Shakara 12

Review by: Raygun

A quick note before anything else for the sake of transparency. These reviews were done with industry samples provided free of charge, with no expectations beyond drinking them. As always, I do my best to provide my unbiased opinion, and readers can decide how they want to take these reviews. 

Shakara is unusual, a molasses rum made from local sugarcane distilled and aged in Thailand. This is their first edition. Rum isn’t exactly associated with Thailand, though they do produce a lot of sugarcane. This was distilled on a column still. Thailand does get brutally hot, so I imagine the angels’ share was considerable after 12 years. Rested about 10 minutes. 

Distillery: Don’t know the name of the distiller. Shakara is the brand name. 

Bottler: La Maison & Velier

Region/style: Thai column still molasses rum 

ABV: 45.7% 

Age: 12 years

Cask type: Ex-bourbon

Color: 1.7 burnt umber

Price: Around $45

Nose: Very clean. Vanilla, coconut, and cinnamon. Toasted wood. After my last few reviews being Jamaican, the difference is very clear.    

Palate: Heavy on the banana, which I didn’t get from the nose. Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla. Kind of a bananas foster thing going on. With some black tea. Quite a bit of cask influence. 

Finish: Bananas, cinnamon, waffles. Vanilla chai. Not excessively oaky, but again one gets the feeling that the cask is doing a lot of the work here.  

Conclusion: Not mind-blowing, which comes as no surprise. More conventional in style than the Hampdens and Mhobas I’ve had recently, and as a result more accessible but less interesting. Still decent enough for sipping, and could be used in cocktails as well.

Score: 75

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.

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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