We’re catching up with Precious Liquors. Six rums in a kind of ‘rapid fire’ session. We’re starting with two TDL’s, followed by three Clarendons and one Uitvlugt.
By the way, they moved to a new website called Precious Drops.
TDL 15 yo 2010 (61,2%, Precious Liquors for UK Rum Club 2025, cask #6, 50 cl, 55 btl.)
Nose: very compact and estery, with a nice camphory note up front. Then citrus fruits but also hints of apricot, along with some honey. Pineapple appears with a little vanilla. On the other hand also sharper petrol, some fresh paint, rubber wellies and some black olives.
Mouth: now lots of eucalyptus and camphor again. Some slightly synthetic fruits (lemon and pineapple), candied ginger and very light tarry notes. Salted liquorice with a mild rubbery note and pine resin. Mid-palate there’s also a toffee note and some black tea on display.
Finish: long, on herbal notes and salmiak, with lingering citrus and a hint of salt.
A really good TDL which mixes bright fruity notes with herbs and a good dose of funky esters. Now 2010 doesn’t seem to have a lot of tropical fruits, but that’s not a blocking point.
TDL 15 yo 2010 (57,1%, Precious Liquors 2025, cask #434031, 150 btl.)
N: slightly more honeyed, with some warming woody notes. A bit more vanilla. Also camphor, light mango and yellow fruits. Alcohol is a tad more stingy. M: a slightly more Caribbean / Spanish style. Woody vanilla, caramelized notes, flashes of yellow fruits. Overall less funky, despite mild resin. F: x 〉〉〉 x Score: 86/100
Clarendon 14 yo 2010 EMB (57,1%, Precious Liquors 2025, cask #434031, 150 btl.)
N: lots of fruits, mainly pineapple, both ripe and rotting. Nice resinous overtones, nail polish, a little glue. Then sour cherry, green olives, ink and a little seawater. M: huge salty notes, heavy liquorice, sour grapefruit juice and glue. Sharper than expected. Hints of black tea after a while, dry tarry notes, olive brine, pepper and light medicinal notes. F: quite long, sharper, on citrus, plastics and some tannins. 〉〉〉 Good Clarendon, which nonetheless doesn’t stand out. Available from Precious Drops. Score: 88/100
Clarendon 14 yo 2010 EMB + 2004 MBR (57,1%, Precious Liquors 2025, cask #434031 + #4, 375 btl.)
N: not a huge difference, perhaps some more honey and vanilla. Overall less fruity though, more on fruit tea and varnished notes. Certainly more new plastics and rubber boots too, along with almonds. M: more to my liking, a fun combination of fruit eau-de-vie, pear, pepper and radish. Green tea as well. F: quite long, with some citrus and varnish but also darker hints of cocoa. 〉〉〉 Somehow I thought the older MBR didn’t add much, even took away some complexity. Both have their qualities. Score: 87/100
Clarendon 19 yo 2004 EMB (59,8%, Precious Liquors ‘DNC’ 2025, cask #5, 20 cl, 950 btl.)
N: well yes, close to the previous. Tart peaches mixed with paint thinner, sweet grassy notes, dried pear and light nougat. Plenty of varnish. M: varnish and rubbery notes. Sweet and sour pears. Earthy oak and sharp tea notes. Then more nail varnish but also a hint of vanilla. Intense woody notes and medicinal herbs. F: medium, peppery. 〉〉〉 Quite a narrow spirit considering the age, mostly on continental fruits and firm oak spice. Solid rum, and especially interesting to try all these combinations. Score: 85/100
Uitvlugt 26 yo 1998 (50%, Precious Liquors ‘DNC’ 2025, 20 cl, Mizunara finish #2, 250 btl.)
N: relatively light. Citrus, some wood-driven notes, cake and mild chamomile tea. Some leafy notes and a faint waxy/herbal note that could originate in the Mizunara. Then light floral hints. M: green leafy notes, some balsawood, tangerine, light pepper. Subtle juniper and menthol, as well as a faint walnutty edge. F: quite long, with a bit of woody vanilla, but also increasing industrial notes and a pinch of salt. 〉〉〉 It’s essentially a milder style, but there was some ex-Caroni cask influence and then the Mizunara side. Interesting complexity. Score: 87/100