Review by: The Auditor

This sample was provided to me by a producer, distributor, or some other industry source free-of-charge. No compensation, outside of the sample, was received and there were no strings attached.

Review #1392; Rum #692

Here we have a rum from a brand new independent bottler in the United States, Parhelia Spirits. Parhelia Spirits was founded by spirits enthusiasts for spirits enthusiasts and this first batch of rum casks seems to speak on that for me. In that case in chatting with the founder, he pointed out that he wanted more distillate forward rum releases meant towards the nerds, which is both admirable as one of those nerds and risky since we are such a small segment of the market. Now onto one of these first releases and you can find more here: https://www.parheliaspirits.com/

This is a Barbados rum that was distilled at the West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) from molasses on the Gregg’s Farm Pot still in 2016. It was casked into a first fill ex-bourbon cask where it aged for 7 years in Europe before being bottled at cask strength with no additives .

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Distillery: West Indies Rum Distillery

Bottler: Parhelia Spirits

Region: Barbados

Still: Pot

ABV: 65.4%

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Nose: Graham Cracker, Vanilla, Apple, Hay, Bready, Clove, Plantain Chips

Palate: Medium oily mouthfeel, Graham Cracker, Vanilla, Apple, Hay, Clove, Bready, Plantain, Earthy

Finish:  Medium length finish, Apple, Hay, Clove, Vanilla, Bready, Plantain, Earthy

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This is a great 100% pot still rum distilled in Barbados. It’s profile diverges pretty far from the other rums from Barbados I’ve had. It’s a bit farmy, baking spice forward, and just enough underlying sweet to tie it all together.

Final Score: 88

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky 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.