Allan Bjerreskov on Plantation Isle of Rum Fiji:Aroma: Pear, white pepper and rock candy. A hint of the banana notes that typically characterize Jamaican rums. A nice scent, but it's a bit one-dimensional and doesn't develop much. Taste: This tastes sweeter than I expected from the scent. I can see on Plantation's website that 16 grams of sugar per liter is added - and you can taste it. The rum feels oily and has a nice mouthfeel. I taste mainly vanilla and ginger. The taste lingers in the mouth for a long time - but doesn't develop much. Conclusion: Plantation is to be commended for being honest and providing a lot of facts about the rum on their website. It's a young rum that is too sweet for my taste. But you're not paying a fortune either, and if you want to take the first safe step away from the typical sweet beginner rums, you can dip your toes - and your tongue - here.
Post by Thomas Heie NielsenThomas Heie Nielsen on Providence Haitian Rum Blanc 56%Aroma: Pineapple, peach, strawberry yogurt, marshmallow and dried cloves. There's a wildly delicious hubba bubba bubba gum touch to the aroma. Taste: Peach, sweet tangerines, pear, pineapple and yogurt with tropical fruit. Dry and slightly herbal aftertaste.
Conclusion: This rum is made for cocktails. But don't fool yourself into tasting it neat. It can do both.
Thomas Heie Nielsen about Hampden Estate 8 years 46%Aroma: Ripe banana, roasted nuts, a little glue and varnish, acidity and spices.
Taste: Banana, pineapple, citrus and warm spices. A lovely and complex mild Jamaica.
Conclusion: Despite the modest 46%, a really competent and characterful rum. Not an ester bomb. But a rum with a nice presence of "Jamaica funk".
Thomas Heie Nielsen on Plantation Isle of Rum Fiji:Aroma: Fruity, rich and funky. Ripe banana, pineapple, citrus, honey, spices and raisins.
Taste: Fiji "funk". Ripe fruit, zesty acidity and light sweetness. Banana, pineapple, apricot, ginger, citrus, honey and spice.
Conclusion: Fiji can do some of what Jamaica can do with "funk". In their own way. Complex and competent rum for the price.
Post by Paw SørensenPaw Sørensen on Providence Haitian Rum Blanc 56%The scent is a bit neutral and you have to look for answers, but you find the fruity and the orange blossom as described, unfortunately I think it is too weak, despite the otherwise high % The taste is also in the fruity end, but the aftertaste shows a nectarine-orange-pear. The conclusion on this rum is probably... That it can be drunk, but would probably use it in a drink, and there it would probably come more into its own.
Paw Sørensen about Hampden Estate 8 years 46%The scent is probably burnt oak and a slightly fruity sensation Taste. In addition to the warm feeling, I can feel the taste of vanilla, and a little later the banana comes out The conclusion is that the 46% does not scare me and it is a rum you sit quietly and enjoy, it is well composed and leaves a good warmth in the mouth. A good rum.
Paw Sørensen on Plantation Isle of Rum Fiji:The smell is pleasant, as there is a minimum of alcohol in the air and so for me the smell is also whether you know what is in it to find it. Having said that, I think you can sense the fruity and spicy aroma. The taste of this rum is initially for me very rich and slightly smoky, not in a bad way, but it's there. The aftertaste is spicy and warm, a little sweetness is also present. But I think that the added aromas give a nice balance to the taste. The conclusion of this experience is that it is an ok rum, the smokiness in the rum is not normally something for me, but I think that the sensation of smoke is quickly gone, and that the other nuances fill in a good way.
Post by Sylvia H. Holm Sylvia H. Holm on Providence Haitian Rum Blanc 56%Nose: Lots of fruit, sweet, plums, cherries Palette: Very fresh, lots of berries and fruit again, delicate floral notes, an almost fat and creamy texture Conclusion: Super smooth and round, balanced rum that is really inviting from start to finish. Without a doubt, fantastic craftsmanship.
Sylvia H. Holm on Hampden Estate 8 years 46%Nose: Sweet, funky, very fruity, banana, light vanilla, ginger Palette: Molasses, vanilla, rich character with lots of tropical fruit, ginger Conclusion: Very tasty and balanced rum at the light end of what Jamaica has to offer.
Sylvia H. Holm on Plantation Isle of Rum Fiji:Nose: Slightly fruity and tart funk, pineapple, apples Palette: Sweet, fruity, a little bit of "Jamaica like" funk, roasted nuts Conclusion: Inviting nose but a tad too stuffy taste, where I think the 16 grams of sugar per liter is a bit too much and stifles the taste a bit.
Posts by Jan Ohrt Jan Ohrt on Providence Haitian Rum Blanc 56%The nose says: The nose is certainly promising, it is very fresh and almost greedily filled with fruits, both sweet and sour, typical of Haitian rum. Filled with madness, this rum has a very funky and expressive aromatic profile that takes you on a journey to your childhood candy mom with the intense scent of cola candies, cough drops and bismarck lumps. And who doesn't like that, the palette says: In the mouth, it fizzes on like a tingling candy floss and, with its rich ester content, gives you an experience of overripe fruits, predominantly mango and passion, and another trip to the candy store. The alcohol seems perfectly balanced, but I don't think we find quite as much madness in the mouth as we did in the nose. Conclusion: I like this little rascal. I'm sure it's great as a mixer, but I enjoyed it so much as a dram that there wasn't enough in the little bottle to try it in a cocktail. My only objection is that I would have liked the wildness from the nose to have continued longer and more intensely in the mouth as well. Then it would have been close to perfect.
Jan Ohrt on Hampden Estate 8 years 46%The nose says: Here you immediately feel a good balance in the different esters, where you are first welcomed with a good hint of acetone, which slowly turns into dried banana. As it all fades and slowly develops, you're left with a faint scent of pure cocoa, unripe sweet fruits and sawdust, like when you've just sharpened your pencil. But you're left with a sense of restraint in the rum's aromas and that they could have easily given you much more. The palette says: The taste is absolutely pleasant, all nuances seem equally present with a deep and intense coloring of comfortable flavor notes. You encounter everything from fresh tanned leather, bitter chocolate, dates, figs, nuts, cardamom and lemon zest and, somewhat surprisingly, the taste of your best cigar dipped in a glass of port. Which was a slightly unexpected experience. Conclusion: I like this rum, it's nice, sociable and good value for money. But it's also a bit like the teacher's favorite from high school, nice, pretty, talented and reliable, and where most of it takes place in a missionary position. If she had exuded a little more wildness, I would have married her on the spot.
Jan Ohrt on Plantation Isle of Rum Fiji:The nose says: Even though we're only talking 40%, there's a punch on the nose as soon as the cork is unscrewed. It's sweet and perfumed but also a little scary with a hint of nail polish. If you let it rest in the glass for a while, it becomes milder and a little passion fruit, a little pear and a little red currant emerge, all with a hint of smoke. I was a little confused, but then again, it's not every day I taste rum from Fiji. The palette says: On the tongue, this rum is not nearly as powerful as the nose promised. The fruits have almost disappeared and are replaced by a bittersweet hint of artificial sweetener. And I've never really liked that. If you let it rest for a while, a little burnt banana, honey and ginger emerge, but it's a very short pleasure until the synthetic impression takes over again. Conclusion: It's not a bad rum, but it's a bit fluttery and lacks some robustness. It's as if the nose promises a little more than it can deliver, which is a shame. It seems a little sloppy and amputated in its finish, perhaps to satisfy the widest possible audience. I don't know, but it didn't quite grab me.
