“It all started with Single Malt Whiskies, our first love, then it grew even more with Single Grains and Rums: for us it’s all about finding extraordinary single casks.”
A great quote from the co-founders of this indie bottling venture; by the way, a ‘valinch’ is the tube used to sample a spirit from a cask’s bunghole (I can’t believe I just wrote that) and a mallet is well, you know….a certain coyote often chases a roadrunner with one. In this case, the reference romanticises the idea of visiting different casks, tasting them, replacing the stopper, and eventually making the best choice of which to bring to market. Of course, every indie will say this is what they do, but in reality, perhaps a few spent too much time sampling and not enough time making the best choices.
Oddly enough, this bottler is one I see pop up more often in Canada than I see in Europe, but there’s a reason for that (other than the obvious one of being Canadian myself). Heads and Tails, a Canadian liquor agency, has been doing a phenomenal job of snagging some of these rums (and whiskeys) and bringing them into Canada, so a big thanks to them for making them available.
They primarily focus on Scotch whisky, but also started bottling rum a year after inception. Like most independent bottlers of spirits, they do not chill-filter or add colour to the liquid they choose to bottle, with a focus on choosing what they like and not necessarily what will sell the best. Not an easy choice, but a commendable one to stand behind. They also take plenty of time with the vessels as well, using a combination of lovely textured labels as well as acid-etched metal description plates to convey as much detail about the spirit as they can give…they somewhat remind me of potion bottle from a medieval role-playing game.
For 2021 they’ve created a special ‘Spirit of Art’ collection; as supporters of the arts, they have worked with the CRA gallery to support young artists from all over the world. The bottles are redesigned with opaque black-out glass, gold trimming, and featuring a print of the artist’s work on the rear. This is an interesting initiative and I look forward to further releases in the future, perhaps featuring artists from the countries the rum comes from?
This year’s releases look absolutely stellar; a five distillery Jamaica blend, a Foursquare from Barbados, an almost fully tropically aged Long Pond from Jamaica, and a very old Enmore from Guyana. Let’s see if the liquid is as beautiful as the packaging and brand philosophy suggests.
Five Distilleries in Jamaica ‘Ester’s Delight!’ – (12 y.o., 56.3%, 285 bottles)
A five distillery, Jamaican-only, pure pot still blend, which leaves no room for guesswork as to the contents. There are only six operating Jamaican distilleries and one of them certainly does not sell bulk rum. This is most definitely liquid from Hampden, Worthy Park, Clarendon, New Yarmouth, and Long Pond. Very few (if any) companies besides Scheer in Amsterdam have the ability to put together a blend like this, so I would think it’s safe to assume this blend was put together by them to be used for this bottling. This one has a small average of two years of tropical aging and 10 years of European aging.
When I chatted about the components of this blend, a comment was made that this was like the Avengers of Jamaican rum; I’d argue it’s more like the Infinity Gauntlet with all the stones, because like that big golden glove, whoever wields a bottle of this golden liquid is a powerful individual indeed.
Once I poured this, I respectfully approached the glass so as to not too cause my nose to combust; surprisingly, this was not as expressive as expected at first, but a little time brought more aroma. I initially noticed some pineapple essence, briny green olives, melon, a little mint, granny smith apple peel, and a touch of thyme. Then, juicy lime cordial, strawberries, a few tart cherries, and a little apricot, banana peel, and pomegranate.
This is like grocery shopping for only fresh, never frozen produce! As I get into the liquid, this stuff is as funky as you could want, but simultaneously forgiving; oily, chewy, an explosion of fruit and acidity, with heavy, creamy sweetness, such as dark honey glazed peanuts. There is a touch of leather and tobacco, tar, vanilla, a few drops of soy sauce, a dash of sarsaparilla, and a bit of sweet chewing gum. There is a touch of acetone, but it absolutely feels like a part of the profile and not something to be worried about.
So juicy, sweet, syrupy, really funky but also incredibly easy-going; the kind of bottle you just can’t put down. Massive kudos to these guys for putting together a blend that is well balanced in terms of alcohol presence as it rarely happens with these kinds of rums.
Hampden dominates (of course) but the components are all there if you look for them; the brine of New Yarmouth, the acidic cacao notes of Long Pond, the crisp green apple of Clarendon and….well, I can’t quite pick up the Worthy Park personally. Unfortunately, I think it and the Clarendon are a little eclipsed here, but they function well as the body for the blend, keeping it from being overwhelming and keeping it incredibly balanced; I cannot stress at how well-done the execution is here. The name ‘Ester’s Delight’ is no joke; this is an amazing blend; certainly one to seek out, and one of the best spirits I’ve had in quite a while. I’d say don’t sleep on this one, but it may be too late.
(92pt)
Foursquare – (13 y.o., 58.3%, 295 bottles)
As usual, we have a single blended (a blend of heavier pot and lighter column) distillate, which spent nine years aging in Barbados and four in Europe. On the nose, immediate caramel and toasted coconut, some roasted almonds and peanuts, hot chocolate mix, vanilla, a touch of orange zest, a whiff of leather. A few raisins, some cooked pineapple, and molasses, a little acetone, then tons of peanut brittle and powdered ginger. If you like bourbon, you will love this one; I’m sure that on nose alone I could convince most bourbon aficionados that this was a high end product in the Beam portfolio.
On the palate, some demerara syrup and allspice, medium minus tannin, a bit of burnt tree bark (which is how I generally perceive barrel char), and the peanut brittle is back in full force, with lots of pencil shavings and ginger snaps.
This is certainly comparable to some Foursquare ECS bottles, however, there is a difference in texture that is apparent, with this bottling not being quite as rounded and full in texture by comparison. The difference is marginal, but considering this retails for a bit more than it’s cousins, I wouldn’t bother with it unless you’re a collector or if you don’t have access to the distillery releases.
Having said that, we are known for poor supply of cane spirits here in Canada and Foursquare continues to be elusive, so any Canadian should be exuberant to snag one of these.
Once again, a very delicious and well-made Foursquare, but like the bourbon profile many reviewers allude to, it does lack the high level of complexity I look for in spirits, instead focusing on doing a few things very well; a drinker more than a thinker.
(86pt)
Long Pond – (15 y.o., 56.8%, 325 bottles)
There are very few tropically-aged, Long Ponds available, so we’re once again in fairly uncommon territory.This liquid spent a full 13 years in Jamaica before a final two years aging in Europe. The bottle states it’s a pot still, but this is no surprise as the VRW (Vale Royal Wedderburn) marque is only made on a pot still.
In the glass this is beautifully dark; it definitely spent much of its life in a very hot Jamaican warehouse! Reflective of that, we get a little mustiness as the rum opens up, revealing an incredibly well-balanced rum, full of distinct, complex, and unique aromas. Sweet fruits, such as cantaloupe, mango puree, finger bananas, peach flesh, and preserved maraschino cherries (the real ones, not glacé cherries); then, some sweet candied notes, semi-sweet chocolate chips in cookie dough, vanilla bean, and a little anise. Then my favourite odd notes, such as mango curry (weird, right?), leather, and hard, nutty cheese (let’s say…pecorino?).
Let’s take a swig; in the mouth, it is incredibly well-balanced. Dark chocolate, hazelnuts, and overripe fruits again, with a great expression of all of the flavours from the nose, the heat only really perceptible on the finish.
Overall, this unfortunately has less impact than the Velier bottlings, even the comparable NRJ Vale Royal. Where those bottlings are a little more bubbly, taking the drinker on a roller coaster of a journey, this spirit is a little more flabby on the palate, the heavy tannin making the tongue go a little numb. This could have done with more acidity on the palate for balance. Having said that, I think this is still an excellent bottling, and if you have a preference for balance over incredible uniqueness, this will be an incredible one to own, a crowd pleaser and certainly more reminiscent of the NRJ Lond Pond bottlings than those done by Plantation. Definitely a great tot for your favourite Scotch aficionado and rum lover alike.
(90pts)
Enmore – (26 y.o., 52.5%, 215 bottles)
When I cracked open my sample, I could have sworn I heard a cry emanate from afar, as the voice of a Lone Caner somewhere across the globe exclaimed in both envy and excitement, ‘Don’t forget a sample for me!’; there will certainly be a sample stored away for my favourite Chacha.
As a person of Guyanese descent, these ancient Demerara bottles always have a sweet spot in my heart, despite leaving a hole in my wallet and generally disappointing me quite often. This one just spent 2 years aging in Guyana and the rest of its life in Europe. The bottle states Enmore REV – Versailles, which is a bit of an overkill, as we know the ‘E’ and ‘V’ in ‘REV’ stands for ‘Enmore Versailles’ but I will never complain about full information, and besides, nothing gets me REV’d up like a cask strength, pot still Guyanese rum.
A first look in the glass reveals a gorgeous, dark copper colour, that certainly indicates all of the time spent in the barrel….or so you’d think. This was certainly aged in Europe, and more often than not, even the better part of three decades in a barrel will not give a spirit this much colour; in fact, I own a bottle of the same juice that is two years older and much lighter. Like it or not, Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL) does sometimes age its spirit with caramel colour in the barrel (not to be confused with their ‘sweet’ caramel that they have added to some of their El Dorado releases).
Myself and some other Demerara aficionados appreciate these ‘coloured’ releases very much, as there is an accentuated, savoury complexity that you often don’t get with the non-coloured variants and is what I am expecting to find here.
Twenty-six years is a long time, so patience is key to allow this sleeping beauty to awaken. Initial sniffs reveal lots of dried chilies, such as guajillo and arbol, giving spicy, earthy, and fruity aromas, with a little bit of leatheriness. The fruit itself is more on the end of dark, dry fruit, such as prunes, blackcurrants, and dried apricot. A bit of mustiness is present as well, as if entering a dusty old mausoleum, making me a very happy grave robber.
Deeper into the darkness we venture, some light licorice aroma, as well as some cooked orange peels, dried mango slices, a whiff or two of fermenting coconut, and just a lovely general herbal presence. A little Ceylon cinnamon is there as well, with powdered ginger, and perhaps a little paprika and tobacco as well, tying back into the dried chilies. There is a little caramel in the background that mildly expresses itself as a savoury, molasses-y sweetness.
Time for a taste; this does not disappoint whatsoever. The chilies are there, but their seeds have been removed, leaving a flavorful spirit that is far less spicy than you might expect (at least at first). All of the initial sweetness is there, with a heavy body and mild acidity that helps balance the tannin. A swallow leaves a dry, spicy intensity that leaves the back of your tongue tingling, telling you to be patient before the next sip and to remind you to enjoy what little time you have with it. Between the colour and the age, there is quite a bit of tannin here, so, although the nose isn’t incredibly woody, the palate leans more in this direction.
This is by far the best continentally aged Demerara rum I’ve had the pleasure to try, though you may not agree if your palate skews away from dry or woody profiles; if you are a fan of long aged agricoles, this will also be to your liking.
I would not go as far to say that this profile is completely wood driven, though, as it really does do fine work of showcasing its age as well as base distillate.
A winner for me and a crown jewel in the collection. Davide and Fabio should be immensely proud of this one.
(94pts)
Final Thoughts
This was an incredibly diverse tasting for me and these are certainly some of the best cane spirits ever released at retail in this country, hopefully a sign of things to come and not just a one-off; anyone should be proud to own any one of these bottles.
Once again, a big thank-you to Mr. Drams&Drips, who sourced and split these bottles with myself and some other lucky enthusiasts.