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It has been two months since we have had our final rum session – bizarre. Time to make issues proper. This is a latest load of bottlings, primarily from Kirsch Import and buddies, in addition to from The Whisky Jury. I promise we’ll do a session with different bottlers quickly, as there’s much more to put in writing about. 

Savanna 10 yo 2013 ‘Unshared cask’ (49,8%, OB for Germany 2024, cognac cask #778, 640 btl.)

Nostril: polished wooden up entrance, with an enormous fruity core. Dried apricots, oranges and even hints of strawberry sweet, in addition to golden raisins. The hyperlink with cognac is definitely noticeable. Then mild vanilla. Oaky aromas too, in a floral and barely risky approach, not unusual for French oak.Mouth: extra rummy notes now, with candy bananas, extra acidic lemons, oranges and a faint coppery word. Then oak spice seems, like ginger and pepper, together with a grassy facet. Mid-palate the apricots come out once more, with sweet sweetness and extra inexperienced bananas and mildly drying oak. Salted almonds ultimately.End: fairly lengthy, nonetheless fruity with an enormous cognac really feel to it.Whereas the nostril usually bent over in direction of cognac, on the palate it’s clearly rum once more. Should you like rum and cognac, this is an opportunity to have them on the similar time. The earlier (youthful) launch was advantageous, however that is elevating the bar. Nonetheless accessible in German shops. The subsequent one is a secret rum. Similar to in whisky, these days distilleries don’t desire their title on unbiased bottlings any extra. On this case it says Distilled in Lluidas Vale on the label, which is just the native title for Worthy Park. I am nonetheless not getting why they insist on obfuscating it after they use a really, very apparent synonym. 

Secret Jamaica 9 yo ‘Lluidas Vale’ (50%, Relaxation & Be Grateful for Wu Dram Clan & Kirsch 2024, 2 barrels)

Nostril: pencil shavings, lemons, inexperienced apples and unripe pineapples, in addition to a touch of recent gasoline. Then inexperienced olives, inexperienced spice and a touch of vanilla. Loads of bananas too, in fact, offering a pleasant counterweight for the esters.Mouth: the onset is way milder than anticipated. Candy and ripe fruits, with recent and baked bananas are taking the lead, alongside pineapple sweets and vanilla. Hints of pepper and recent oak shavings. Mid-palate some funky esters seem, but it surely’s definitely not essentially the most difficult Moneymusk (?) ever.End: medium lengthy, however no new parts. Delicate esters, bananas, lime and vanilla.A fairly good and fairly delicate launch, one that gives sufficient depth however stays extremely drinkable always. Examine Kirsch Import for retailers. Rating: 87/100  

HD 2016 ‘Multi-mark blended at beginning’ (59,2%, The Whisky Jury 2024, refill barrel #101301)

Nostril: plenty of varnish and tender glue right here, even a touch of vinegar, with very ripe and candy mango and banana within the background. A little bit of soursop and pastry notes. Then pickle brine and clam juice. A slight alcohol spike as properly. Not completely what we anticipated up to now.Mouth: a lot sweeter than the standard Hampden. A number of pineapple sweets, Wiliams pears and mashed bananas, together with beneficiant varnished notes. Marzipan. Then some salted liquorice and a mixture of lemon and lightweight petrol. Nonetheless a tad spirity and a woody trace comes out in direction of the end.End: fairly lengthy, peppery and candy, with some salmiak and olive brine.The added roundness and candy fruitiness of this bottling appears to remove some complexity. There’s additionally a spirity edge which maked this one of many lesser releases on this sequence up to now. Fairly good by itself, but it surely does not appear to satisfy HD expectations. Rating: 87/100  

TDL 14 yo 2009 (62,9%, The Whisky Jury for Concord & Gene’s Dram 2024, refill barrel #20, 256 btl.)

Nostril: additionally fairly fruity, this time extra on peach, tangerine sweet and massive hints of mango. The solventy notes are current however extra subdued. Some liquorice and aniseed.Mouth: ah, nearly the tropical fruits that we discover in outdated cognac. Suppose pink grapefruits, mango, ardour fruits and pineapple cubes. Later it turns into a little bit extra oaky than how we keep in mind cask #3, with natural tea, peppermint. A faint trace of salt in direction of the tip.End: lengthy, now extra in direction of peach and citrus. A little bit of oak spice as properly.The tropical fruit explosion that these TDLs can supply is sort of marvellous. I’d nonetheless choose cask #3 as my favorite, however this is kind of on the identical stage. Examine TWJ for retailers. Rating: 91/100  

Hampden 8 yo 2016 LROK (65%, Relaxation & Be Grateful for Wu Dram Clan & Kirsch 2024, bourbon barrel #4, 227 btl.)

Nostril: funk. Overripe bananas, pineapples and lime acidity, but in addition inexperienced olives in brine, glue and solvents. Then some brake mud and bicycle retailers. Saltiness and minty herbs develop sturdy over time, in addition to some recent oak.Mouth: fairly explosive, with loads of esters. There’s extra glue, hints of petrol and plenty of briny notes. Banana pudding, a little bit of brown sugar, some mango and salted lemons. A flippantly caramelized word comes out ultimately, together with drier hints of inexperienced olives and rubber. Even a camphory edge.End: lengthy and estery, plus some liquorice, olives and oak spice like cinnamon and clove.Pure Hampden, maybe not but on the optimum age for complexity however already providing plenty of pleasure. Extra to my liking than the gentler multi-mark. A pleasant powerhouse which you’ll find on German cabinets. Rating: 89/100  

New Yarmouth 30 yo 1994 (67,6%, Flensburg Rum Firm 2024, 199 btl.)

Nostril: very wealthy unique woods – polished in fact. Improbable humidor aromas, with demerara sugar and cigar leaves beneath. Then it strikes in direction of maple syrup, vanilla pods and coconut, coming near an American bourbon at instances. Glazed chestnuts, toasted walnuts and loads of minty notes as properly.Mouth: very sturdy – George T. Stagg anybody? Warming oak with some apparent tannins but in addition loads of leathery notes, molasses and caramel. Cocoa and cinnamon liqueur. Then a little bit nail polish remover, caramelized nuts and vanilla. Pretty, however fairly alcoholic. With water good oranges come out, with a number of drops of vermouth.End: lengthy, nonetheless citrusy, with wealthy caramelized notes, orange cordial and leather-based. A lightweight tarry edge too.A really bourbonny and woody Jamaican, this New Yarmouth. Hardly funky, however as a substitute a really polished, wealthy profile for bourbon lovers. Water is required. General probably the greatest 1994s I’ve had although. Examine Oldman Spirits. Rating: 90/100 Up subsequent: Fiji rum from Dos Delincuentes. If that title does not ring a bell: it is a collab between FRC and Wu Dram Clan. It comes at a loopy power of 72.5% ABV. 

Fiji 17 yo 2006 (72,5%, Dos Delincuentes 2024, bourbon barrels, 256 btl.)

Nostril: a bit uncooked, with a fierce assault, some paint thinner and rubbery notes which are fairly frequent at this power. Pear sweetness beneath. Additionally salty liquorice, anchovies and brine. Bitter almond too. Very compact.Mouth: relatively prison power. Good banana sweetness with pineapple although, I admit. Then tarry hints and inexperienced olives in brine as properly. Water brings out tart kiwi with vanilla pastry and creamy caramel ice cream, together with peppery notes and a few woody notes.End: lengthy and scorching. Salted caramel, with a little bit rubber, liquorice and hints of grapefruit.I am not the most important fan of those Fiji rums, and the ferocious ABV just isn’t serving to both. I do not thoughts excessive flavours however that is simply uncooked, with restricted complexity and pleasure in my e-book, even after taking part in round with water. Rating: 86/100

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