A Flowery Song

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.