Blackadder 2009 Raw Cask Finest Fiji Rum 9 Year – 64.1%
Stats: Independent bottling of rum produced in September 2009 at South Pacific Distilleries, presumably aged in either Amsterdam or the UK, before being bottled in Scotland in January 2009. This single cask expression produced 245 bottles, released at 64.1% ABV without additives or filtration, resulting in a ton of char and sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Mine is numbered 165.
Background: This bottle was obtained through Blackadder’s importer Glass Revolution as part of a tasting they provided for the Austin Rum Society back in August. I retained a few ounces for myself to conduct this review.
Conditions: Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn over the course of two sessions.
Nose: Seabreeze, furniture polish, blueberry, leather, Windex, banana yogurt, red wine, fabric softener
Mouth: Loads of baking spice (allspice, anise, nutmeg) and oak, creamy caramel, vanilla custard, cigar, leather, dried fruits (raisin, dates, prunes), heat
Final Thoughts: This rum is bold, dynamic and funky. Drinks hot but well below it’s 64%. As these pours came from the tail end of the bottle, they were filled with mammoth amounts of barrel particles, even after using a fine mesh strainer. I love the conceit of these “raw cask” selections but not sure how much the lack of any filtering contributes positively to the overall experience. At any rate, this is one of the best Fiji rums I’ve tasted, a real winner.
My Rating: 4/5
My Scale:
1 – I don’t want this in my mouth ever again
2 – Best used for mixing
3 – Decent sipper
4 – Very enjoyable
5 – I’m buying a back up bottle
Austin Rum Society 