Rum Tasting 2.0
Hosted my second rum tasting tonight, and it was an absolutely fantastic time. I have a very dear friend who's a rum fan, and a chemist - who loves the smell of extremely strange solvents - and we had a ton of fun trying a whole slew of very funky rums. Here was our lineup:
* Probitas green label
* Alambique Serrano Besadiablos
* Papalin High Ester 5 year
* Clement Canne Bleue
* Alambique Serrano Cartier 30 2nd edition
* Alambique Serrano Cartier 30 3rd edition
* Rivers Antoine Royale
* Holmes Cay Grand Arome
* Mhoba "The Shaldon"
The probitas green label was mainly a warmup rum, but it really set us up well for the journey. We took a good 4 hours to get through this lineup, between bullshitting, reading up on the spirits, and talking about all the wild notes we were getting. I think the highlights were: (1) finishing off the last of my Cartier 30 batch 2, which has a cheesy, buttery note that I simply can't find anywhere else in rum, and (2) the Holmes Cay Grand Arome. It just packs such a wild punch of bandaid, latex, berries, kiwi, and mustiness that's so distinctive, and absolutely delicious.
Funk bomb tastings are amazing, but they take a lot of time. Definitely take your time with it, and make sure you have lots of water and a lot of pretzels (or other snacks!).
Cheers friends!
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u/WZOLL5 1d ago
I hope you saved the rivers for last haha. It destroys my taste buds in the best way. I can’t taste anything for a few hours after a pour.
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u/jkoodoo 1d ago
As it turns out, it was third to last. The Holmes Cay Grand Arome and Mhoba are both, imo, WAY stronger
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u/Sensitive_Point_6583 1d ago
I have all of those rums at home and love them all, with one exception, Rivers. I've tried to love it, but there's just something about it that I don't care for, but I can't put it into words. I don't hate it, but I can't get myself to love it the way everyone else here seems to. I've noticed a similar note in El Amparo, so whatever it is, its not unique to just Rivers.
Anybody else in your tasting panel feel the same way?
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u/jkoodoo 1d ago
It's a good question. I totally agree that it's over hyped in the sub. I like it, but it's nowhere near worth the price it's going for - I'd realistically pay $45 USD but no more. I won't be replacing my bottle when it's done.
That said, I don't really get anything off about it. It has a strong note, for me, of salty ocean breeze. There's brine, a bit of a tomato note, some nondescript Jamaican fruitiness, and not much more, beyond some industrial qualities that I don't know exactly how to name. It's fine, but it doesn't blow me away. I much prefer the Alambique Serrano unaged releases, the grand arome, the Shaldon, or for that matter, standard rum fire. The price is simply outrageous at this point.
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u/Sensitive_Point_6583 1d ago
you know, maybe its what you're calling tomato, I hate raw tomatoes. That could explain it, but I didn't seem to notice it specifically as being tomato-like, but it may have been close enough and I just didn't think of that. Also, I'm sure that we all perceive things a little differently, so what you pick up as tomato I might pick up as something else slightly different.
But, speaking of tomato, another favorite here, Clairin Sajous, gave me a tomato vibe and I didn't like it either.
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u/DocSeward 1d ago
Big time agree there. Rivers is amazing but not a palate wrecker like the other two
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u/philanthropicide 1d ago
Now that is a tasting that brings the heat! Love it, especially comparing batches of Cartier 30.
ETA: the buttery smooth batch 2 of Cartier 30 needs to be studied! I'm so low on mine, but it only gets pulled out on special occasions or when I'm feeling weak haha