Edition Spirits Kill Devil Guatemala Rum 2007 (9 year old) 46%
Darsa – Column still/ Code: RUM0073/ Dist: Jul 2007 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: July 2017
The nose is quiet neutral and grainy with just a subtle hint of dried fruit, vanilla and coconutty oak. The aromas fill out when some fleshy apricot fruit appears and with time a touch of wood smoke.
The palate is straightforward and grainy with a pleasant depth of fleshy fruit, oak and spice. Medium length with lingering fruit and vanilla.
Ron Zacapa Centenario Solera 23 40%
Produced from Sugar Cane Honey – a blend of spirits aged between 6-23 years.
Tasted: Arp 2011
Deep, darkly scented aromas of dark toffee/ honey coated dried fruits. Superb complexity with some aged Pedro Ziminez wood producing an almost damp Armagnac-esque rancio along with hints of liquorice, smoke, citrus conserve, nuts and with time a slight perfumed-herbal peatiness.
Off-sweet on the palate. Unctuous in a sort of Diplomatico fashion. Full of liquorice, nuts, dried raisinated fruit and burnt, bitter toffee. Although it seems initially to be quite broad and sweet it has a delightful lightness of touch and a lovely balance, which moves into an agricole-esque, floral, tobacco and citrus peel finish. Superb length with the wood returning with a touch of dusty spices.
A really interesting rum, which seems to bridge the gap between a molasses based rum and an agricole.
Ron Zacapa Centenario XO 40%
Aged in American white oak for over 25 years/ Btl:2003/ Tasted: Aug 2012
A soft, venerable rancio of dried fruit, Demerara sugar with a slight herbal spirit note. Lovely depth of candied fruit, dark treacle with a distinct liquor like character with a late wood smoke note. With time some agricole-esque herbal grainy spirit notes appear along with a touch of camphor float above the dense dried fruit core [tasted blind].
The palate is extremely luscious with plenty of mature but edgy dried fruit. Full of coffee, treacle, dark honey with a lovely aged rancio. Very full and mouth coating with liquorice and a late agricole-esque herbal note [again tasted blind!] The alcohol balances well and just about offsets the rich sweetness. Very long, finishing quite crisp and clean with hints of dark toffee and dark chocolate. Very complex and well balanced.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 