Review by: Raygun

The Auditor dropped a bunch of rum samples on me, and…well, I’ll do my best. Had a handful of rums before, and I’m being pretty literal there. Still feeling my way there, but I’ll give this one a shot. This is something special for me; oldest rum I’ve had by a good margin. Reviewed from a sample, initially tasted blind. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: New Yarmouth

Bottler: Fine Drams

Region/style: Jamaican column still rum

ABV: 68.5% 

Age: 28 years. Label says 26, but The Auditor informed me that’s a mistake (love that) and it’s actually 28. Aged 25 years tropically and 3 years in Europe. Originally planned to be bottled in 2021 and I guess that’s when the labels were printed, but it was delayed until 2023. 

Cask type: American oak, #435059

Color: 1.7 burnt umber. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: $97 for 35cl

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Nose: Smells like rum, what do you know? Brown sugar, pineapple, papaya, and a hint of something like diesel. Not in a bad way. Lots of wood. Oh wow. Really transforms with some water. Cedar, cherimoya, vanilla, and some wax. 

Palate: This has got some major heat. Feels like cask strength. Pretty sweet. Brown sugar, caramelized banana, pineapple. Oaky, and that little touch of diesel or solvent. Water brings out lime, custard, and cherimoya. Banana moves toward ripe plantains. Has some of that overripe funk. 

Finish: Rich and intense here as well. Waffles, caramelized bananas, lime, cream soda. Some papaya, too, slightly overripe again. Lot of wood influence. Oak, but also that cedar-like flavor. Unlike the nose and palate, water doesn’t make a big difference here. 

Conclusion: Another hit from The Auditor. A solid triple, in fact. This is great. Needs some water to calm it down, and then it really blossoms. It’s intense even then. So full of flavor. It is kind of a punch in the face, but varied, too. There’s more here than wood, even after the long tropical aging. Delicious. 

Buy a bottle? Wife liked it, too. Would have to think about it.

Score: 86

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent rum worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.