Overview
Brand: Roaming Road
Origin: Travellers Distillery, Belmopan, Belize
Still: Column
Age: 17 years
Finish: ex-Bourbon
ABV: 62.2%
To follow up Roaming Road's Australian offering, we head across the Pacific Ocean to Central America, to what I think is an underdog when it comes to independently-bottled rum releases.
Roaming Road Belize was produced using molasses and a column still at the Travellers distillery in Belmopan, Belize. It was barreled in ex-Bourbon casks, in which it aged for 17 years before bottling at a heft 62.2% ABV.
I've typically enjoyed cask strength Belizean rums that I've tried, so let's crack this open and see how it stacks up.
Appearance
Orange-brown, low viscosity
Nose
Salted pecans, nutmeg, vanilla, cherry Lifesavers, fresh raspberries, cinnamon
Palate
Raspberries, nutmeg, vanilla ice cream, salted pecans, pastry dough, cinnamon
Finish
Medium-long, nutty, warm; cinnamon, nutmeg, roasted pecans, oak, cooked raspberries
Rating: 7/10
Summary
Roaming Road's Belize expression is very enjoyable, bringing a lot of the nuttiness that I got in the Holmes Cay Belize, but bringing some new features as well.
Salted pecans, nutmeg, and cinnamon appear prominently in my sampling, combining with vanilla to invoke the smell/taste of a pecan-topped sticky bun. This isn't overly "sweet", but carries a touch of dessert profile on the palate with a touch of vanilla ice cream. Raspberries also pop up throughout, threading dark red berry notes in the different stages of enjoyment.
This cements my opinion that proofed-up Belize rum is worthwhile to seek out. Roaming Road has done a great job selecting this single cask as part of their initial offering.