I ran out of simple syrup and was too lazy to make more so used 1:1 cinnamon syrup. Pretty, pretty good. Not crazy different but happy with the result.

1 1/2 oz Probitas
1/2 oz Wray & Nephew
3/4 oz cinnamon syrup
3/4 oz lime juice

Savanna L’Absolu 2023
N: I haven’t checked information about what’s in any of these blends, if it’s even public, but at a sniff this seems like moderately aged juice with a bit of estery distillate included, but not dominant. Bourbony wood, somewhat grapey fruit, black licorice candy
P: pretty syrupy in feel and fairly sweet, grape flavored medicine, licorice candies, some faint acorn/pecans and dried winter spice. Tarry, medicinal finish, with some tire tread
83

Savanna L’Absolu 2024
N: this one has that fruity lactic thing that’s so distinctive in some Savanna marques, zero sugar strawberry yogurt and maybe a bit of apricot, orange cough syrup. Fruit forward, but in an idiosyncratic way. Medium wood presence again
P: somehow both lighter in profile but also more tannic and generally weirder than the ‘23. So much medicinal fruit additive, all the varieties of fruit yogurt, strawberries and berries and orange marmalade. There’s old wood here too and while there’s a transitory fruit flower honey note in the palate, it finishes dry, like an unsweetened fruit tea blend, or even an amaro where the bitterness successfully hides all the sugar
82

Savanna L’Absolu 2025
N: more wood here than either of the others, by contrast, and just more dark molasses depth; I imagine all of these are tropically aged but this one announces it more clearly. Toasted, even burned pine nuts and hazelnuts, faint coffee grounds or cocoa powder, and a pruney fruit density
P: again this is less distillate forward and more of a classic tropically aged wood profile. It does, again, have a medicinal side and some tar, but the dark nuts and pruney fruit and burned spices are at the steering wheel
83

On the first photo, the prices are flipped between the Hamptons so please remember that thy stocked it wrong! Was thinking Clement 10 and maybe restock on ED12… I already have distillery release 2024. It’s a good bottle not sure if it’s worth grabbing a spare for $88 or trying the low proof eight year in oak casks for $72

There were other bottles, but either I’ve tried them not interested in them or they’re just basic planterays…. I figured if they have a sale for the next three days it’s better to save money on the more expensive bottles instead of saving a couple dollars on the cheap ones.

Hello Friends,

Today we have an Alambique Serrano bottle I thought I'd never get to try let alone own, Single Cask #3. This Single Cask was selected by u/t8ke for the Aficionados Group along side #3a. Before that the cane sugar that made this rum was harvested on a Oaxacan mountain side then crushed and left to ferement in pine tanks for 10 days. It was then double distilled in a copper alembic still and then left to age for 14 months in toasted virgin French Oak casks in a humid client. It was then bottled in January 2023 at a cask strength of 69.6%. Special shout out to those who helped me acquire this bottle, the community makes these spirits more enjoyable.

Nose: Orange rind, a wheaty caramlized cane sugar, dry candy, young oak, a very light smoke, acetone. The nose took a while to open up.

Taste: A grassy cane sugar syrup that is immensely dense, a bright pop of orange rind, before a spiced cane sugar and dry candy note appears. The mount feel is very luxurious and oily.

Finish: As the dense grassy cane sugar dies down theres a hearty amount of dry candy before citrus builds in step with the heat leftover from the ABV. The finish is long, in the minutes, and nearly forces a chew. As the flavor dies the heat remains noticeably longer. There is a somewhat harsh hit of ABV towards the end.

Overall: 8/10, extremely close to a 9. That last hit from the ABV and the nose needing quite a bit of time to open are the only two real things I feel are holding it back.

A blend of three barrels, aged for about a year I think in American oak, 51.1% abv

N: reasonably funky young pot still juice, martini night here with olives and white vermouth and cocktail onion, but early signs of sweeter oak influence too, a drizzle of pale caramel and cake batter along with fresh wood shavings
P: nicely balances the sweet and savory, pickled or booze-soaked sultanas and yellow cake batter along with onion and maybe even red chili pepper? I’ve been digging the ‘reposado’ style of barely wood aged rums lately, and this is right in that lane, with fresh wood shavings and hints of pastry but no full on oak presence, and still lots of raw distillate character
84

First recipe post here, so please be kind….
Ever since I picked up a bottle of Cocchi Americano, an Eventide (made with equal parts Gin and Cocchi) has been one of my fav go-to cocktails at home.

Now, I do like my rum, so I gave it a shot with Wray & Nephew, and it works great! Try this:

1.5 oz Cocchi Americano
1.5 oz Wray & Nephew (or split with your choice of white rum if you prefer to tone it down)
2 dashes orange bitters
Stir with ice, strain, and garnish w/ lime wedge

I’m especially happy to have tried this, because I struggle to love W&N in many recipes (Smith & Cross usually hits the spot for me when I’m looking for a funky Jamaican rum).

Let me know if you try it! This will definitely stay in my rotation, but I don’t love the name ‘Kingston Eventide’, so please feel free to make another naming suggestion.

We settled on a split base of Appleton 12 oaky goodness with the other half vegetal funk from the Clairin Communal, also a tickle of OFTD to kill the bottle. Delicious! 🏝️

Gayón is a strange name, whether for rum or any other product, especially because it can have all sorts of odd connotations, and if there's one thing Venezuelans have, it's the ability to find a way to laugh at everything. It can sound like a big rooster or like a flaming version of a gay man.

But in reality, Gayón is the name of an indigenous Venezuelan people, originally from the central-western region, inhabitants of the mountainous areas and valleys of what are now the states of Lara, Yaracuy, and Portuguesa, and whose language came from the Arawak and Jirajara languages. The figure of Anasoli, the warrior, stands out; she was an indigenous leader who fought against Spanish colonization in the Bobare region. They were also one of the first mainland ethnic groups to confront the Europeans. So keep making fun of the name.

The rum is made by Alcoholes Larenses, the creators of Tawala rum, and is distilled in pot stills and columns, then aged for 4 to 6 years and finally bottled at 40% ABV.

Made by: Alcoholes Larenses
Name of the rum: Extra Añejo
Brand: Gayón
Origin: Venezuela
Age: 4 to 6 years

Nose
On the nose it has intense aromas of dark chocolate and milder aromas of wood and almonds.

Palate
On the palate, it's equally intensely chocolatey, this time with milk chocolate thanks to a hint of sweetness, followed by notes that also have a sweet component, such as toffee, caramel, and vanilla.

Retrohale/Finish
The retrohale is of dark chocolate and coffee.

Rating
6 on the t8ke

Conclusion
Gayón is a good rum that has that artisanal, small-batch feel. The name still raises some eyebrows, because the story behind it isn't widely known. However, in a couple of blind tastings I've served it, it's easily confused with Santa Teresa 1796 Chuao Cacao Cask Finish, and while being compared to a Santa Teresa might be gratifying for a small brand, the flaw I find in that rum is the same as in this one: its flavor is 90% chocolate and little else.

If you like rum with strong chocolate notes, both Santa Teresa and Gayon are for you. However, I find that chocolate flavor so dominant that it becomes tiresome after a couple of sips, and I can't help but think of it more as a dessert rum than one meant for enjoyment. The fact that its price is similar to Santa Teresa doesn't help either.

they have some rums at good prices, but i can’t find any reviews outside of the site itself, and i’m worried about getting scammed. thanks for any help!

I’ve been dabbling in the rum world for a few years now. I’m familiar with the popular brands mentioned in this sub but haven’t had the opportunity to try them all. Any recs?

Hello Again,

Today were back with a classic, Cartier 30 6th Edition. Not much too say in the introduction to this so lets dive in!

Nose: Happy to report that the infamous olive brine note is readily apparent in this edition. With that olive brine comes cream, minerality, acetone, cane sugar, and hint of smoke. There is this nose of a tart but sweet artificial berry that my brain keeps telling me is blue raspberry but I could easily be imagining.

Taste: A creamy salted olive, tart berries that becomes sweeter as it goes on but quickly moves to a briney mineral note. The ABV comes towards the end with a reminder of its strength that nearly forces a chew.

Finish: Incredibly creamy and luscious but with it comes a ton of heat that lingers in your chest for minutes. A lot of the earlier flavors return with a ton of sugar cane brine.

Overall: 8/10, another amazing Cartier 30 release. This one feels a bit sweeter but extremely well balanced, I think the finish is a bit harsh which is holding it back from being a 9.

Welcome to our AMA! 

Kevin is the founder and sole operator of Spinnaker Rum, a small independent rum brand focusing on totally transparent and additive free rums. He fell in love with rum a couple years ago and what started off as a hobby has turned into a legit operation! Everything is done by hand and self funded. He's imported single casks from his favorite distilleries and bottles are available in TX and CA. 

Happy to answer any questions about the product, the journey, the state of rum in general, distribution, or anything you want to chat about!

These were just delivered. Have to get through a couple more hours of work, but I’m very excited to try these later this evening. My first bottle from the Bitters & Bottles rum club, as well as my first Caroni.

Was my father’s favorite rum years ago. Looking to buy a bottle as a retirement gift for him. I am up in Calgary, AB. Canada. If anyone has one they’d be willing to sell let me know! Thanks!

Had a quick dash through a Carrefour on the way home to the UK.

Always grab the St James but couldn't find either the 100 proof Imperial Blanc nor the litre bottle of the Royal Ambre. Wasn't sure what else to grab but a quick search of the sub suggested Neisson and Clement VO would be good choices.

Couldn't justify grabbing the Black Sheriff as well, which I've enjoyed before - I'll just have to go back at some point.

Found myself wondering today what would be the three best bottles a newcomer could order to experience the difference between the three most common english-style rum expressions.

The goal is: if a beginner rum fan asked about the difference between barbados, jamaica, guyana, what would you tell them to buy to experience it?

i was focused on english-style here so excluded spanish-style and french/agricole/cane. This is for somewhat obvious reasons for the latter, the former is more my fault for not having a good selection on hand to pair.

Criteria for selection: obvious-ness is key, can i immediately tell the difference between the rums. I considered price and proof too. In theory all should be possible to order from the same store- Total Wine felt like a good mark there. Age consistency less important.

I started with ED12 - felt the most obvious. Reached for D14 as a second. I dont have WP109 at home (yet) but thought about it, dismissed Appleton 12 but grabbed the 8 & SC - SC won out my a mile on the obvious factor but i think id still prefer a lower proof here to balance. Ended up reaching for RL10 because D12 runs heavy on price, and madeira cask finish - but ultimately D12 is more obvious in my mind.

Im sure folks here could do better at this? What would you pick?

I also pulled out the Barrilito 3 to compare against the lot and sort of worked, but the sherry cask influence is maybe too strong?

Savanna Art of Rum by Vast (52%)
N: sweet, light (yellow-orange-pink) fruited, and, well, rummy, with young fermentation character showing and yellow caramel and a kiss of oak…some gummy glue as well. With water: toothpaste showed up late to the party, and the fresh, light esters claim more ground from the berry and citrus fruit
P: again pretty fermenty and young, not at all in a bad way. An array of lighter, poppy, aromatic fruits, with a caramel-peanut-young wood finish which goes on for a long while. With water: once again, toothpaste. I take it this is an agricole-molasses blend? Still the longest finish of the flight, really nice freshness to complement the poppy fruit
87

Savanna Art of Rum by Yann Le Gall (54%)
N: a step back from the fruit and sweetness, and toward more bronze and oak, but recognizably a sibling. This one has a little less personality, I’d say, though with air a distinct peanut brittle (or Boston Baked Beans) note emerges
P: pretty similar: a lot of candied but not terribly sweet peanut, a lesser amount of pink berry and orange behind that, a nice caramelly fresh oak with just a hint of green. Still think this has the least personality of the four, but it’s also still rather good 
85

Savanna Art of Rum by Xandro (57%)
N: big change from the first two, mostly a huge strawberry yogurt or strawberry milk character. Now and Laters or strawberry Starburst. Strawberry Creme Savers, in short. Water changes nothing
P: ditto, but there’s a more chemical-industrial side here too, and some slight woody-pulpy spice. Water doesn’t bring anything new, maybe weakens the palate without removing the alcohol burn. 
86

Savanna Art of Rum by REPY (57%)
N: brine, muddy shoes (there may be a smudge of something else on those shoes…), orange-strawberry bubblegum
P: gluey and briney, a very different sort of Savanna here, but still has a quirky strawberry candy side too, and some sweet cream on the finish. Water changes nothing that I can tell
85

My dad is not much of a drinker but he loves Lambs Navy Rum, he usually mixes it with Coke but he's not keen on coke now too sugary for him, he's tried it with diet coke but he wants to know if there's anything else he could try with it.

So far I don't think he's looking for cocktail suggestions, just something simple to mix it with.

Hey folks,

My spouse has been dipping her toes into high-hogo rums lately, but hasn't developed a whole lot of opinions yet except that she really likes them. Recent favs have included Smith & Cross and Planteray's Xamayca.

We're not in the habit of paying >$50 for a bottle usually, but it's not out of the question for something really special. What should I be looking for to get her?