My last review on Holmes Cay Reunion agricole was… controversial. Some people like the briny olivey taste, while others agreed with me that it reminded them of a dirty martini. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try another agricole any time soon, because it would have to be vastly different for me to genuinely think that it’s excellent. At the very least, I had a lot more rums in mind that I’d like to try before I gamble it on another agricole.

And then I was flying to Orlando last weekend, and my flight was delayed by 6 hours. Luckily, my credit card automatically gives me a free lounge pass after a 2 hour delay, so I got to go to my favorite lounge ever: the Sapphire lounge in LaGuardia. They have excellent food and snacks, and also a surprisingly decent bar.

Note: This rum is unaged, but is rested for 6 months in stainless steel tanks

Review

Smell

To start, I want to acknowledge that this review is not perfect. I was allowed a daiquiri or just on the rocks to mix with coke, but they refused to serve it to me neat. They said it’s their policy to not serve alcohol neat. Ok??? Bizarre. So, that may slightly affect my perception. That said, while I got a lot of grass and brine smell from Holmes Cay Reunion, I only get a tiny bit of that smell here. I mostly smell… what I can best describe as something similar to Jamaican funk. So overripe banana, pineapple, but also a hint of citrus, kind of like with Copeland rum (and Irish blend with Bajan pot still), and of course a bit of fresh grass and pickled olives.

Taste

If you told me that this was Jamaican rum, I might have believed you. It’s not like the rums that I have tried from Appleton, Long Pond, or Clarendon— in fact, again, the rum that it reminds me most of is Copeland, which gets its pot still portion from Barbados, but is much more similar to Jamaican rum in taste than other Bajan rums. The funk itself is quite potent. I don’t have these on hand to try side by side, but I would say it’s not quite at the funk level of Xaymaca or OFTD, but it’s certainly more funky than Myers’s. It’s very good. It makes a great daiquiri or just rum and coke. The flavor profile is just very “rummy”, and it’s smooth and doesn’t burn, which is fantastic for something so lightly aged.

Verdict 6.5/10

(Edited from 6/10 on 3/25/26)

(Edited from 6/10 on 1/4/26)

I still wouldn’t buy this rum, except maybe for a room party. It doesn’t depart from Bacardi enough to make me want to have the time for it. That being said, it’s definitely a solid step up from Bacardi, and I actually prefer it over Flor de Cana 4 year as well. In terms of plain generic column still white rum, this performed about as well as it could have, given that it’s a tough category to really be excellent in. It’s a solid 6/10.

January 4, 2026 Update:

So, when I made this review, I had not yet tried a clairin, and Copalli tastes exactly like San Zanj. The slight taste of brined olives and tropical fruits is pretty typical of a Haitian clairin, and Copalli white basically embodies that flavor. But, in fact, I like it slightly better than San Zanj, so I am dropping my score to 7.5/10 to align with the new scoring chart.

March 25, 2026 Update:

Im back in my happy place, at the chase sapphire lounge in LaGuardia. I’m back drinking the rum here. Copalli, Cruzan, and Appleton 8. A pretty good selection. I won’t lie, I had rose colored glasses trying it last time. Now going back, it’s really not that good. Like, it’s good, don’t get me wrong, but 7.5/10 is just below Smith & Cross. Let’s not kid ourselves. I enjoy it about as much as Appleton. It’s well rounded, fruity, briny, and genuinely enjoyable, but coming back a year later, I now realize that this cane juice flavor profile is not that unique. I might have to bump down San Zanj as well. Sorry, but these are living reviews! What noob me loved, the ruminator finds just above average.