BY THE DUTCH BATAVIA ARRACK

Decided to try one of these Batavia Arracks that have been starting at me whenever I'm at a certain local bar. Batavia Arrack is a cane rum, but the fermentation in started using red rice (up to 2% of the final product from what I've read). They had two of them, one aged "up to 8 years", and one 8-12 months. After a small taste of each, I went with the younger. The nose is clean, with some faint herbs, brine, and tropical fruit. The palate starts out with an earthy funk, and some brine, grass, and fruit come into the play, with a long, dirty finish with some pepper, herbs, and olive brine There is some similarity to Clairin, but doesn't quite go down quite as easy, and it seems to lean a little more into sweetness, possibly due to the rice starter. Overall seems to be a worthwhile rum style.

Nose: Charcoal, boozy Palate: Boozy, earthy and a hint of charcoal Finish: A bit rough with pronounced charcoal notes

Strong fudge aroma with a hint of vanilla. Sharp alcohol taste (gets better with a few drops of water), some vegetal bitterness, almost anis like.