A Flowery Song

Background: I admit, I know almost nothing about this rum. I purchased it because I was successfully marketed at; I saw it sitting on the shelf and said “That’s a sexy bottle.” It’s Brazilian, made from sugarcane, and spiced.

Nose: Sweet vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Taste: Lightly sweet, very balanced mix of spices. Maybe a hint of black pepper? Vegetal sugar cane influence on the lingering, sugary finish.

Overall: Decent. Slightly harsh for sipping neat; serving it on the rocks smooths it out.

Background: This premium rum is made from first-press sugarcane juice and aged in French oak, making it more akin to rhum agricole or cachaça than to the normal molasses-based rums aged in either ex-bourbon barrels or stainless steel vats.

Nose: Nutmeg and oaky vanilla.

Taste: Vegetal sugar cane and a bit of sweetness. The medium-length finish is oily and has a light oak influence.

Overall: A bit uncomplicated for sipping, but if you’re looking for an alternative to Bacardi Silver for your next mojito you could do worse. Given the nose, this is just crying out to be an ingredient in some rich, creamy eggnog.

Background: Celebration Distillation Corporation was founded by artist James Michalopoulos and his art is featured on the inside back label of each bottle. The Crystal is a white rum made from Louisiana molasses and flavoured with vanilla.

Nose: Fairly straightforward with vanilla and caramel dominating over a background of mild alcohol.

Taste: Sweet, rich body with notes of vanilla and toffee. Despite whacking you in the face on the nose, here the vanilla fades into a smooth complement to the underlying molasses flavour. Fairly smooth for an unaged spirit, but still some slight alcohol burn.

Overall: Heavier than many white rums, this well-balanced spirit can stand on its own for sipping or add a bit of extra character to a cocktail.

Background: From Tuthilltown Spirits, a small-batch artisanal rum made from blackstrap molasses. Aged in American and European (French?) oak. Bottle 92 of Batch 1 from 2007.

Nose: Rich butterscotch and vanilla.

Taste: Sweet, oaky, lots of vanilla, some smoke and treacle.

Overall: It's a very nice rum, but at $40 for 375ml it's on the pricy side.

Background: Unaged Brazilian cachaça.

Nose: Wow, that's fruity. Deep wine-like red fruit, mainly raspberry, with hints of citrus and some floral notes. Some vanilla and alcohol, along with some odd vegetal undertones.

Taste: Sugary lead in, vegetal (sugar cane?) background with vague fruitiness and an impression of smoke. Finish is short and dry.

(Hmm, which of these is the water? They're both so clear.)

Nose: The red fruitiness is greatly diminished, and my main impression is of an extremely vegetal whisky, for some reason. Smoky, with some of the high notes being reminiscent of tequila.

Taste: Considering the changes in the nose, I would have expected the water to have more of an impact on the palate. The fruitiness tends more toward citrus, and minuscule amounts of vanilla waft through.

Overall: An intriguing spirit. Not great for sipping, but I can see this really shining in cocktails.

Background: This rum from Puerto Rico is aged for four years in ex-bourbon barrels. Maybe. Definitive evidence on this point is difficult to find.

Nose: Gark. This smells like imitation banana mixed with flowery perfume and caramels.

Taste: Sweet lead-in to a slightly oaked middle with notes of brown sugar and annoying esters. Finish is an almost cloying sweetness and more of the fake banana.

(Should I even bother adding water?)

Nose: More subdued, with maybe a hint of spice.

Taste: More of the same.

Overall: If for some reason you're forced to drink this supposedly “select” product, mix it with something. It might be bearable in eggnog. Maybe.

Background: A blend of pot still rums from Jamaica and Guyana. Allegedly an attempt to replicate the style of rum drunk by the Royal Navy.

Nose: V. complex. Caramel, vanilla, cedar, lime, a hint of tar, some more sweetness, iodine, and coffee.

Taste: Very lightly sweet. Oak, phenols, citrus, and cocoa present. Char begins to peek through, leading into a long, smooth, honeyed finish.

(Add'l water)

Nose: Raisin and honey notes. Rose?

Taste: Sandalwood and salt liquorice. Sweeter throughout.

Overall: Extraordinarily good, extremely layered and complex. I preferred it undiluted, as the sweetness seemed unbalanced in the dilute version. To be sipped slowly and savoured.

Background: Aged golden rum. Barbados-based Mount Gay lays claim to being the oldest producer of rum in the world, with documented production at the estate since 1703. Eclipse is their flagship brand and has a lot of fans.

Nose: Molasses and spicy notes, with some vanilla.

Taste: Very smooth. Spicy and lightly sweet. Oak and vanilla in the middle. Medium length, dry finish.

(Baptise it)

Nose: Citrus undertones.

Taste: Pretty much the same, really. Maybe a bit more oak in the finish.

Overall: I like it. Very smooth sipping rum. The flavour profile has some depth, but not so much so that it's intimidating to new drinkers.

Background: Blended from rums aged between five and ten years.

Nose: Floral brown sugar with a maple syrup background.

Taste: Spicy start, citrus and oak overtones, giving way to a lightly sweet middle with a hint of nuts. Long, dry and mellow finish.

(I'm a lumberjack and I dilute…)

Nose: Mellower, with some lemon presenting. Floral notes resolve into violet?

Taste: Brings out the sweetness a little too much. Slight notes of copper.

Overall: I admit, I'm a sucker for heavily oaked rum. Not too sweet, fairly balanced and with some depth and subtleties to the flavour. Nice sipping rum. Mix with Reed's Ginger Brew for an excellent cocktail.

Background: Dark Jamaican rum produced since 1879. Fred L. Myers's & Sons was owned by Seagram's until the turn of the century, and is now a Diageo brand.

Nose: Molasses, copper, and oak.

Taste: Rich, slightly sweet taste with light oak notes. Short finish.

(Dye loot)

Nose: Oak is more prominent. Maybe some floral undertones.

Taste: Mellower, with some fruity flavours presenting.

Overall: Simple, uncomplicated rum. Excellent for cooking, good for mixing, mediocre for drinking neat.