It has been two months since we have had our final rum session – bizarre. Time to make issues proper. Here is a latest load of bottlings, primarily from Kirsch Import and mates, in addition to from The Whisky Jury. I promise we’ll do a session with different bottlers quickly, as there’s much more to write down 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 manner, not unusual for French oak.Mouth: extra rummy notes now, with candy bananas, extra acidic lemons, oranges and a faint coppery notice. 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 the direction of cognac, on the palate it’s clearly rum once more. For those who like rum and cognac, this is an opportunity to have them on the similar time. The earlier (youthful) launch was nice, however that is elevating the bar. Nonetheless accessible in German shops. The subsequent one is a secret rum. Identical to in whisky, these days distilleries don’t desire their identify on impartial bottlings any extra. On this case it says Distilled in Lluidas Vale on the label, which is just the native identify for Worthy Park. I am nonetheless not getting why they insist on obfuscating it once 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 splash of contemporary 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 contemporary and baked bananas are taking the lead, alongside pineapple sweets and vanilla. Hints of pepper and contemporary oak shavings. Mid-palate some funky esters seem, nevertheless it’s definitely not probably the most difficult Moneymusk (?) ever.End: medium lengthy, however no new parts. Delicate esters, bananas, lime and vanilla.A reasonably good and fairly gentle launch, one that provides sufficient depth however stays extremely drinkable always. Verify Kirsch Import for retailers. Rating: 87/100  

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

Nostril: a number of varnish and gentle 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 fully what we anticipated to date.Mouth: a lot sweeter than the standard Hampden. A lot of pineapple sweets, Wiliams pears and mashed bananas, together with beneficiant varnished notes. Marzipan. Then some salted liquorice and a mixture of lemon and light-weight petrol. Nonetheless a tad spirity and a woody trace comes out in the 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 to date. Fairly good by itself, nevertheless it 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, virtually the tropical fruits that we discover in outdated cognac. Suppose pink grapefruits, mango, ardour fruits and pineapple cubes. Later it turns into a bit of extra oaky than how we keep in mind cask #3, with natural tea, peppermint. A faint trace of salt in the direction of the tip.End: lengthy, now extra in the direction of peach and citrus. A little bit of oak spice as properly.The tropical fruit explosion that these TDLs can provide is sort of marvellous. I might nonetheless choose cask #3 as my favorite, however this is kind of on the identical degree. Verify 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 robust over time, in addition to some contemporary 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 notice 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 a number of pleasure. Extra to my liking than the gentler multi-mark. A pleasant powerhouse which yow will discover 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 the direction of maple syrup, vanilla pods and coconut, coming near an American bourbon at occasions. Glazed chestnuts, toasted walnuts and loads of minty notes as properly.Mouth: very robust – 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 bit of nail polish remover, caramelized nuts and vanilla. Pretty, however fairly alcoholic. With water good oranges come out, with just a few 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 an alternative a really polished, wealthy profile for bourbon lovers. Water is required. Total the most effective 1994s I’ve had although. Verify Oldman Spirits. Rating: 90/100 Up subsequent: Fiji rum from Dos Delincuentes. If that identify does not ring a bell: it is a collab between FRC and Wu Dram Clan. It comes at a loopy energy 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 can be fairly frequent at this energy. Pear sweetness beneath. Additionally salty liquorice, anchovies and brine. Bitter almond too. Very compact.Mouth: slightly prison energy. 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 bit of rubber, liquorice and hints of grapefruit.I am not the largest fan of those Fiji rums, and the ferocious ABV shouldn’t be 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 enjoying round with water. Rating: 86/100