Capn Jimbo's Rum Project Forum

[Capn Jimbo]

Tasting: What to look for...

Proof of Rogue Rum rogueness is the dearth of rum specific characteristics. For example you will find aroma/tasting wheels for almost anything: cheese, coffee, chocolate, beer and of course, wine and whisky. As for the latter there are many. For rum?

Nada.

As a result new drinkers (and old for that matter) are forced to depend, in order, on (a) recycled distiller PR "tasting notes", (b) "...it's all good" promoter descriptions and (c) a mish mosh of semi-independent "rum review sites", and (d) our completely independent rum website. Confusion and fluffy, flowery, inaccessible laundry lists of descriptors that are designed mostly to promote the rum, promote the promoter, or promote the ego of the website master.

I oughta know.

So in the interest of simplicity, the following is the short list of the aromas and flavors we find most typical of molasses-based rums:

Floral: orange blossom, tea
Fruity: orange/orange marmalade, lemon/grapefruit, bing/black cherry; apricot, raisin, prune, figs, dates; banana incl. overripe
Herbaceous: tea
Nutty: almond, baked nutty (eg nutbread), sweet pecan,
Caramel: vanillan, caramel, caramel cream, toffee, chocolate, cacao, butterscotch, maple, molasses
Woody: atringency/tannins, oak, cigar box, burnt toast, tobacco
Phenolic: tarry, medicinal
Feinty: leather, tobacco, furniture polish
Earthy: musty, cork, dunder
Sherry: sherry, reddish color Bourbon: bourbon
Spicy: clove, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, white pepper, jalapeno, nutmeg, licorice, anise
General: baked, roasted, fresh-out-of-the-oven, burnt, smoked, dry/dried

Cane juice rums: add caney, reedy, fields, hay/straw, rice paddy/woven basket, cut grass, asparagus, sauerkraut, anise/licorice


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These few have proven to be the most common, most likely and most important sensations we have experienced over the past few years in tasting over 130 rums, and in doing multiple comparisons. In later posts, I'll review the aromas and flavors of rum as related to the processes of fermenting, distilling and aging rum.
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