Since the whisky market is getting more and more flooded still, quite some bottlers are buying casks of rum. Supposedly (one told me something like this) because they’re somewhat cheaper than casks of whisky. It’s a shame that’s not often reflected in the price per bottle…

A while ago I received a sample of the newest rum bottling from Best of Whisky, which is a 12 year old Worthy Park from Jamaica. A lot more recently I also received a sample of a 7 year old Mount Gay in Barbados, from The Whisky Exchange.

Over the weekend I tried both of them and they’re good.

Mount Gay 7 year old, 54% – The Whisky Exchange

Sniff:
Lots of brown sugar and sweet oak. Some hints of copper and iron. Cinnamon, tar and caramel. Slightly chemical, which is not uncommon with rums like this. A bit vegetal too.

Sip:
Pretty sharp, but the sweetness takes a bit of the edge off. Sweet, but with cauliflower. Nutmeg and cinnamon. Caramel, very thick and black. A hint of tar. Later on there’s oak.

Swallow:
The finish is very gentle, but very sweet with wood spices. Not too long but the caramel and oak linger.

Well, on the write-up that came with the sample it said this was Mount Gay dialled up to 11. Rich and sweet and spicy. Every word of that is true. I’m having quite different tasting notes as usual, though…

It’s quite a gorgeous rum, with a lot to be discovered, and some flavors that I’ve not found in many rums before. This makes it a lot more interesting that ‘ye olde generic rum’. Thanks to The Whisky Exchange for this glass of goodness!

87/100

Mount Gay 7 year old, 2400 bottles from Barrels 54%, The Whisky Exchange, £87.95

Worthy Park 12 year old, 2006-2018, 57.9% – Best of Wines / The Duchess

Sniff:
A very heavy and feinty rum. There’s sweetness, there’s wood. There is engine oil and sugary biscuits. Tea, ferns, mold.

Sip:
Very sharp, even as a second dram. Dry, woody, spicy. Some wet dirt, wood pulp and old, cracking leather.

Swallow:
Candied lemon, cracking leather, cactus, oak. Lots of contrasting flavors. Fruit and spices, sweet and savory.

Well, this is something different. There’s mountains of flavor with a lot of feinty notes to it. You’d almost say it’s a bit too much, but it’s not. This is exactly what it needs to be and it’s the best rum I’ve tried in quite a while. Well, since last April at Cadenhead’s, but that was a while…

89/100

Worthy Park 12 year old, 2006-2018, 57.9%, Best of Wines / The Duchess, € 65,00

My favorite is obviously the last one, and at that price point it’s quite decently priced as well! If I hadn’t blown my budget on the supposedly not so very good Game of Thrones whiskies for a share, I might just pick a bottle up. I might even do so next month, since it’s a stunning drink!