After our peaty minis session, talk turned to the emerging quality of unique single rums… in part sparked by a few rum miniatures peaking amongst the whiskies and in part sparked by the availability of a few rums to run a few comparisons.

What did we settle on?

• Venezuela – Diplomatico 40%
• Guatamala – Zacapa 23 Solera 40% vs XO 40%
• Guayana – El Dorado 12 year 40%
• Barbados – Criterion 10 year (April 2017) Ex Bourbon / Ex Madiera 56%

This wasn’t my first brush with exploring rums… aside from the occasional opportunity to taste a single rum here and there, there was a rather memorable session at Whisky Live Singapore, Is Single Rum the new Single Malt? Masterclass with Luca Gargano and Dave Broom.

Other remarkable rums….

• Clairin Vaval 58.1%
• Habitation Velier Forsyths White (2005) 57.8% 
• Hampden 2010 HLCF 68.5% (Jamaican pure single rum)