I got some of this rum a while ago, but it was a real thinker. There’s just a lot going on here, and I wanted to try this rum several times spaced over several days to think things over.

Review

Smell

My first thought was that it smells kind of like something from Worthy Park. A bit of banana but also a bit of industrial smell. Kind of like a mix of fruit, acetone, and glue. It then transitions to a bold smell of oak and vanilla from the 15 years of tropical aging, but it’s impressive that this rum is so bold that even after 15 years, the oaked age isn’t the predominant smell.

Taste

It’s very bold. Mostly acetone and glue, but also some bananas and wild berries. The finish is quite long, and has notes of maraschino cherries, licorice, black current, and that fake strawberry flavored cough syrup. Great body, melts nicely on my tongue, and very bold and complex. That said, I think that it’s best enjoyed with a bit of water or an ice cube and allowed to open up a bit.

Verdict 7.5/10

This one’s been kind of complicated, because on one hand, I want to love this rum for all of its complex and good flavors, but much like with Worthy Park, the industrial and weird glue flavors just bring it down for me. Still, I very much enjoy this rum with an ice cube, though, for the price, I’d rather get a nice aged Jamaican instead. It’s a step up from Forgotten Casks for sure, but I think that I enjoyed Foursquare ECS 2008 slightly more, just because it didn’t have the off flavors. So, overall, I leave it at a respectable 7.5/10