SMWS R4.1 (Trinidad Distillery 15 yo 1990/2006)

SMWS R4.1 (Trinidad Distillery 15 yo 1990/2006)

Single distillery rum - Trinidad & Tobago
50.9% ABV
Dark gold

Nose: Brown paper, tobacco leaf, lemons, balsamic vinegar, hints of chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, watery.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Brown paper, toffee, coconut, chocolate, tobacco leaf, sugar cane, cherries, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, sugar cane, brown paper, coconut.

Comments:

Extremely sweet, with a slight grassy bitterness that is characteristic of sugar cane. There's a slight tang in the nose that reminds me of aged Italian balsamic vinegar. This disappears entirely once on the tongue.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

This is the fourth rum distillery from which the Scotch Malt Whisky Society have bottled a cask. The distillery is the Trinidad distillery, owned by Trinidad Distillers Ltd. It's located in Laventile on Trinidad.

Pampero Aniversario

Pampero Aniversario

Single distillery rum - Venezuela
40% ABV
Dark muddy brown

Nose: Brown paper, raisins, honey, butter, golden syrup, rubber bands.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loosens, cool.
Tasting: Sweet. Brown paper, raisins, honey, orange peel, rubber bands, chillies, hints of dried apricots.
Finish: Medium. Chillies, rubber bands, brown paper, honey.

Comments:

Lovely. Sweet, light, but very brandy-like. Also quite spicy, actually burning the tongue, despite the lowish ABV.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

This rum, blended from spirit aged between 2 to 8 years in oak casks, is distilled by Industrias Pampero, a distillery in Venezuela. The distillery was founded in 1938, by one Alejandro Hernandez. It is located on Hacienda La Guadalupe, a 19th century farm in Miranda state, on the llanos of Venezuela.

Other expressions include Pampero Especial, Pampero Selección 1938, and Pampero Oro. In addition to these aged rums (añejo), there's also a white rum, Pampero Blanco.

Bundaberg Rum (Under Proof)

Bundaberg Rum (Under Proof)

Single distillery rum - Australia
37% ABV
Yellow gold

Nose: Toffee, new plastic, grass, rubber, sage, palm sugar, hints of raisins.
Mouthfeel: Light body, oily, loosens.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Toffee, palm sugar, rubber, grass, hints of raisins, hints of apples.
Finish: Short. Palm sugar, apples, grass.

Comments:

Not too strong at all, but this falls into what I consider to be "harsh" rums. This still has the slightly acrid feel of white rum, despite the aging and the light body. For all that, there are pleasant elements of palm sugar and grass, evoking the tropics.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bundaberg is an Australian distillery, founded in 1885 in Queensland, Australia. The distillery is located near sugar plantations, and rum was first distilled in 1888 as a way of using up spare molasses from the sugar mill. This particular expression is aged between 2 and 3 years.

Other expressions include an overproof version (57.7% ABV) and aged versions (8 years) as well as a rum liqueur and ready-mixed rum and mixers in cans!