Photo copyright © H.Kristoffersen
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Not as smooth or complex as advertised, but still worth a sip.
Information
This time I have got the English Harbour 5 year old on the
table.
A proper caribbean rum from Antigua made by Antigua
Distillery Ltd. (ADL) who also hold a couple of other rums in their line up.
Among these are the 25 year old English Harbour which is somewhat of a legend.
To make this particular rum ADL employs a slightly different
technique than most other conventional rum makers. Fermentation is longer than
usual, distillation is done in all copper stills and ageing is done in smaller
oak barrels.
Presumably this should result in a smoother end product.
Looking much forward to that.
Presentation
Presentation
The squat bottle is green and gives off a sense of old. So
does the label which fake tear along the edges and a very old style look
with yellowed paper and oldish fonts. Quite nice.
On the front label we have the standards: name, age, origin,
ABV 40% and company. And a little sweet talk ("Fine Caribbean Rum distilled in
cupper stills … … and matured in oaken barrels"). And it's even there twice! One
in top and bottom, and one on the left and right side. Seems redundant.
On the back label there is a longer sales pitch – but a
quite informative one highlighting some historical figures and talking about
tradition. It is actually so well done and I had to reach the absolute last
sentence of the label before I realised it was even as sales pitch. Well done
ADL.
On top, a natural cork with a plastic stopper. Nothing fancy.
All in all the presentation is nice, simple and a wee bit
boring. But since this is an entry level rum it would be unfair to expect much
more.
When poured into a glas we find a very light amber liquid
that does not stick very much to the sides of the glass which indicates a rum
of light character.
Nose
Nose
First thing I noticed was that the nose didn't come off
very strong. It was all a very light and gentle experience. A little oak, some molasses,
vanilla, a little smoke, caramelised orange peel and coconut.
After having
spent a good amount of time trying to decode it, the nose suddenly vanished completely.
Like the rum did not have anymore to give. Putting a lit on the glass
and letting it rest for a while made a few oaky aromas gather, but it still
felt like the rum simply gave up.
Taste
Taste
Reaching the palate the lightness of the rum was confirmed.
It feels clean and crisp but at the same time it was spicy and a bit
harsh. It is not super sweet which a kind of guessed in advance since this is a british navy style rum with only a few years of ageing and a self-proclaimed light style.
The taste seems a bit simple and apart from the caramel and
oak, the only dominating flavour was the spices. The orange peel is also evident
but feels bullied by all the caramel, oak and spices.
Finish
Finish
The spices create a lot of warmth which lasts for a while
but then fades. The slight harshness from the taste finishes of the whole show.
Rating and final thoughts
Rating and final thoughts
Summing up the English Harbour 5 years is a decent rum. It
was not quite as smooth as I had hoped reading the sales pitch. But for a rum
this young it did have a certain charm to it.
I am not totally convinced and it is not among my favourite
rums but at around €30-35 it is worth a shot. I do find it a little too
expensive when comparing it to other rums in this price segment, but if you
want to try something with only a moderate sweetness this could be a fine choice.
(In my opinion this one is in the exact same category as the
Flor de CaƱa 12 which I reviewed a while ago – an easy going rum with only mild
sweetness).
Rating: 65/100
Links
http://www.antiguadistillery.com/rums_english_harbour.htmlLinks
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