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.

The Transcontinental Rum Line is a series of bottlings that, according to LM&V, aims to showcase the diversity of rum production around the world. The line consists of rums from seven countries and one blended rum from three countries. The Australia entry is a pot still molasses rum distilled at Beenleigh. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Beenleigh

Bottler: La Maison & Velier

Region/style: Australia pot still molasses rum

ABV: 48% 

Age: 7 years, 5 in Australia followed by 2 in France  

Cask type: Ex-bourbon barrels in Australia and a cognac foudre in France

Color: 0.8 deep gold. Natural color and free of additives

Price: $85 is the best I’ve found

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Nose: A spicy one. There’s cinnamon and nutmeg, and perhaps a sprinkle of cardamom. Sticky buns. There’s an herbal aspect too, like thyme. Lots of wood.      

Palate: Spicy again. Some fruity flavors come out that I didn’t get from the nose. Some black cherry and raspberry. Molasses cake. There’s a sort of raisiny, cognac-like flavor to it, which makes sense from the cognac cask. It is a little thin.  

Finish: The spicy theme continues. More cardamom, and some pepper now. More cherry and raspberry, and the woody herbal flavor pops up again. Thin here, too.  

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Conclusion: Promising, but not reaching it’s full potential. Very nice nose, a step down on the palate, and fading on the finish. The flavor is very good; it just needs to be punchier. The cognac influence really does add something, I’d say.  I’d love to try something like this at cask strength or at least closer. First experience with Beenleigh and it’s good stuff..   

Score: 73

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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.