Rum Runner Labs

Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum

Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum

by | Apr 30, 2024 | Reviews

Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum

6.8/10

6.8/10

Neat Rating

7.8/10

Mixer Rating

Good

Value at $28.99

Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum is a molasses based pot column blend distilled at Appleton Estate. Named for founder of Island Records Chris Blackwell (whose name I learned in the process of reviewing this rum), and bottled at 40% ABV, it seems from the outset this isn’t a rum-nerd’s rum. It’s rating of 7.1 on RumX seems to corroborate this hunch.

In the lab we measured a density of 0.947g/cc, not indicative of any added sugar, which honestly, from the general positioning of the expression, I was a little surprised by.

On the nose there’s caramel, banana, chocolate, vanilla, and a bit of a solvent note. On the palate the banana turns into banana bread, and the chocolate is salted. There’s also some coffee-like bitterness. The finish is fairly weak, but indexes on toasted sugar and oak.

In our blind taste test Blackwell got 6.8/10 as a neat sipper, and 7.8/10 as a mixer. Overall I found myself pleasantly surprised by this rum; it’s not particularly interesting, but it delivers a more classically (if not exciting) Jamaican profile than the standard release Appleton Estate lineup, and is a pretty easy way to inject some banana and chocolate into a cocktail, or to introduce a new rum drinker to Jamaica.

Distillery

Appleton

Minimum Age

0 years

ABV

40%

Volume

750mL

Refractometer

14.9ºbrix

Estimated Additives

0g/L

Price Acquired

$28.99
Expert Reviews:
Community Reviews:
Neat Rating: 6.8
Mixer Rating:7.8
Transparency Rating:2.8
Presentation Rating:5.0
Personal Rating:7.0

Overall Rating:

6.8/10
Rating Notes:
Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold Rum

Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold Rum

by | Apr 27, 2024 | Reviews

Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold Rum

6.0/10

6.0/10

Neat Rating

7.0/10

Mixer Rating

Good

Value at $28.99

I’m a firm believer that comparing something to a similar point of reference allows you to be more objective and specific. If your point of comparison is too different, you may only notice the broad strokes: for example tasting an unaged high-ester overproof Jamaican alongside a long aged Demerara is likely to just make you say “yup, those are very different”. To that end I’ve been attempting to taste a large sampling of lightly aged Jamaican rum together.

Of course to know a rum is lightly aged you need a trustworthy age statement, which, if you’re casting a wide net, may not always be available. So in the process of sourcing I’ve been permitting rums that are at very least being marketed as “dark” or “gold”—for example it seemed reasonable to include Coruba Dark Jamaica Rum in this lineup even though it doesn’t carry any age statement. Additionally with many expression containing primarily aged distillate blended with a small quantity of unaged rum, it seemed expedient to not be too precious.

With the above context, it seemed reasonable to include Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold in this round of tastings, but in hindsight it probably wasn’t. This pot still rum distilled by Worthy Park and bottled by Ed Hamilton’s “Hamilton Ministry of Rum” Collection at 46.5% ABV is unaged, but lightly colored with “gold tint caramel”.

In the lab we measured a density of 0.936g/cc, which suggests no added sugar.

On the nose it’s lack of age is pretty clear; pungent butter and leather, coconut, sweat, and some overripe banana (we are working with Worthy Park here, after all). On the palate it’s fairly creamy; the banana is back but fresher, almost grassy. There are also some mild floral notes and a touch of something butterscotch-y. On the mild finish there’s a distinct medicinal bitterness.

In our blind taste test it had a middling performance; we thought it was decent as a neat sipper (6.0/10), and pretty good in a daiquiri (7.0/10). While it’s certainly interesting, it’s not particularly easy to work with. Compared with something like Smith & Cross who’s fruity funkiness is an excellent team player, Jamaican Pot Still Gold seems to stick out like a sore thumb.

Distillery

Worthy Park

Minimum Age

0 years

ABV

46.5%

Volume

750mL

Refractometer

16.2ºbrix

Estimated Additives

0g/L

Price Acquired

$28.99
Expert Reviews:
Community Reviews:
Neat Rating: 6.0
Mixer Rating:7.0
Transparency Rating:4.0
Presentation Rating:4.0
Personal Rating:6.0

Overall Rating:

6.0/10
Rating Notes:
Cane Island Jamaica Rum

Cane Island Jamaica Rum

by | Apr 23, 2024 | Reviews

Cane Island Jamaica Rum

6.9/10

6.9/10

Neat Rating

8.0/10

Mixer Rating

Good

Value at $28.99

In the lab we discovered another similarity to Smuggler’s Reserve: a density of 0.953g/cc, suggesting about 13g/L of added sugar, the same amount of dosage we estimated in Smuggler’s Reserve.

Cane Island Jamaica Rum is a lightly aged blend of pot and column still rums from a number of Jamaican distilleries bottled by Infinity Spirits at 40% ABV. While the bottle mentions maturation in “American white oak barrels for a period up to 5 years”, the Cane Island brand websites gives us a range of 3 to 5 years, but then adds “as well as high-ester unaged pot still rum”. On paper it has a lot in common with another bottling from Infinity Spirits, Smuggler’s Reserve Jamaica, though visually it trades Smuggler’s Reserve’s rum-runner pastiche for a more low key map of Jamaica.

On the nose it comes across mildly, but with distinct notes of solvent, green apple, and banana. It’s location is noticeable (a little Worthy Park pushes through), and as well as the addition of unaged high ester rum, and helps it fight against it’s relatively low proof. On the palate it’s pretty dang sweet, indexing on caramel, brown sugar and some vanilla notes, but if you push past that there’s some spice and banana bread. The finish is short and mild, with a little ginger, banana, and a whiff of poolside chlorine.

In our blind taste test we found it to be a passable but uninspired neat sipper (6.9/10), but to play perfectly well in a mix drink (8.0/10).

After measuring nearly identical levels of added sugar in Cane Island Jamaica and Smuggler’s Reserve Jamaica, and observing the very distinct bottling styles, you get the sense certain elements of the expression have been market tested to within an inch of their lives. And to be fair, with a certain demographic of proof-skeptical rum neophytes, I’ve observed this expression to work pretty well as an onramp to more interesting Jamaican rums—it suggests the broad Jamaican profile without hammering you over the head with hogo or proof. Personally though, more often than not I’d like to be hammered over the head a bit more.

Distillery

Worthy Park, Monymusk, Hampden, New Yarmouth

Minimum Age

0 years

ABV

40%

Volume

750mL

Refractometer

15.9ºbrix

Estimated Additives

13g/L

Price Acquired

$28.99
Expert Reviews:7.3
Community Reviews: 6.3
Neat Rating: 6.9
Mixer Rating:8.0
Transparency Rating:4.6
Presentation Rating:7.0
Personal Rating:7.0

Overall Rating:

6.9/10
Rating Notes:

Appleton Estate Signature

Appleton Estate Signature

by | Apr 22, 2024 | Reviews

Appleton Estate Signature

7.4/10

6.5/10

Neat Rating

8.5/10

Mixer Rating

Great

Value at $26.99

Appleton Estate Signature, a blend of pot and column still rum from Appleton Estate in Jamaica bottled at 40% ABV, is simultaneously iconic and idiosyncratic. In terms of brand recognition among general consumers, Appleton Estate might be the most well known Jamaican distillery, and it’s Signature expression is a general purpose workhorse for many a tiki bar. And at the same time, it’s uniquely unrepresentative of Jamaican rum.

In the lab we measured it’s density to be 0.947g/cc, not indicative of any added sugar, which is unsurprising given Appleton’s general reputation for leaving their rums unadulterated (although interestingly, the back of their bottle says “…with no added flavours”, not “no additives”—is sugar a flavor?).

On the palate you’ll find very little of the bold, fruity profile Jamaican is known for. Instead there’s a mild brown sugar and subtle green apple. A suggestion of cask, but it’s certainly not beating you over the head with any age. On the palate there’s plenty of sweetness, accompanied by caramel, mild cinnamon, and a little pinapple and orange peel. The finish is very slight and nondescript, though you might pick out a bit of ginger.

In our blind taste test Appleton Estate Signature was pretty weak as a neat sipper (6.5/10) largely due to it’s limited complexity and flavor, but performed really well in a daiquiri (8.5/10); it played more of a supporting role as a mixer, but that’s not a bad thing if you need a do-it-all well rum. If you need a general purpose mixing workhorse with great availability, you could certainly do worse than Appleton Estate, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a synecdoche Jamaican rum as a whole.

Distillery

Appleton

Minimum Age

0 years

ABV

40%

Volume

750mL

Refractometer

14.7ºbrix

Estimated Additives

0g/L

Price Acquired

$26.99
Expert Reviews:6.8
Community Reviews: 6.2
Neat Rating: 6.5
Mixer Rating:8.5
Transparency Rating:4.8
Presentation Rating:8.0
Personal Rating:8.0

Overall Rating:

7.4/10
Rating Notes:
Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

by | Apr 21, 2024 | Reviews

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

7.8/10

7.8/10

Neat Rating

8.9/10

Mixer Rating

Great

Value at $0

This icon of Jamaican Rum is a blend of lightly aged pot still rums from multiple distilleries bottled at a generous 57% ABV, and is often used as shorthand for “bold, funky, gold Jamaican rum”. While it doesn’t carry an age statement, we know that some of it’s components are quite young as an official site states it’s “a blend of approximately equal parts Wedderburn and Plummer, the former aged for less than a year”. On some level it feels as though Smith and Cross needs no introduction, but I would be remiss if I didn’t call out that this rum in incredibly popular, loved by mixologists and rum aficionados alike, and is a sort of reference to which many other Jamaican rums can be compared. For a much more comprehensive backstory, check out The Many Myths of Smith & Cross by Matt Pietrek at Rum Wonk.

In the lab we measured it’s desnity to be 0.915g/cc, indicating no added sugar; the test almost seemed a waste of good rum, as the high profile of Smith and Cross means it’s been tested plenty of times over, but hey, no one gets an exception.

On the nose it’s easy to see what the fuss is about. Bold fruity overripe pineapple and banana can be smelled from several inches away from the snifter, along with an aggressive solvent note. Digging deeper there’s some mild berries and flowers, and a bit of smoke. On the palate it’s equal parts sweet and lively; the high proof aerosolizes those tropical fruits, along with some oak that was missing from the nose. Over time spicy ginger and black tea show up, along with some milld rubber and gasoline. The long finish indexes on the deeper oakier spicier notes: ginger, nutmeg, vanilla; but there’s still plenty of overripe banana and pineapple.

In our blind taste test we thought it was solid as a neat sipper (7.8/10), and great as a mixer (8.9)—in fact it earned the highest mixed score of any gold Jamaican rum we tried in this session. It’s difficult to write anything about Smith and Cross that hasn’t been written before, but it’s really easy to see why this rum has stood the test of time and earned a spot on many shelves and bar carts. If you’re looking for a go-to cocktail ingredient, or a classic expression of Jamaican funk, Smith and Cross is a no brainer.

Distillery

Hampden, et al

Minimum Age

3 years

ABV

57%

Volume

750mL

Refractometer

18.4ºbrix

Estimated Additives

0g/L

Price Acquired

$0
Expert Reviews:8.4
Community Reviews: 7.7
Neat Rating: 7.8
Mixer Rating:8.9
Transparency Rating:4.0
Presentation Rating:7.0
Personal Rating:8.0

Overall Rating:

7.8/10
Rating Notes: