2011 Compagnie des Indes (Epris Distillery) 8 Year Old Single Cask Cask Strength Brazil Rum (700ml)

Distilled in a multi-column still at the Epris Distillery, this blend of molasses and cane juice-based rums was summed up by Compagnie des Indes as "sweet and savoury with notes of BBQ sauce & Xérès vinegar." Zero sugar has been added. From a 30ml sample, the aromas need coaxing to get beyond basic scents like balsa wood and hints of molasses. On the palate, the sugars are matched by tingling spices, closing acidic, lean with nipping alcohol. Some sweetness recovers late in the aftertaste, but the lack of definition makes this odd-ball rum feel more like an oak-charged, cask strength Armagnac. 53.2% Alc./vol. Non-chill filtered. 293 bottles produced.

Notes from the bottlers... Nose: rich and powerful, with notes of toffee, fudge and macadamia nuts with strong whiffs of molasses. Mouth: first a salty flavour (salted butter caramel), then grilled meat and dark chocolate. Finish: a sweet bitterness remains all along the tasting right until the end.