Edition Spirits Jamaican Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits Kill Devil Jamaican (Hampden) Rum 2007? (9 year old) 62.7%

Code: RUM0098/ Dist: 2007? Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017

A very pungent and youthful nose of oily green banana, apricot, along with subtle mentholated notes. Late hints of green melon, papaya and cane sugar.

Rich, oily and honeyed on the palate with a lovely intensity of green banana and apricot. The alcohol masks but the finish is full of menthol and green fruit.

A drop of water brings out some lovely sweet honey, which balances the pungency of youth. Subtle vanilla has emerged along with some fresher fruit notes. The palate is much the same as the nose, moist and honeyed with a little more emphasis on the cane sugar. Long, with lingering burnt cereal-like notes and menthol. Diluted it opens up rather well.

Edition Spirits Kill Devil Jamaican Rum 2006 (10 year old) 46%

Worthy Park Distillery – Pot Still/ Code: RUM0077/ Dist: Jun 2006 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: July 2017

Quite pungent, oily and Guyana-like with herbal, dried fruit and an almost medicinal agricole intensity. Late hints of dried banana, fleshy, sub-tropical fruit, wood spice and coffee. A lovely nose.

The palate is light and oily with a subtler herbal, spirit character. Lovely depth with a touch of tropical fruit, vanilla oak and spice on the middle. Long, deliciously fruity and oily finish with late coffee and wood spice.

Edition Spirits Kill Devil Jamaican Rum 2007 (10 year old) 46%

Monymusk Distillery – Pot Still/ Code: RUM0076/ Dist: Mar 2007 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: July 2017

Edgy, herbal, camphor laced aromas of green banana, lime juice, pineapple, papaya, warm vanilla and dusty spices. It has a lovely citric freshness but there surprisingly a little too much underdeveloped spirit character present.

It feels very young and oily on the palate with lime, green banana and camphor. Light granulated sugar note on the middle but the citrus holds. Long, oily and showing a lot of spirit impurities, which give in an almost marc-like feel.

Edition Spirits Kill Devil Jamaican Rum 1998 (17 year old) 46%

Hampden Distillery

Code: RUM0041/ Dist: Dec 1998 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Aug 2016

Aromas of oily, subtle tropical apricot, orange and pineapple and plenty of menthol, eucalyptus and thyme. A touch of oily oak vanillins and dusty, herbal spice appears.

The palate opens with warm vanilla, followed by apricot, orange and banana. Quite oily but tart with menthol, eucalyptus and camphor notes. Gently pungent and intense on the middle as the dried fruit arrives. Long and fresh with toasty oak, vanilla balancing the citrus. Hints of coffee and chicory in the after-taste.

Edition Spirits Kill Devil Jamaican Rum 1998 (18 year old) 46%

Hampden Distillery – Pot Still/ Code: RUM0087/ Dist: Dec 1998 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: July 2017

Pungent and herbal with toffee, crystalised orange and lemon and a touch of camphor. Wonderfully balanced and lightly oiled with late grapefruit, pineapple, Demerara sugar and vanilla.

The palate opens with sugar coated lemon, orange and pineapple. Lovely weight and fullness with lightly herbal honey, vanilla and subtle wood spice. Good intensity and a superb sweet/ sour finish with finally a touch of vanilla toffee.

Edition Spirits Kill Devil Jamaican Rum 1991 (24 year old) 62%

Hampden Distillery

Code: RUM0030/ Dist: 1991 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Aug 2016

The nose is fairly woody and earthy with the camphor and menthol more prominent than the 17 year old. Plenty of almost dusty, mature oak, vanilla and a Cocgnac-esque dried fruit rancio. Seriously impressive with late incense, liquorice and an almost salty note.

The palate is quite oaky with vanilla, wood spice and tannin. The alcohol masks, but it hints at a depth of dried fruit, camphor and menthol. A little short but the herbal notes linger along with some almost cereal husk notes.

With water the nose becomes less woody and the emphasis shifts to the oily dried fruit, which also displays a tropical edge. The oak is still gorgeously dusty. The palate is sweeter and oilier. Like the nose it is less oaky so the dried fruit, camphor and edgy green wood notes shine. It finishes with an almost decaying, but clean rose petal and oily berry fruit note. A stunning old rum!

Murray McDavid Tasting Notes

Murray McDavid ‘Renegade Rum’ Hamden Jamaica 1992 (12 year old) 46%

Pot Still – Port Cask Finished.

Clean, very oily with a superb rich, soft, Demerara sugar sweetness, alcohol soaked cherries plus menthol and coffee aromas – very complex with loads of character. Dry, lots of spicy cherry fruits followed by rich, oily dried fruit with a delicate sweetness. Medium bodied, tangy with hints of coal smoke drifting in. Wonderfully complex and interesting with a long finish with the menthol notes appearing in the finish.

Mezan Rum’s Tasting Notes

Mezan Jamaica XO Barrique 40%

Tasted: Sept 2011

A blend of casks from the Hampden and Monymusk stills. Blended from spirits aged 4-23 year old, then re-casked for a number of years.

A very oily and estery nose. For a blend with some relatively old spirit in it, it reeks of youthfulness with an almost ‘off the still’ pungency. Quite edgy and with an agricole, vegetal character along with green banana and under ripe fruit sprinkled with castor sugar.

The palate is like the nose, oily and youthful. With a distinct peppery character. In fact that is the dominant theme here. Eventually there is a hint of dried fruit and castor sugar coated under ripe fruit. The finish is quite sweet, almost cloyingly so, but very long. I’m not sure about this at all.

Mezan Jamaica XO Barrique 40%

A selection of casks from the Hampden Distillery

Tasted: Nov 2014

Supple, floral and spicy aromas with a light herbal, medicinal, camphor character. Quite fresh with a touch of nutty oak, dried apricot and banana. A lovely balance of young and mature aromas.

Soft and gentle on the palate. Lightly oiled and nutty with a delicate dried fruit rancio. Slightly herbal with hints of coffee on the middle. Long, oily and herbal finish with a little supporting oak. Beautifully fresh.

Mezan Jamaica, Hampden 2000 (11 year old) 40%

Dist: 2000 Btl: 2011/ Tasted: Sept 2011

A light, fragrant, yet pungently estery nose. Full of oily dried fruit, camphor and menthol along with a suggestion of oak in the background. Lovely delicacy and complexity.

The palate is light, but oily, delicate yet pungent with a serious weight of dried fruit and sweet sub-tropical fruit on the middle. However that weightiness doesn’t detract from the elegance of the spirit. Lovely length with hints of camphor and menthol in the finish.

Mezan Jamaica, Worthy Park 2005 (11 year old) 40%

Dist: 2005 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Apr 2016

Very high toned but wonderfully estery with pineapple, apricot and peach. Intense and oily with a touch of lime and coconut. Really fresh and youthful with a good depth of oily spirit character. With time subtle smoke, sweet oak and dark brown sugar.

The palate is crisp but oily with a suggestion of feints but to be honest it adds to the character. Quite peppery and citric with a lovely oily mouth feel and a touch of slightly tropical dried fruit, brown sugar and wood smoke. Seriously piercing lime on the middle. Long with hints of rose petals and pure pineapple on the finish

Mezan Jamaica, Monymusk 2003 (11 year old) 40%

Tasted: Nov 2014

Young, pungent, high toned and oily with a touch of ‘off the still’ notes along with plenty of herbal dried fruit an with time a light brown sugar note. Very oily for a Jamaican, which gives it a more Guyanan-like feel.

Oily but fresh. Again light Gyanan-esque ried fruit and apricot. Like the nose it displays that youthful ‘off the still’ character with building camphor along with an almost crushed sugar cane note. A little hot and herbal on the finish with a brief marzipan oak note in the after-taste. In conclusion, it’s great spirit but it could have done with being aged in more ‘active’ casks.

Mezan Jamaica, Monymusk 2003 (12 year old?) 40%

Tasted: Sept 2015

Big, broad and juicy aromas of smoky, herbal, lightly oiled dried fruit – apricot, unsweetened pineapple. Hints of agricole-esque antiseptic and raw brown sugar.

A little light on the palate than the nose would suggest with, unsweetened pineapple, apricot and banana. It fills out well on the middle as the oils develop along with some medicinal herbal notes. Long, juicy dried fruit finish with quite a salty after-taste.

Mezan Jamaica, Long Pond 2000 (15 year old?) 40%

Tasted: Sept 2015

A pungent, very nutty and smoky nose with hints of toasted and burnt wood along with a light medicinal herbal note. With time the fruit appears – light, toffee coated pear, apricot, pineapple and melon as do some higher toned dried fruit notes. Exceedingly luscious and deep.

The palate is dense and lightly oiled, opening with a slightly winey muscaty peach note along with apricot and melon. Broad, mouth-filling and succulent with a touch of toasty oak and a delicate dried fruit rancio. Very long and very nutty finish with lingering dried fruit.

Dewar Rattray Tasting Notes

Dewar Rattray Monymusk (Jamaica) Rum 1986 (25 year old) 46% – Sample at 63.1%

Bourbon Cask 10/ Dist: 1986 Btl: 2011/ Tasted: Oct 2011

My god, how tight was that cask. 25 years old and over 60% abv!!! Unbelievable! I asked for some to be bottled at cask strength, just like last years Caroni Trinidad bottling they did, because just like that one, this was one hell of a ride, but unfortunately they had already cut it to 46%, so unfortunately you won’t have the pleasure of experiencing it neat. Mind in saying that at 46% it is amazingly good!

An intense, pungent and oily nose. Quite Guyanan in character but the bold molasses and Jamaican sweetness comes through. With time it becomes seriously mentholated and leafy in an agricole-esque stylie! Seriously sinus clearing stuff!

The palate opens with quite a bit of drying wood notes, green oak and leafy, vegetal notes followed by plenty of oily, seeped dried fruits. Good god the alcohol is immense and that vegetal rancio is so full on and wonderfully mature. This is tongue searing and eye watering stuff. What do they say about pleasure and pain?

With water (an approximation of what it will be like at 46%). The nose is still pretty pungent, but now it has become more floral with some coffee notes emerging along with green banana and some of the most beautiful, honeyed, tropical fruit I have ever tasted. Dilution has also let the seriously mature, sawdusty oak out. Seriously complex and beautifully intense.

The palate is soft and gentle now, opening with demarara coated banana along with a touch of mature, lightly syrupy pineapple. The agricole-esque notes are less pungent but still deliciously oily. Stunningly complex and very long with a bitter dark chocolate and Columbian coffee accented dried fruit finish. If you love good rum then buy this!

Bristol Classic Rum’s Tasting Notes

Bristol Classic Rum’s Long Pond Distillery, Jamaica 13 year old 46%

Tasted: Feb 2005

A big and exuberantly fruity nose with earth, a touch of oil and some supporting oak. Medium-full bodied, slightly oily with some vanilla oak and spicy tropical fruit. Good length with a mouth watering finish.

Bristol Classic Rum’s Monymusk Still, Jamaica 25 year old 46%

Tasted: Feb 2005

A seriously impressive nose. Subtle and elegant with aged oak vanillins, citrus and a slight floral note. The palate has a beautiful structure which mirrors the nose. A lovely toasty oak middle and a long harmonious finish.

Blackwell’s Tasting Notes

Blackwell’s Jamaican Rum 40%

Produced for Chris Blackwell, owner of Island records by Wray & Nephew.

Tasted: Apr 2013

A dense and richly fruited nose. Very Jamaican and just like a young Appleton Estate but a shade lighter. Lightly smoked and relatively simplistic with a slightly high toned spirit note which hints at its relative youth.

The palate is soft and broad. Relatively straightforward with molasses and juicy dried fruit. Softly spiced with a pleasant depth. A little short with a lightly woody finish.

Hampden Distillery Tasting Notes

Hampden Estate Gold 40%

Tasted: Oct 2014

Nose: Very, very young and spirity. Lightly herbal with some granulated sugar but the aromas are dominated by the ‘off the still’ notes.

Palate: Very much like the nose. Oily and young with plasticy feints notes. Again no real character apart from a touch of granulated sugar.

Finish: What finish?

Conclusion. 5.6 is a more than generous score. It’s far too young and whoever bottled it should be shot!

Wray and Nephew Tasting Notes

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend 40%

A blend of 20Pot Still rums, aged for an average of 6 years.

Tasted: Dec 2016

The aromas are a little younger than the old 8 year old, but they display a good depth of typically broad, Jamaican dried fruit with a touch of burnt Demerara sugar, molasses and citrus.

The palate is a little lighter than the old 8 year old, but still quite rich and distinctly Jamaican, with subtle notes of molasses, dried fruit, cinnamon and Demerara sugar. Good intensity and length with a slightly herbal finish with lingering notes of roasted nuts.

Appleton Estate Jamaica 8 year old 40%

Tasted: Jan 2010

Huge, aromatic and punch aromas opening with a touch of smoke and more than a dollop of peat. It now moves into American Bourbon territory with sumptuous vanilla oak and finally complex baked banana, fig, raisin, dried plum and pineapple aromas emerge all coated in an exotic, nutty syrup.

The palate is delicately oily, unlike the nose it begins quiet delicately with the exotic dried fruit – banana, pineapple, raisns accentuated by a lime note on the middle. The oak cuts in to add a touch of bitterness and a bucket full of vanillins. Later a suggestion of peat arrives along with some molasses spices. Again great balance and length, definitely full of Jamaican character. It’s a case of the Caribbean meets Ardbeg inKentucky!

Appleton Estate Extra 12 year old 43%

Tasted: May 2014

A dense, moist fruitcakey nose of molasses, toasted toffee and light roasted coffee beans. A lovely, refreshing citrus freshens allowing hints of orange, dried banana, coconut, oily sultana notes and vanilla oak to emerge. Bold and full but a little lighter than the 8 year old with plenty of warming spice and herbal accented spice. With time that herbalness becomes a little agricole-esque. A beautifully vibrant nose.

The palate is full and elegant with a fresh, citrus opening. Again a little lighter than the 8 year old but the molasses, toffee, treacle and dark spices duly arrive. Some lovely, mature dried fruit comes through on the middle and the citrus continues to fend off the molasses richness. Eventually the citrus gives way to allow the molasses, brown sugar and cocoa notes to come through on the finish along with the dried fruit and a light smokiness.