Overview

Brand: ???Islay Rum

Origin: ???Islay Rum, Port Ellen, Scotland, United Kingdom

Still: ???Pot

Age: ???Unaged

Finish: ???n/a

ABV: ??%55%

For the first review of the new year, I'm going to try something new. Today, we've got a mystery sample to review, courtesy of Will Hoekenga of The Rumcast fame.

Between posts on the /r/rum and other spirit community subreddits, to The Rumcast's own (semi-)blind tasting episodes, I've been wanting to dive into a mystery sample for the fun of the experience.

The only info I have been given about this sample before tasting is that it is rum. After sampling and writing my thoughts, I'll be reaching out to Will to get the low-down on what I've tasted. That info will be revealed by clicking the "reveal details" buttons on the infobox above, or below in the "Reveal" section.

Appearance

Clear, low viscosity

Nose

Lightly-grilled fresh pineapple, underripe blueberries, papaya, model glue, green grape fruit leather, green chiles

Palate

Lightly floral perfume, rotting sour green grapes, vomit, model cement, white wine vinegar, papaya, grilled pineapple

Finish

Long, dry, frunky; grilled pineapple, raw coconut shavings, vinegar, soap, sour green grapes, soggy paper cups

Rating: 6/10

Summary

This has got to be one of the more unique rum profiles I've been able to try so far; I probably haven't found something this unique since my first taste of a Caroni.

That said, there are a lot of similarities to other rum profiles packed in here: the nose screams high-ester Worthy Park (like their new Overproof) crossed with Hampden's DOK. Heavy on the pineapple, tons of other tropical fruits, but with a twist of model glue and chiles.

Sipping, I'm instantly hit with this crazy sensation: light florality akin to inhaling a bit of airborne perfume, then sent plunging downwards into rotting, sour green grapes. Some moments it is reminiscent of the aftertaste of vomit, but is just raw, intense flavor. After parsing that segment, model cement and white wine vinegar are joined by more fruit at the tail end. I'm making comparisons to maybe a supercharged Port Mourant or Grande Arôme expression.

The finish is long, dry, and continues to bring the funk: grilled pineapple, raw coconut, vinegar, soap, and the taste of soggy paper cups comes through.

I'm thinking this could either be a Grande Arôme that I haven't experienced yet, or possibly one of the recent high ester rums from the Killik distillery, located in Australia. Probably a molasses rum from a pot still, unaged. The proof is rarely too evident, so I'm guessing it may be on the lower end of a moderate proof range.

My Guess

Origin: Killik Handcrafted Rum, Belgrave, Victoria, Australia
Still: Pot
Material: Molasses
Age: Unaged
Finish: n/a
ABV: 47-55%

Reveal

Click the button above to reveal the details and my thoughts
This mystery rum is in fact Islay Rum's Ùine Mhòr expression– a long-fermented, unaged rum produced using experimental yeast strains.

As for my guess, I was close on most details! Ùine Mhòr is produced using a double retort pot still from a molasses base, and is presented unaged with a 55% ABV proof– sitting at the top of the range I guessed.

As for the producer, I was about as far off as can be– at least geographically speaking. I was not aware until pretty recently that Islay Rum had a batch of long fermentation rum they released, so naturally went with a known "high ester" rum I have not tried yet.

Many thanks to Will for the fun experience and unique sample! This was a lot of fun, and I hope to do more of these in the future.

Further Reading