Recently a lot of malternatives ended up on my desk, especially rums.
So here’s a first load, which includes a Wagemut and Gourmet Pool release that gained some fame, but also slightly older things like the Caroni ‘Impressions’ from Colours of Rum. More soon!
Foursquare ‘The Origin’ – Single Blended rum (64,1%, Wagemut & RumX, ex-bourbon barrels, 3000 btl.)
Nose: very clean and recognizable, a nice mix of sugarcane syrup and vanilla pastry, with drier oaky notes and coconut. Cornflakes. Some almond paste and honey, as well as citrus notes and whiffs of glue and furniture polish.
Mouth: despite the fiery ABV, rather rounded again. A lot of marzipan, light corn syrup, sultanas and enough vanilla for a small French bakery. Nice hints of mango. Then pancakes with syrup, as well as a firm varnished side and something of peppered Fanta. Milk chocolate in the end.
Finish: very long, with plenty of fresh oak coming out now. Still some mplae, honey and a hint of cappuccino.
In theory this is not my preferred profile: fairly simple, quite alcoholic and wood-driven. That said, it offers a lot of pleasures, more than I expected. A nice fruitiness and balance too. Good selection, with an undeniable value for money.
Black Tot – Finest Caribbean (46,2%, Elixir Distillers 2025)
Nose: fairly mild Demerara style, with a hint of banana, pears and orange peels, some caramel and a good dose of vanilla. That said, it stays on the British, drier side of the spectrum, helped by some liquorice roots and a whiff of diesel. Only very light glue and a touch of leather.
Mouth: slightly more robust now. Some treacly molasses with a nice peppery and gingery note to challenge them. A slight brandy-like edge. Then vanilla, candied lemon peels, hints of coffee grounds and just a little rubber. Big hints of orange liqueur too.
Finish: medium length, with minty notes, orange peels and a peppery note.
Nice purity here, a modern take on the old British Navy profile. Easily accessible yet heavier than most commercial rums, offering enough vibrance to keep experienced rum lovers entertained. Well put together. Available from The Whisky Exchange and other retailers. Score: 86/100
Enmore 37 yo 1988 (49,6%, Gourmet Pool 2025, bourbon barrel #35)
Nose: starts a bit musky, with hints of mezquite wood and polished Ipé. Old churches with incense, hints of eucalyptus and sweet liquorice roots. Then cough sweets, maybe some dried prune and coffee syrup. After a while bright orange notes appear at the top. Slightly flatter than I expected.
Mouth: quite an intruiging mix again. Coffee candy (Mokatine), dried herbs, dark brewed tea and lots of precious woods (that never take over entirely). Then roasted pecans, artisan Hoisin sauce and black pepper. High on savoury notes, but overall rather soft-voiced compared to the darkness of the flavours.
Finish: medium to long. Coffee still takes centre stage, along with black tea and a big woody side.
This Enmore is far more polished and elegant than others. For me that doesn’t compute entirely with the type of flavours. Especially nice if you’re a coffee lover. This one got some raving reviews, so I’m sure its reputation can handle an outlier. Score: 89/100
Jamaica blended rum (54,3%, Le Blog à Roger 2025, 220 btl.)
Nose: green bananas and unripe pineapples, a good dash of glue and mild solvents. Then freshly ground almonds, some grassy hints, white pepper and liquorice. After some time there’s chamois leather, crushed mint leaves and mild brine. Very expressive without resorting to beasty power, if you know what I mean.
Mouth: rather balanced again. Nice flambéed bananas, maybe some peach eau-de-vie and green apple. Then hints of menthol and liquorice, with fresh herbs and mint again. The solventy side is fairly mild. Hints of marzipan and aniseed towards the end.
Finish: medium to long, a bit greenish, with grassy notes and slightly bitter, raw nuts.
This Jamaican blend includes the big names from Jamaica: Worthy Park, Hampden and New Yarmouth, some up to 35 years of age and the youngest from 2011. It’s not for die-hards but aims for a great balance. Mission accomplished. For around € 120, great value. Score: 88/100
New Yarmouth 30 yo 1994 (55,8%, Sansibar for DeinWhisky.de 2024, barrel, 156 btl.)
Nose: very ripe tropical fruits (mainly mango), with pipe tobacco, some maple syrup and toasted wood. Modest hints of glue and varnish. Then a little coconut, fig, baked banana and orange peels. A little vanilla as well.
Mouth: the toasted oak comes out more now, along with the coconut sweetness and vanilla. Fairly rounded. Mid-palate it turns to old leather, hints of cinnamon biscuits, candied ginger and caramelized walnuts. Hints of bourbon whiskey. Oranges and caramel take over in the end.
Finish: long, balancing between sweet oak, caramelized notes and orange peels, along with an oily hint and chocolate.
One of these very bourbonny New Yarmouths. They’re rich, caramelized and fairly accessible. I’m sure this could work as a Christmas drink. Still available from DeinWhisky.de. Score: 90/100
French West Indies Rhum 7 yo 2019 (58%, Kirsch Import ‘Journal des Kirsch’ 2026, ex-bourbon casks)
Nose: rounded sugarcane and caramelized notes, along with vanilla pastry and toasted wood. A bit of an American bourbon vibe. Cinnamon rolls come to ming. Then earthy notes and menthol with eucalyptus. Candied ginger and brighter hints of lemon peels as well.
Mouth: more of this wood-driven theme. Lots of cinnamon notes, eucalyptus and hints of cough sweets. Heavily sweetened herbal tea. This is a rum-and-rye mix, right? Red berry candy in the background. Then there’s a fragrant, almost floral side, and back to caramel and oak spice.
Finish: medium, still mixing candied caramel notes with spicy rye and a floral hint.
Martinique rum that also comes with American vibes. This time I’m thinking more of rye lovers (punchy spice) with a sweet tooth. Without the richness of the old Yarmouth, of course. Score: 89/100
Caroni 25 yo 1998 (60,1%, The Colours of Rum ‘Impressions’ 2023, 120 btl.)
Nose: pleasantly unsweet after the others, even a little whisky-like now. Earthy notes, some motor oil and wood polish, as well as petrol. Also hazelnuts and walnuts. Underneath there is some burnt sugar, eucalyptus but also a fruity notes after a while (roasted pineapple, with a wee touch of berry sweets).
Mouth: slightly heavier now, with liquorice, some tarry notes and herbal extracts. A touch of mustard, along with walnuts, one olive and oak char. The oak is certainly noticeable, but doesn’t interfere with the subtle guava and pineapple notes. Nice mentholated notes in the end, as well as cedar.
Finish: fairly long, back to the industrial oily notes, with salted liquorice and peppermint.
In a way far this Caroni is less rummy than the ones we had before. High complexity, well integrated oak and these excellent industrial notes of the distillery. An expensive treat. Score: 91/100
Clarendon ‘EMB’ 26 yo 1995 (63,6%, The Colours of Rum 2022, barrel #433939, 111 btl.)
Nose: more fruits here, I’m picking up mango and banana but also a hint of tangerine, lime cordial and pink grapefruit, bordering TDL at times. Also fresh mentholated notes, hints of liquorice and herbal oil. Just hints of glue, eucalyptus and oak, as well as a subtle waxy hint.
Mouth: closely related to TDL indeed, with mango sherbet, passion fruits and pink grapefruit. Add some pineapple and menthol and you’re hitting my sweet spot. Then some herbal extracts, a little tea, hints of cedar wood. Also subtle turpentine and charcoal.
Finish: long, slightly more bitter, with hints of black olives and liquorice. Always a bright fruity note in the background.
I’ve just looked into my tasting records and Clarendon 1995 gets consistently high scores. This as well is impressive. Long gone, sorry. Score: 91/100