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Young, funky and powerful!
Information
Another funked up Jamaican from Rum Nation.
Don’t know about Rum Nation? Go check out this huge essay by fellow rummie Lance The Lone Caner.
Full disclosure: This particular bottle has been supplied to
me directly by Fabio Rossi of Rum Nation, free of charge.
Born at Worthy Park Estate, St. Catherine, Jamaica, this
little wonder of the world, was distilled in 2006 on a pot still, aged for 7 years in ex-bourbon
casks in Jamaica, and finished for 1 year in Oloroso Sherry casks in Piedmont,
Italy.
Finally it was bottled in 2015 at a challenging 50% ABV.
No additive, colouring or general tampering at all.
Fabio Rossi of Rum Nation went to great lengths to have an
actual lab report made, which detailed the composition of the Jamaica 8. I have a
copy of the report in my possession, and it lists a sugar content of just 1,67
g/l.
Presentation
As with many other of the latest editions from Rum Nation,
you are getting a semi useless card board box with two non-existing sides.
Standard black ting with next to no information on it.
I am sure it proves useful in stacking bottles for larger
shipments, but it does almost nothing for the consumer. I ranted about this in
an earlier review, so I and not going to elaborate very much on it today. But
the box is waste, and I don’t like unnecessary waste.
The bottle is the short, squat thing that has become a new
standard from Rum Nation.
At first I was a little bummed, as I liked the old, taller
barroom bottles more. But the tiny fatty is growing on me (no pun intended!).
The new design is winning me over slow and steadily. It does
have a nice thick bottom to add weight and give off an aura of quality. And the
natural cork with the faux wood stopper is a nice touch. So is the black shrink
wrap with the Rum Nation name and logo which hold the cork in place until the
first opening.
The label has a modern expression with one third
representing the brand name, one third describing the product, and the last
third is the national stamp which decorates so many Rum Nation rums.
The rum displays a nice straw colour and when twirled it
forms a solid ring, from which nice fat legs are crawling down.
Nose
Huge aromatic style and a fist straight to the face! At
first at least.
The first impressions are punched in by plasticine, burned
oak and tar with quite some force.
Breaking that intense surface, I found wood polish and an immense
fruityness. Concentrated, unsweetened apple juice and incredibly stale cola
(these seems to be common denominators of the Jamaicans I have tasted so far).
Further down the layers lurk a mild toffee sweetness and
flavoured pipe tobacco.
It doesn’t rip you nose, but the strength is making it self
noticed.
At first I found it quite pungent, but the more I nose it,
the more I want to keep nosing it. It is intriguingly complex and seems to
tease you a bit, if you let it display its massive plasticine, oak and tar
ouverture first.
Taste
Taste
Very spicy on entry with reprises by the plasticine, burned
oak and tar force from the nose. On the palate it is even more dominating.
The fruity sweetness is more competitive this time around,
and does what it can to fight the overpowering trio of hellfire and brimstone.
But after a couple of sips, it seems to mellow out and go in
an herbal direction. There is a sense of magical concoction about it, as
cinnamon, pepper, cumin and chamomile joins in.
It does have some of that Jamaican funk, that I also got
from the RN Jamaica 23, but also a extra layer of sweetness which I suspect to come from the sherry cask finish.
Finish
Finish
Shortish finish, and no where near as hot as I would have
expected from a 50% spirit.
The alcohol level dries everything nicely upon exit, and in
the end you are left with a perfectly balanced and mild aftermath of tiny
warmth, green apples, caramel, burned oak. Beautiful.
This rum definitely wanted to leave me with the best
possible expression before it had gone. So gentle and balanced, where the
initial nosing and tasting was more brutal.
Rating and final thoughts
Rating and final thoughts
A great high proof from Rum Nation. No question about it.
Both the nose and the palate was hard hitting, very complex
and wanted me to stay around for seconds. As with many other
substancially-stronger-than-your-usual-around-40%-sippers it is no casual
drinker. It does demand attention, but also lets you savour it and enjoy.
You don’t have to attack it knuckles first every single sip,
as some other high proofs require.
The rather short, but straight to the point finish was a
suiting end to another great experience.
By now it is no secret that I enjoy many of Rum Nations
products, and this one indeed deserves a recommendation.
The best part is, that the value for money is very good. At €53 it is a bargain for what you get. A funky, true age,
untampered, high proof, enjoyable Jamaican rum. I know the Appleton 12 is a
bit cheaper, but it is also weaker and in my opinion less challenging and exciting. Not worse, but a different breed never the less.
I am running out of superlatives to attach to this rum - and fast - so I will just call it a day, and pull out a…
Rating: 75/100
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