Bati White Rum

Rum tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, May 9th 2019: Rum #1 Nose: Light and slightly floral fragrance (vanilla blossom mostly). A cereal note, almost like white flour or white bread. A fruity spun-sugar aroma and a grassy, woody fragrance, reminiscent of bamboo. Palate: Soft, a little vanilla and generic fruitiness. Hardly any development - what is there at the start is what you get. You could almost believe this is a slightly creamy and well-structured vodka with subtle vanilla flavouring. There are some plain white sugar notes, but the texture is good. Finish: Short. White sugar and vanilla suggestions that tail off quickly. A faint metallic hint in the aftertaste. I've tasted better white rum, but I've tasted a whole lot worse as well. In comparison to my yardstick Plantation 3-star this is a little simple and plain, but hey - we're not talking about a premium sipping spirit. This stuff is meant for mixing and in that context it would work just fine. Made by Rum Co. of Fiji (who also make Ratu spiced rum) this is filtered through coconut husk charcoal, which means nothing in particular other than that it's had the colour and heavy esters filtered out to produce a standard-style white rum (with a very light yellow haze). There is no coconut aroma or flavour in the profile. "Bati" means "warrior" in Fijian, and I guess after drinking enough of this I'd probably feel like a warrior too - but I'd regret it later. "Average" : 75/100 (2.5 stars)