Review by: Raygun
A quick note before anything else for the sake of transparency. This review was done with an industry sample 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 this review. For more information, see our Ethics & Transparency statement.
This is a blend of aged Panamanian rum, unaged high ester Jamaican rum, and unaged grand arome rum from Martinique. LM&V bills it as a cocktail rum specifically, but I’ll be trying it neat for this occasion. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Blended rum
Bottler: La Maison & Velier
Region/style: Panama, Jamaica, and Martinique rums
ABV: 45%
Age: No age stated
Cask type: Presumably bourbon
Color: 0.5 yellow gold. Natural color and free of additives
Price: $30
Nose: Definitely get the high ester effect with rubber and glue. There’s some grass and modeling clay as well.
Palate: Rubber and clay, but also some lime and a touch of caramel. There’s some type of cake as well. The high ester quality is there for sure, but it’s moderated by the milder (I take it) Panamanian rum.
Finish: Lime, with a creamy aspect to it. More caramel, and an herbal quality comes out.
Conclusion: Had some trepidation about how this would drink neat when it’s designed for mixing. Turns out pretty decent. Has some character without being too strong in my opinion. It’s a little simple, but works fairly well even neat. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough to try it in a cocktail as well.
Score: 73
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.
Malt Runners 