Compagnie Des Indes Jamaica Navy Strength - again, you get good value for money from Jamaica and a solid 57% alcohol. We're not at the very high ester levels, but you get familiar Jamaica notes combined with slightly lighter citrus notes. Delicious taste when it hits the tongue, and if you can live with the fact that it won't linger in your taste buds for an entire evening due to its only five years of ageing, then you get a fantastic everyday rum for the money.
For the familyWhen mom, dad, sister or brother need to translate the joy of giving into a delicious bottle, most people can probably afford to raise their expectations to a bottle in the DKK 500-1,000 price range. That's a big range, and it's often where you can really find good quality rum without having to pay over the odds for limited editions or very long aging.
Clement Rare Cask Non Plus Ultra - we start at the top end of the price range. And you only get half a liter instead of the usual 0.7. But what a half liter! Non Plus Ultra loosely translates to 'this far and no further' - implying: Nothing beats this. It's a matter of taste, of course, but unlike another bottle with a similar predicate from a producer that rhymes with crisis, this is a serious contender for that title. At least according to my mouth. You get full tropical aged agricole at cask strength. That's a rarity in itself - and here Clement has struck a very nice balance between the acidity of the agricole and heavy cask notes.
Mhoba White Pot Stilled High Ester Rum - want to try something fun? Something that is quite far from the common perception of rum and that you can use as a test of manhood (if woke types are offended here, sorry, not sorry) for your guests? Then you'll want this bottle. When I tell you that you'll get notes of tomato sauce, bonduelle corn and fermented sugar cane up your nose, you might not think you'll be happy. But I think you will. And you'll definitely get a very unique rum that's sure to surprise and spread intense South African warmth every time you pull it out.
Romdeluxe Limited Batch Series Jamaica 7 year - I can't promise you'll like this one. Because it requires that you're not afraid of the classic smoky notes of islay whisky. The burnt peat from the islay barrels comes through clearly, creating a rum that is quite different and exciting in its expression. So, if you've always wondered what it would taste like if your rum and whisky mated in the liquor cabinet overnight, put this bottle on your wish list and let the family pay for you to taste the result.
For your partnerNow, the gift race between you and your wife/husband/boyfriend doesn't necessarily have to be a race to make up for those times during the year when you've insulted your mother-in-law's skills in the kitchen or prioritized a rum tasting over a romantic night in on the couch. But if you want someone to put one of those heavy bottles under the tree, it's probably for the person you share a double bed with. So here are three good suggestions for wishes for a maximum of DKK 4,000.
El Dorado Versailles 2002 - here you get a bottle from the first series, which El Dorado bottled at cask strength back in 2015. Before that, this type of rum ended up in Velier's iconic black bottles. And you can quickly google what you should pay for such a bottle today. Here you get a pure expression from the Versailles boiler, which, with a lot of water and a little sugar, forms the main component of El Dorado's 12-year-old rum. Here, the expression is just much heavier and very Christmassy with notes of brownies, caramel and licorice. I'm a huge fan of the full-bodied mouthfeel the rum gives, which is typically a result of it having aged all its years in the tropics.
Romdeluxe Wild Series #26 Jamaica Long Pond - while most of the releases in Romdeluxe's 'Wild Series' sell out in minutes, this one is still available at a bargain price. And for 1,500 kroner, you get a really delicious Jamaican rum with full alcohol and flavor. At the same time, it's not one of Long Pond's heaviest ester brands, so the funk is kept at a level that most people can enjoy. This is more delicious than extreme - but it is without a doubt a really good glass.
Romdeluxe Unicorn set vol. 2 - the last offer is not just one but three bottles. And therefore also by far the most expensive suggestion I have included. But in return, you also get three delicious bottles from Demerara Distillers (El Dorado) three different kettles that have been aged for roughly the same amount of time. This is something for the geeks, and you can get an idea of how different the expression from the same manufacturer can be when different kettles are used. And yes, all the bottles are definitely worth drinking individually too.
Merry Christmas - may your packages be hard on the outside and wet on the inside.
