Rum: One of the world’s greatest spirits By Ken Gargett

Rum

ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST SPIRITS

The sad news is that, as much as local rum aficionados may lament it, you are as likely to get hold of a bottle of the Archie Rose Virgin Cane Rhum ($200) as the country is to be happy and united after the next elections. Archie Rose is, of course, known and loved for their gins and they have now ventured into rum territory. There are only 182 bottles of this first release, but the exciting news for rum lovers is that a producer that has had massive success with their gins should be dipping a toe into rum, so to speak. It shows that, excruciatingly slowly, rum is being seen as more than mere alcohol to be mixed with cola, for effect rather than taste. Rum should be seen for what it is, one of the world’s great spirits. Ken Gargett reports.

The Australian rum scene has long been massively dominated by one producer, Bundaberg. While their production overwhelming goes to mixing, they are, more and more, offering special selections, one-offs, limited editions and more (be very careful dismissing Bundaberg – it has fans who are truly devoted to this spirit, will not hear a word against it and will even travel great distances and line up overnight for some of these releases).

If I may spend a moment on the soapbox, those dismissing rum as a simple and often harsh way to get alcohol into the system, are missing out in a huge way. Great rum sits more than comfortably alongside the best spirits on the planet, and usually at a fraction of the cost. Producers do have to accept some of the blame. Too many are keen to push their products as ideal for cola, or the next mojito (who can blame them when their job is to make sales). Ageing a spirit increases costs dramatically. Fine for whisky devotees but Catch 22 for rumlovers. Producers are often not sure they will get the justifiable prices and so make little of these spirits. Consumers don’t get to see them and so are not as familiar as they are with Cognacs and whiskies et al. And so they are not prepared to jump in and spend the money.

We have seen how Japanese whisky has almost completely disappeared from the shelves recently, as the world woke up to the quality and the value (those were the days). To me, it seems that spirit lovers are on the cusp of a similar revolution with great rum. As soon as the word gets out as to the brilliant value some of these very old rums are, and what great drinking even younger ones can be, one can expect them to disappear like torches in a blackout. Good rum is as much a sipping spirit as any.

One sub-sector of the rum market in which we have seen a growing interest, although bizarrely it seems that this might also be waning, is spiced rums. Personally, and I suspect the same applies for many serious rum aficionados, I originally thought them as welcome as blisters. However, there are spiced rums and spiced rums. The good ones are not only worth a look, but can be enjoyable drinking and certainly have a place. More importantly, they can be a bridge to quality rum for a discerning and interested consumer, especially if the distributors and retailers are prepared to assist and educate.

“As soon as the word gets out as to the brilliant value some of these very old rums are, and what great drinking even younger ones can be, one can expect them to disappear like torches in a blackout. Good rum is as much a sipping spirit as any.“

Bacardi offered one called ‘Oakheart’, which did not appeal at all. Then they brought out their ‘Carta Fuego’, which was an absolute cracker. The New Zealand producers, Stolen, have a spiced rum, called ‘Smoked Rum’. If you are a fan of Islay malts but not sure of rum, try this. Delicious. Ratu from Fiji have a range including a Spiced Rum, but I find that there are characters reminiscent of that throughout all their rums – a lovely sweet coconut note. Not for all, but if that character appeals, you’ll love this. And it is brilliant for cocktails. Bundaberg recently released their ‘Small Batch Spiced Rum’ ($70). “13 different spices, fruit nectars and citrus zest”. For Bundy to release a spiced rum in their Small Batch series (this is the fourth rum in the series), shows how far the category has come and how serious it is.

Flor de Cana, a major producer from Nicaragua with some stunning aged rums in their portfolio, have a new rum, ‘Spresso’ ($55). Rather than a spiced rum, it is fairer to call this a rum/coffee liqueur, but whatever label, it is utterly delicious and dangerously more-ish. A new spiced rum is ‘Black Bart’ from Barbados ($65), although it is bottled here in Australia. It has been steeped in 25 different herbs and spices, with noticeable vanilla. For me, there are pleasing hints of ginger and coffee as well. Meanwhile, those brilliant aged rums await. Look to producers like Foursquare, Diplomatico, Zacapa, Appleton, Mt Gay, Angostura, El Dorado, Flor de Cana, Santiago, Havana Club and others. Try them and compare the quality with your favourite malts and Cognacs. Then compare the prices. And welcome to the wonderful world of great rum.