Samaroli Demerara Dark 1995 16 year

Subtle, soft and medium bodied rums originating in Guyana and that define the fourth major standard style. To our sweethearts and wives, may they never meet!
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Hassouni
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Samaroli Demerara Dark 1995 16 year

Post by Hassouni »

So, at Hogo, a rum bar in DC with possibly the best rum collection in the mid-Atlantic, I put down quite a fair chunk of change for a half ounce of this: http://www.samaroli.it/eng/scheda.asp?id=109

Samaroli's 16 year old Demerara rum, distilled in 1995 and bottled in 2011, matured (for who knows what reason) in Scotland.

This was worlds away from any of the El Dorados. Samaroli don't disclose which still(s) this came from, but it was light and intense at the same time, no matter how contradictory that sounds. Granted, it was served in a tumbler, so that's less than ideal, but it had a fairly light body and delicate opening, followed by a really funky, almost meaty follow-through. I might compare it to ED15 or Wood's, but without any of the sweetness or other alterations - much drier than either of them, but softened by 16 years in oak.

PS, Samaroli's "Caribbean 2003" is actually Cuban, but obviously they can't be explicit about that. I've had that, and it's like Havana Club 7 with all the rough edges polished.

I don't think this is distributed for retail in my area (or Florida) but this is a must-try. I think next time I'll bring my Glencairn glass.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Great post Hass...


If I may quote JaRiMi:

"These days my rum-money goes to independent bottlers like Cadenheads, Gargano, Samaroli, Berry Bros, Bristol Classic Rums, because I like what they are doing with rum. To borrow an old advertisement slogan, they are "the real thing"."
JaRiMi: "I can concur that John Barrett's Bristol Classic Rums are very good examples of pure rums, with no funny methods used.

Tasting such rums, many single cask releases, is an eye-opener in many ways - for example, these rums are very dry in taste, when compared to almost any "mass-market" rums sweetened generously with added sugar. They also showcase aging quite well, and make an interesting comparison to tropic-matured rums claiming to be all 30 years old etc.

Cadenhead's is another brand that has bottled pure rums, as is Gordon & McPhail. In general, there is a lightyear of difference between the taste of mass-market products, and these independently bottled rums, which often appeal more to Single Malt Whisky drinkers, for the very fact that they haven't been "tampered" with, but also because the taste is often closer in style to whisky because of the lack of tampering.

Richard Seale is doing pioneering work also in Bim (Barbados, that is), and for example the single cask from him bottled for Milroy's of Soho whisky shop in London was amazing & pure. Savana distillerie, and Riviere du Matt from Reunion also produce fine, natural rums for example. I think Rhum Martinique's are generally so regulated, that they are pretty pure.

Finally, Silvano Samaroli and Luca Gargano from Italy have absolutely fantastic old Demeraras and Caroni rums for example, all which are bottled at full strength, and without any funny business."
As regarding the aroma and taste experience with pure rums, he adds:
JaRiMi: "As a footnote, I think most rum lovers, especially those in USA, would be shocked tasting a rum that has not received any "fixes".

The dryness would hit as number one issue, and then - well, the richness of natural flavours, not hidden underneath excessive filtering, added fruit, oak extracts and sugars etc. If sweet sugar (or aspartame!) is what you like, you will not like Rum - as it is from the cask, I suspect. And I do believe rum straight from the cask is similar in this sweetness aspect, no matter what the distillery.

Anyways, there's a market for every style, I just wish that companies selling mass-market rums would be more honest in the rum business as to what & how much they add to their products."
Hass, you ask a good question in re Samaroli's aging in Scotland. Samoroli's website notes the accelerated aging that occurs in the tropics, and notes that aging takes longer in northern climes as they observe:
"Another specific Samaroli feature is the maturation, carried out in Scotland, where the climate (cooler than in the Caribbean) enables longer ageing and consequently cleaner, clear-cut and more elegant rums."
Hassouni
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Post by Hassouni »

Man, Cadenhaid...Bristol...Gordom & MacPhail...Blackadder...Samaroli...only the Berry Bros rums are available locally. The only other totally unaltereds I can think of that I can buy in person are all the Foursquare stuff, Scarlet Ibis, and Barbancourt.

As for aging in Scotland, having read your site top to bottom, I'm well aware that stuff ages there at a slower rate, but this is the first time I've heard of it being "cleaner" and "elegant." I like rough rums! Are the other indie rums aged in the Caribbean?
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Post by JaRiMi »

Hassouni wrote:Man, Cadenhaid...Bristol...Gordom & MacPhail...Blackadder...Samaroli...only the Berry Bros rums are available locally. The only other totally unaltereds I can think of that I can buy in person are all the Foursquare stuff, Scarlet Ibis, and Barbancourt.

As for aging in Scotland, having read your site top to bottom, I'm well aware that stuff ages there at a slower rate, but this is the first time I've heard of it being "cleaner" and "elegant." I like rough rums! Are the other indie rums aged in the Caribbean?
Heh, well - stocks are matured where they happen to land, and each place makes claim to a better environment, producing superlatives about their excellence. Claims of cleaner or more elegant spirit resulting from a maturation in a cooler environment may or may not contain some truth :-)

As for where other indy-bottled rum is matured, I'd say this goes case by case - some comes directly from the source (Caribbean), others are matured in Bristol, Liverpool, Scotland, etc.

Indeed, the dryness of the spirit of an unadulterated rum is noticeable, as there is no sugar to mention coming through naturally from distillation. The only (miniscule) amounts of sugar that may be in a non-post-sugared rum come from the cask wood.
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Aging in cool climes

Post by sleepy »

Elsewhere on the board his-crusty-self has commented on the 7-10 yo aging of Caribbean rums as "the sweet spot". I agree. My own palate applied to malts is that the sweet-spot is 10-15 yo and even older ages are treasured beyond my miserly comprehension.

I love the crusty roughness of Laphroiag 10 yo, but for others at 10, it is too brash (raw) - 5 more years in the cask and it has all the character of hatchery trout (none, for you non-fishermen). Likewise - don't dare take the edge off my Pusser's.

Seriously, "unadulterated" does not make a great rum. Gosling has been using the same "adulterated" recipe for how long? It's still a great mixing rum and occasional sipper. Zaya - great rum? No, but a very good rum-based dessert liqueur - modified out the wazoo, just like Drambouie.


But, producers need to cut the crap - honest age statements honest statements of post-distillation flavoring,...

For the rest of us, claiming that it's no good if it isn't "pure" or "unadulterated" is every bit as silly as "it's all good". There are "adulterated" rums that please my palate and "pure" rums that are as pleasant as raw sewage. Want great BS? Dilute Everclear with fresh water from your favorite hard-rock spring. You've just developed a world class $50 vodka!

Producers need to do the distilling, blending and aging well - and be honest (and the next thing you know, lawyers and politicians will cease to lie) I ain't holding my breath. But it's up to each palate to decide what's good. "unadulterated" or not, which rums satisfy, which make you want to have another and another 'til you put on a funny hat and talk like a pirate and which make you want to reach for the mouthwash?

Thank you Jimbo and Sue for your clear, unvarnished reviews that help us find our way through the diverse labels on the (shrinking) non-Disney liquor store rum shelves.
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Re: Aging in cool climes

Post by JaRiMi »

sleepy wrote:Elsewhere on the board his-crusty-self has commented on the 7-10 yo aging of Caribbean rums as "the sweet spot". I agree. My own palate applied to malts is that the sweet-spot is 10-15 yo and even older ages are treasured beyond my miserly comprehension.

I love the crusty roughness of Laphroiag 10 yo, but for others at 10, it is too brash (raw) - 5 more years in the cask and it has all the character of hatchery trout (none, for you non-fishermen). Likewise - don't dare take the edge off my Pusser's.


Hmmm - I would not necessarily compare 7 - 10 years of aging in a tropical climate to the same amount of aging in Scotland...Tropical weather speeds up the development of spirit quite a bit. Actually, a 7 - 10yo rum aged in the Caribbean is actually quite old! Angostura told me 13 years ago that they do not age spirit ever for more than 15 years. This would be roughly equivalent to 25 - 30 years of aging in Scottish damb and cold cellars.
Seriously, "unadulterated" does not make a great rum. Gosling has been using the same "adulterated" recipe for how long? It's still a great mixing rum and occasional sipper. Zaya - great rum? No, but a very good rum-based dessert liqueur - modified out the wazoo, just like Drambouie.
Well- unadulterated (i.e. with no added sugar, other sweeteners, unmentioned flavour ingredients like essences, etc.) rum has one thing going for it: We at least KNOW what it's made of, and what's in it. With the others, where they do not disclose publicly how the product is made, or what goes in it = we do not know what it is made of. Dunno about y'all, but this makes me concerned. I'd like to know what I am drinking please. :-)

As far as what is a good rum or bad rum, this is a matter of taste of course. I for one do not like sweeteners - so Zaya may be a wonderful liqueur, but I don't like it, cause it's just too damn sweet for my palate. Same for the Zacapa's of this world. 50 grams of sugar / litre is a helluva lot of sugar - and God only (apart from the manufacturer, and he ain't telling) knows what else has been added to boost flavour.
But, producers need to cut the crap - honest age statements honest statements of post-distillation flavoring,...
I agree 100%. And if they were clever, they'd use their "special recipe" as a marketing strategy - and also explain local legislation, traditions, etc. to boost this message of "what we make here is unique" - instead of hiding behind false age statements, and funny hide-and-seek game with the consumers about additive use.
For the rest of us, claiming that it's no good if it isn't "pure" or "unadulterated" is every bit as silly as "it's all good". There are "adulterated" rums that please my palate and "pure" rums that are as pleasant as raw sewage. Want great BS? Dilute Everclear with fresh water from your favorite hard-rock spring. You've just developed a world class $50 vodka!
I have not had the pleasure of tasting unadulterated rum as pleasant as raw sewage, but...then again, I haven't luckily tasted raw sewage either. But read my comments above about why I think unadulterated rums currently have a thing or two going for them. Knowledge of what a drink is made may save one's eyesight one day..or help to avoid a nasty allergy attack!
Producers need to do the distilling, blending and aging well - and be honest (and the next thing you know, lawyers and politicians will cease to lie) I ain't holding my breath.
The funny thing is, this is already done - in Bourbon and Scotch, Irish whiskies. No shit! And certainly no BS about how they make their products. So why is it so hard in rum?
But it's up to each palate to decide what's good. "unadulterated" or not, which rums satisfy, which make you want to have another and another 'til you put on a funny hat and talk like a pirate and which make you want to reach for the mouthwash?

Thank you Jimbo and Sue for your clear, unvarnished reviews that help us find our way through the diverse labels on the (shrinking) non-Disney liquor store rum shelves.
Absolutely everyone should decide on what type of spirit they like. But they should also have access to honest info on how the spirit is made.

I do not know much about Gosling rum you mentioned, never tried it, so I cannot comment on how "unadulterated" it is. But I would like rum connoisseurs and reviewers to understand a few things (like the fact that if the rum in the glass is sweet, it is also because of added sugar - not because the raw material is sugar cane juice or molasses, or other nonsense one often reads), and also try real rum, which has no additives. It can be a real eye-opener, and reveals the true spirit of rum - Real Rum. Good or not.
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Post by Hassouni »

JaRiMi you hit the nail on the head before I had a chance to respond. I tend to think that the less altered rums have more complexity, much as the non-colored, non-chill filtered single malts have.

As for Gosling's, that stuff is DARK, and as you probably know that's a result of E150. But Gosling's rum is funky and weird and bitey, things that the Z-rums, Matusalem, and other notorious tamperers try to smooth out. Same with Myer's, and this applies for both the standard and extra-aged bottlings for both producers. Beyond the coloration, I HIGHLY doubt that they've added any flavorings, be they pure sugar or "essences."

One of the more interesting rums on the market is Ron del Barillito, but they make no secret about the fact that they macerate stuff in the barrel to add flavors - rather, they proclaim it quite proudly. This is proof that alteration doesn't have to be bad, but let's just be honest about it. Barillito has been doing what it does for over a century, so it's certainly not a fad. What most of us want is the same rules applied to rum as apply to Scotch and (even more so) Bourbon.

Want to make an altered rum? Go ahead but tell us that it's not a simple still-->barrel-->bottle product. I gave a friend last night a dram of Smith & Cross and he was nearly repelled by it, even after adding water. Yet many of us here love it. There is a market for both dry, funky, naturally flavored rums, and the sweetened, darkened products (many of which really are indistinguishable from liqueurs).

Further honesty would be appreciated in aging too - a lack of age statements is fine, many bourbons and single malts say nothing with this regard, though there is an implied minimum aging period required by law. But if you're calling something "23" it had better be aged for 23 years! (I also think the solera system is total bunk, but whatever.)

As much as I love rum still, in the last year or so I've been put off by a lot of it, just because much of it is mediocre overhyped still-drivel. I've bought nearly every readily-available rum that's highly regarded on this site, and these have been great, but there are almost no new products that interest me, and I as of yet can't justify ~$100 for the Berry's, Cadenhead's, etc of the rum world.
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Post by cyril »

i experienced the 1994 version of Samaroli Dark Rum and that is quite original... thats what a dak rum is and thats not really pleasant to drink to myself, a lot on melasse, i would say too much, with a lot of wood too.

the other 'millesimes' should be more interesting, but i was upset with that one, and in general Samaroli's rums are too expensive for what they are: you buy the name/brand and you can find similar rums (same still/origin/age) in other independant bottlers catalogue (The Rum Cask, Whisky & Rhum, Sansibar,...) for a better price (that way you can buy more bottles ;) )
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Post by Hassouni »

It's ok, in the States we can barely get any of them...I haven't even heard of the ones you just mentioned!
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Review

Post by Who-is-this-Ron-guy? »

A review for Samaroli Demerara Dark Rum 1995, 16 year old, 90 proof.
Product of British Guyana. Cask 41. Bottle 115 of 275.

I've been sitting down with this one for a while so I thought I'd add my own review to this thread.

Samaroli has a legendary reputation in the scotch world, and this company is also known to bottle rums of equal quality. I am not generally persuaded by legends, however, and a cursory glance of Samaroli whisky reviews will show that some (older) bottlings are indeed legendary while many, both old and new, are not. I was initially unsure about taking my chances with this rum since the price is significantly more steep than other products, but I decided in the end to go ahead and pick it up along with the Samaroli Fiji rum...for educational purposes, of course....

The colour is light gold (natural colour). Might be quite the juxtaposition for someone expecting "dark" rum. Aside from the bottle, I'm not sure what's "dark" about it. As Hassouni commented, worlds away from El Dorado in that sense.

An interesting nose of floral honey, mint, something herbal, acetone, and light molasses. Mustiness? Quite complex and inviting, though not heavy.

The palate has a soft, velvety arrival. Watery honey, mint, acetone, burnt sugar, floral notes, and mild spice. Something musty for sure. I would characterize the palate as soft and flavourful, with mild sweetness and spice.

The mint billows in the finish. Notes of anise and watery honey emerge. All of this fades into a growing tannic spice and light herbal note (mint again?). It is drying and prolonged.

This one is quite delightful. One of my favourites, due in part to the fact that I can be nearly certain that it has not been adulterated. I have some others in my cabinet that I enjoy but remain uncertain about (BB&R Caribbean XO, for example). I'm not sure if it's worth the price, however. Samaroli's can be unjustifiably expensive and I am almost certain that rums of equal quality and purity can be found for less than what I paid for this. I say almost certain because rum selection in the Canadian market is abysmal so I must comment vicariously to those in other more generous markets. (which is also why I must source most of my spirits from the US when I, friends, and relatives travel).

9/10
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Post by mamajuana »

Interesting thoughts on the 1995. I have been sitting on this purchase for a while as I have heard that DDL will no longer sell to private bottlers I will have to go purchase it tomorrow for the collection. What year was yours bottled in?
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

I'd like to know more about the DDL decision.

If this is so, it would indicate to me that at least one major distiller has gotten our messege - I'm serious here - and may start producing and promoting pure rums. Now if that happens, the whole game changes. Until now there were only a few super-duper-premiums that promoted purity (think Preciosa).
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Post by Who-is-this-Ron-guy? »

mamajuana wrote:Interesting thoughts on the 1995. I have been sitting on this purchase for a while as I have heard that DDL will no longer sell to private bottlers I will have to go purchase it tomorrow for the collection. What year was yours bottled in?
This was bottled in 2011. It's certainly worth the experience if you can stomach the price. It is very different than anything else in my cabinet (aside from the other Samaroli). Interesting news about DDL. Buy them up while they last!
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