When it comes to rum-producing countries, Japan isn’t typicaly the first that comes to mind, but this rum is pretty exciting. It’s a limited run from the Boso distillery in Japan, and they seem to be signalling that they are emulating French agricole rhum. They have some previous bottlings that I haven’t tried, such as an emulation of rhum traditionnel (fleur melasse) and an emulation of rhum agricole (fleur blanc/soleil). Rhum Mer seems to be their attempt at emulating a rhum grand arôme.

Also in general I am feeling a bit burnt out on these super high ester rums. There’s always so much going on and it can be hard to put into words. But for the next 2 weeks I will be on vacation, so I’ll be clearing out my backlog.

Note: Blend of molasses and sugarcane syrup (From Japanese: A blend of traditional and high-test molasses※2

※2: A rum production method that uses sugarcane juice concentrated into a syrup as the raw material.)

No age statement, briefly rested in ex-bourbon American oak barrels and Matebashii casks

Review

Smell

I am getting a bit of grass, brine, and apricot on the nose. Like some clairins and french rums, it feels like a mix of briney and fruity.

Taste

It’s pretty unique. High ester, dry, grassy, peppery, industrial, with a sharpie note throughout it, and then the finish is like a dry, sugar-free vanilla icing. There’s some grass, but it’s not like some of the really grassy agricoles. I feel like my mouth gets overwhelmed just drinking this straight. There’s some similarities to Père Labat 59, like the dry grassiness, but it’s less grassy and more fruity.

In a daiquiri, it’s actually really good. I like it far more than Père Labat, and it’s a lot more like Holmes Cay Grand Arôme or Velier Mhoba. It’s a super complex and interesting daiquiri, with fruitiness, pepperiness, grassiness, and industrial rubber from the high esteriness. Again, the daiquiri has a bit of a vanilla icing and green apple finish, which surprisingly works. Much like Mhoba, I didn’t immediately like it on the first try, but over a bit of time it grew on me.

Verdict 7.75/10

Overall, I am pretty happy with this rum. Japan was kind of off my radar entirely, but this rum, as well as Tokyo Nights, really shows that rum can be made anywhere. It’s very flavorful, and I would say the rum it’s most comparable to from my collection is either Holmes Cay Grand Arôme or Velier Mhoba.