One of our most memorable experiences was meeting Richard Seale at Robert Burr's Barbadian rum tasting. Seale is the number one producer in Barbados and has committed his distillery to two objectives: (1) modernization and (2) integrity. He has achieved both. Richard led off the tasting with a bit of history and the process of rum making; he then announced that the rum tasting would begin with a "special rum" he'd brought just for the tasting. He advised that he would then ask three questions - anybody who could answer all three correctly would get a bottle of his Seales 10.
Nobody won.
The first question was "Is it cane or molasses based?". Most guessed molasses. Good so far. Second was "Is it pot or continuous stilled?". Most said it was pot stilled. Last question "What is it's age?". Guesses were from 4 to 7 years old. Seale then revealed the answer "It is a brand new, molasses based, continuous stilled rum that I phonied up with molasses, vanilla and some other things"!
His point: a lot of rum, more than you'd ever guess, has been altered with all manner of additives, flavorings, sugar, molasses, et al. Often age statements are based on a minor quantity of rum blended in with marketing more in mind. As Richard put it "They toss a teaspoon of 20 year into a barrel and call it aged".
His presentation was powerful and effective. Last he made clear two facts: (1) any rum he sells must be produced AND bottled at Seale's distillery and (2) every single drop of rum in the bottle must be the age stated. Accordingly, R. L. Seale's 10 Year is at least 10 years old. Every single drop. And now for the review:
Sue Sea:
Me: If you buy by bottle alone you have to own Seale'ss 10 Year and Batuque Cachaca. If you buy by quality, taste and integrity a bottle of Seale's 10 needs to be on your very short list, particularly in the Barbadian category. As Sue Sea so well puts it, Seale's 10 Year is a truly great sipper, a treat and is "a course in itself". Compared to Mount Gay Extra Old, Seales 10 is just as complex but more subtle, smoother and more approachable.I adore R. L. Seale's 10 Year. It's first aroma is of oak, citrus - especially orange - and it is toasty smoky. Later I picked up a bit of raisin, vanilla and almond. Seale's is medium bodied and smooth . And like all fine rums, is completely consistent with its aroma, with tastes of dark orange, light butter and a bit of butterscotch. It's almost like a caramel melting on the tongue. When you finally get to the finish it is dramatic! Hot and smokey but not peppery, not overpowering, extremely pleasant and extremely long lasting. The finish, though consistent with both aroma and taste is clearly the prominent feature, and this is a great thing. To me a great finish is the capper, the dessert, the thing that makes you want more. From aroma, to taste, to finish the Seales builds to a wonderful, dramatic climax.
If you are so lucky as to run across this unique bottle, run quickly, grab it and buy it before someone else does. You won't be sorry.
Rating (out of 10): Sue Sea - 10, Jimbo - 9.