Distilia teamed up with Pietro Caputo, an Italian spirits / rum expert. Together they created I Movimenti, a series of rare single cask spirit that are paired to a musical masterpiece. I’m focusing on the rums today, with pieces by Beethoven, Chopin and Schumann. There’s an armagnac as well.
Cuban Rum 50 yo 1973 ‘Adagio’ (54,5%, Distilia ‘I Movimenti’ 2024, cask #88188)
Nose: very rich, with nice hints of old humidors up front, along with muscovado, pipe tobacco and a little parsley. Old cupboards. Then dark tea and old leather. Also bright fruity flashes, like sour berries. Ripe bananas in the distance, hints of chocolate, olive oil and a very subtle balsamic edge.
Mouth: more tea, more pipe tobacco, with drops of orange liqueur and a drop of cough syrup. I like the sweet and sour balance. Some sugarcane of course, with herbs as a counterweight. Then prunes, candied cherries and maple syrup, with chocolate growing stronger. Coffee candy as well. Close to a Brandy de Jerez from a PX cask.
Finish: medium long, on roasted pecan, coffee and chocolate.
Overall a very rich rum, with deep sweetness but enough herbal notes and sourness to keep things on track. If you like sweeter Caribbean rums, this profile is very hard to beat.
Enmore REV 28 yo 1994 ‘Alegretto’ (60,2%, Distilia ‘I Movimenti’ 2023, cask #57, 184 btl.)
Nose: it’s that dusty polished oak, slightly moist, with old leather, dried Greek oregano from Taygetos and a very light whiff of tar. Also eucalyptus and camphor, one black olive and some thuja wood. Coffee beans and blackcurrants in the distance.
Mouth: dark and intense. It’s slightly more medicinal now, with dried herbs, salted liquorice, hints of juniper and some cedarwood. Then also black raisins, a hint of myrtle, drops of Chartreuse, even a a touch of ammonia. Quite a big woody side as well, which gives it a perfumed touch at some point, but that’s fine.
Finish: long, on menthol, heavy liquorice, black peppercorns, more Chartreuse and dark wood.
A more intense profile than the Cuban, but just as dark and complex. I like the medicinal character. Almost a herbal elixir. Most of the 1994 REVs I tried were excellent, this as well. Available from Distilia. Score: 91/100
Caroni 25 yo 1999 ‘Scherzo’ (68%, Distilia ‘I Movimenti’ 2023, cask #224, 157 btl.)
Nose: much thinner and more industrial than the others. A lot of metal polish, varnished notes and sharp glue. Toasted wood underneath, with paint and liquorice. Then some green notes like ferns, peppermint and fresh herbs, along with diesel and rubber boots.
Mouth: my god, the heat! Very intense, entirely on menthol and camphor, more diesel, a little chilli oil. A lot of glue now. Then Seville oranges, a lot of resinous notes, almost tannins as well. In the background there’s a heavy hint of plastic and a charred note. A weird element too, hard to describe but almost sweaty.
Finish: very long, dry and salty, on liquorice, a little tar. Also quite some bitter extract.
You have to be a pirate for this. Very robust, slightly extreme and hard to tame. Water helps of course, but then it loses complexity. Available from Distilia. Score: 89/100