of cinnamon, buttercream, and butterscotch, with hints of clove, cinnamon, and fruitcake. Voluptuous but not cloying on the palate, hot vanilla, and images of sugar cane fields quickly flash by. Not for the faint of heart, this is a fantastic journey for those who dare to take it straight on. For everyone else enjoy with a splash of water and a giant ice cube to extend the experience as long as possible.
Reviewed by Kelley Slagle
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El Dorado 25 Year Rum
Distiller Score 96
Of course a demerara style rum of this age is going to be heavy and rich. However, there's an impressive finesse to it. Dark, roasty chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, caramel and espresso are cut with earthy walnut and bitter, smoky tobacco. This possesses more spice than the other expressions -with sprinklings of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and clove. If you're lucky enough to sip this, you're definitely doing something right in your life.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster