Banks 5 Island Rum

White, lightly aged, blanco or silver rums, whatever you want to call them are not typically rums that I drink neat, but I do have a good number of them, so I figured I would run thru 8 of them and see which one emerges the winner (between Angostura, Privateer, Havana Club, Cana Brava, Barbancourt, Flor de Cana, Banks 5 Island & El Dorado). Another white rum that I expected I would like better, this one sadly did not fare all that well. As a cocktail white rum, this is a solid choice and makes a very good daiquiri, but outside of that I was surprised at how simple this rum ended up being. The nose is a bit funky with overripe bananas. I would say it's my favorite part of drinking this one, while the palate is decent, but leans a bit too much into the sweetness with a bit of tropical fruit and grassy notes. It feels disjointed and the finish is short and hot. It is definitely a step up from the Angostura and Flor de Cana white rums, it just doesn't beat out the others in the list. There is a good rum in there, it just doesn't shine neat, stick to cocktails for this one.

My Go to silver rum. Found this gem and it’s now a staple in my cabinet. Nose is full of the tropics meets an apothecary. Lots of stone fruits, pineapple, herbs and potent hogo. Palette is super clean, super funk filled. Great pineapple and apple notes, followed by aromatics and herbs... almost an agave note at the end. Finish is long and amazing. This is truly a great supper and an amazing addition to any rum cocktail.

Bright and clear, modest weight but leaves decadent legs cascading down the glass, surprising considering its low proof and probable youth. Hogo slaps the nose, married quite appealingly to a bouquet of young tropical fruits and herbal notes. Pineapple, banana peel. Oregano. 100% agree with a previous taster’s tarragon. Brown rice? Simultaneously assertive, complex, yet smooth as silk. Clean, young, and bright. Can inhale all day. Really nice. Uh oh. The palate is great too. A dash of sweet syrup and pineapple juice tangoes with the aromatics from the nose, then settles across the tongue with bitter lime pith, mint, and a touch of saccharine. Thin vein of Tahitian vanilla. Finally, those herbs return and settle across the tongue, throwing the finish off marginally with a bitter, earthy vibe instead of a tropical sunset. A modest critique, at most. Did we just become best friends? Yep! This is one heck of a lot of affordable fun. Wow. Leave it to E&A Scheer. If you dig young, expressive rum: this is your jam to drink neat. If you dig clean, charismatic rum as cocktail fodder: this is your jam to shake with fruit juice. If you dig neither of those things: just give me one sunny Saturday and I can probably overwrite your operating system.