Rum Review: Sea Wynde Rum

Now's here's the real stuff - traditional, cleans your socks on the way down. Unlike the Royal Navy, the pirates drank while eating, sailing and fighting - the first multitaskers. Here's to Port Royal, the Port of Orgies! Say it loud and say it plowed!
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How do you rate Sea Wynde Rum (five is best)?

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100%
3
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Total votes: 2

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Capn Jimbo
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Rum Review: Sea Wynde Rum

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Sea Wynde Rum: "Pusser's Revenge"

Jamaican style rums can be among the most challenging.

They require time, airing and a careful approach. Dive in and your testicles (if you are so equipped) may shrivel in revolt. Ease your way in and you may have an orgasmic lust affair (a Capn Jimbo word picture, patent pending).

Navy rums sit at the limits of this range, and Sea Wynde is perhaps the most visible example.

Sea Wynde Rum is a reported blend of five pot-stilled rums from Jamaica and Guyana and can be considered a classic product that would please the British Royal Navy of old. The authentic British Navy rum is indeed a blend of five West Indies Rum, made for over a hundred years by the Man Company, and later by Pussers - both with the full blessing and authorization by the British government. One good source states that the Man Company included rums from Guyana and Trinidad. Another denies that Jamaican rum is in the blend. The point...

No one really knows except Pussers. And the British government.

But if the official British Royal Navy formula doesn't include Jamaican rum, it should. Enter Sea Wynde. You will certainly find some widely divergent opinions regarding this rum. Reviews vary widely but this should be expected with Navy rums. Bilgemunkey, this author and occasionally even Sue Sea, love em. Tie Dye Rum drinkers tend to puke. The reviews:

Sue Sea:
As you know I adore the ritual and setting of a good rum tasting. Moderate lighting, bottle in view, water at the ready and no distractions. And there is nothing like a fine bottle to enhance and entice. Sea Wynde's is simply stunning - heavy with a thick, clear indented base, and a modest faux pewter raised grey label and neckband. Such a presentation raises the ante however, and one tends to expect more.

Sea Wynde's pour immediately revealed the dunder type of aroma that I have come to associate with the more robust Jamaican style. This is its primary aroma which is accompanied by leather, a deep orange, a bit of apricot - a furniture polish. Sea Wynde has that earthy, been on the ship aroma, with a bit of musty hold and a hint of oak. With airing and reflection there is a nice maple syrup.

Do take care when tasting Sea Wynde and be mindful of its pungent 92 proof. The early palate struck with both a clovey and white pepper, and with a little of what I'd call a pumpkin pie, allspice sweetness. The sweetness remained, but a spicy, peppery heat grew to a long hot white pepper, chest warming finish over a rindy dry apricot. Sea Wynde is powerful, but not heavy bodied. The aftertaste is a somewhat cloying rindy cigar box. Very dry, and one that tempts a palate clearing. Still, Sea Wynde encourages another nice taste, if in part to clear!

I find Sea Wynde quite unique with its sweet against leathery, peppery heat. And the heat is quite balanced and consistent from entry, to finish, to aftertaste. I will say my first taste was "Woooo-ahhh!". But the more I sipped it, the more I liked it. I believe Sea Wynde would make a fantastic prelude - with hors d'oeuvres - to a great meal. It is very well balanced, and very consistent. Sea Wynde's only weakness, to me, was its somewhat cloying aftertaste.

Still, Sea Wynde is a fine Navy/Jamaican style rum.
Me:

Warning! I'll repeat Sue Sea's advice to take your time with Sea Wynde. Be prepared to do a number of drams - slowly - to appreciate its rewards. Sea Wynde is a brilliant clear light amber with delayed pearl legs, and a thin light green edge. Nice. With care I nosed very high, and was rewarded with a wispy sweet aroma with a touch - but just a touch - of vanilla. Nosing closer immediately reveals its primary, pungent dunder nose, over a deep sweet tarry sour leather.

Tastewise, Sea Wynde opens sweet and smooth, consistent with the aroma. A growing heat and pepper emerges and culminates with an astringent, leathery hot white pepper that will warm your throat and especially your chest. This is a real rum.

Lovely!

At a point we did a mini-comparison with the Royal Navy standard - Pussers Blue Label. To the credit of Sea Wynde and their navy claims, we found remarkable similarities. The differences - more fruit, less pepper, perhaps more complexity with the Pussers. It certainly made Pussers seem more accessible. Approach Pussers from a typical molasses rum profile and you might not like it. Approach it after tasting Sea Wynde, and you may find Pussers relatively softer and more intriguing. Robert Burr, take note!

As for me I like them both. This time Sea Wynde took a slight edge for me and scored a substantial advantage with Sue Sea.

Rating (10 is best): Sue Sea - 8, Jimbo - 7.5



Note: On this tasting we were joined by Sue Sea's gifted waiter son Brian, who we have worked hard to educate regarding rum, and who has participated in a number of tastings. He is developing some talent.

His impressions: in addition to the aromas already reported, Brian found a very high bit of citrus lemon. He very much loved Sea Wynde, as an "explosion" of both marmalade sweetness and peppery heat. As he put it "...this is the kind of rum that you better not leave me alone with. I'd be tempted to just keep drinking it". I take that as a positive for the rum. He knows our rating system, and gave it a "7.5".
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Tue Jul 20, 2010 6:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Sea Wynde

Post by Pyrate Surgeon »

There's times I can be rather garrulous on a subject, other times not. I could go on about the taste and impressions of Sea Wynde, but my husband summed it up when he remarked; "Where single malt Whisky and Fine Rum meet and converts are made."

Nuff said.
The Rhum comes After the surgery, mate!
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Capn Jimbo
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A Return Review...

Post by Capn Jimbo »

A Return Review...

We have arrived at the point where we've simply run out of rums to taste, not to mention that it's fun to return to rum we haven't had in awhile, just for the halibut...

Since our last review I've heard that Sea Wynde is being discontinued. If so this is truly horrible news and yet another step away from real and true rums into the morass of cheap flavored and spiced rums. But I refuse to wallow and take a bit heart in that I was able to find a nice discounted bottle on closeout. Basta! The reviews...

Sue Sea:
Normally I begin with presentation in the bottle, but you can get all of that above. But I'll still mention Sea Wynde's magnificent, looming tall bottle. Sea Wynde is a Jamaican style or Navy rum (which is really pretty much the same thing) with the usual thick dunder tones.

Dunder opens the Sea Wynde's aroma, with vanilla caramel molasses sweetness. If an aroma can be rich, creamy and buttery Sea Wynde has that aroma - like smelling a warm caramel topping. There was a bit of a deep rich chocolate.

Surprisingly the palate was not as rich, nor as sweet as the aroma implied. This rum is edgy, but in a good way, with an early sweet heat (more heat), then transitioning into a mid palate ginger, clove and spice. Sea Wynde finishes hot and hearty, with a clovey, spicy long finish with both a hint of ginger or a bit of white pepper (with its pure heat).

In sum, Sea Wynde smacks of quality, value and excellence in rum making - rich, full bodied and hearty. Of course it's hard for me not to compare Sea Wynde to my favorite, Pusser's Blue Label, but it surely holds its own, anytime, day or night.
Me:

What a truly lovely rum, one for the seasoned connoisseur. Pussies beware, this is a real rum, honest and true - everything that rum is about. Tasting Sea Wynde requires time, care and patient attention - on the other hand, Pussers lovers can dive right in.

Sea Wynde opens with powerful and deep dunder tones, the kind that lovers of the Jamaican style will understand. Frankly, our use of "dunder" as an aroma is unconventional, as dunder really refers to the dunder pits used to store leftover distillation product for literally years. This "dunder" is nasty, but rich with hundreds of esters just waiting to be added to the next distillation.

What we call "dunder" aroma is really no single aroma, but really represents an exceptionally thick and rich aroma, just brimming over with a mash of aromas that are too many to really count. Pussers, Smith and Cross, Wray & Nephews, Sea Wynde and even Appleton Extra share this effect. Once you know it, you'll never forget it. "Dunder" is our tip off that the rum is Jamaican style.

Back to Sea Wynde. Clear as a bell medium amber, reassuring thin green edge, medium and honest legs. Big dunder open, with a deep tarry leather, with some rindy whiffs of grapefruit tartness. If there's a distant background of chocolate, it's a bitter one. In sum, an entirely authentic aroma that just draws you in.

Sea Wynde's palate was consistent and opened buttery smooth and hinting at sweetness, soon overcome by warm spices and a hot dry astringency. culminating in a searing and astringent white pepper finish. Compare to Talisker 10yo single malt whisky. The aftertaste goes on and on, revealing once again the underlying hint of deep sweetness.

For me Sea Wynde's combination of dryness, heat and a light background sweetness results in a powerful, yet sophisticated dram worthy of slow and pleasant exploration. This is not a refreshment, it is a rum without excuse. No hiding, no added sugar, no alteration, no excuses.

Beautiful.

Score (ten is best): solid 8.
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