Berry Bros & Rudd, Port Morant kept in Laphroaig casks 2yrs

[JaRiMi]

Berry Brothers and Rudd, the distinguished wine merchants in UK, have an impressive pedigree and history:

"Britain's oldest wine and spirit merchant, having traded from the same shop for over 300 years. The business was officially established in 1698 by the Widow Bourne at 3 St James's Street in London, opposite St James's Palace. The company evolved from selling provisions, exotic spices, tea and coffee to, ultimately, fines wines and scotch whisky.

Berrys first supplied wine to the British Royal Family during the reign of King George III and has continued to do so to the present day. Our first Royal Warrant was awarded in 1903 by King Edward V11 and today we hold two Royal Warrants for H.M. The Queen and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales."

Whilst visiting London, I recently made a purchase of two bottles of the following:

Berrys' Own Selection Port Morant Demerara 1992, Islay Cask Rum from casks #1 & 13.

Here's what Berry Bros & Rudd say about this product:

"We take pride in selecting only the most exceptional casks of fine Rum. This extraordinary Rum from Port Morant on the banks of the Demerara river was matured for several years in a Laphroaig Malt Whisky cask prior to bottling at the optimum drinking strength of 46%. We have chosen not to artificially colour or chillfilter the spirit, retaining a fuller, more authentic flavour.

The heady bouquet gives fruit and honey notes with the smoky background influence of the Islay Malt Whisky cutting through. This is an unusual but interesting marriage which combines two seemingly disparate elements to make a very flavoursome Rum."

I must admit, I had the highest expectations for this rum, thinking of the combined delicious smokiness of an Islay whisky, combined with the sultry and balanced aromas of fine Demerara rum. Unfortunately in my opinion this marriage made in a barrel has not worked out quite so well in all honestly.

Colour: Golden yellow, not unlike an aged chablis.

Nose: Sappy, bitter burned sugar, aniseed, old dried citrus fruits, unfriendly smokiness. Definitely *NOT* my style..

Palate: A bit thin and very dry; somewhat bitter and burning, the aniseed and pine sap comes through. Roasted sugar, some (bitter) smoky notes. Where is the beauty and softness of the Demerara?!?! In this case the nose is very close to the palate - and it is not my cup of tea.

Finish: Nutty, Smoke, waxy pine sap, fading aniseed, cedary wood notes. Dry as Sahara, but at least the more offensive tastes are fading away, leaving a pleasant warming and slightly smoky end to the palate.

Comments: An utter disappointment on my side, although I admit that my expectations were really quite high. Oh well, lessons learned. This is an experience to try for sure, but is it a good sipping rum? Hmm, I would not want to mix it into anything either, to be honest. Perhaps this would make an interesting version of dry Martini, but thats about it. Did not try it with ice, this could smooth down the less pleasant flavours. Simply not my idea of a great, enjoyable rum. Now I may not be a huge fan of what I consider almost overly sweet & sugary rums like Zacapa 23, but given the choice, I would sip that happily and leave this one to the true hardcore rum aficionados. I am hoping that as the rum gets in touch with air in the opened bottle, it will become more pleasant.

[Capn Jimbo]

"J", could you please distinguish "burnt sugar" from "roasted sugar" from "caramel"? And how about "black pepper" from "white pepper" and "clove"?

[Count Silvio]

I find burnt sugar to be harsher in flavour with some smokiness in it compared to regular sugar and roasted sugar is somewhere in between. Caramel on the other hand is this soft and slightly creamy and sweet flavour. Thats atleast how I see it.

White pepper like its color suggest is not as strong as black pepper and cloves have a significantly different taste to pepper in my opinion but I'm not sure how to describe the taste. I assume by cloves you meant mausteneilikka JaRiMi?

[JaRiMi]

"J", could you please distinguish "burnt sugar" from "roasted sugar" from "caramel"? And how about "black pepper" from "white pepper" and "clove"?

I will do my best, in terms as I mean them...At times I apologize if my terminology in tasting notes is not 100% constant, but I do believe this is human.

"Burnt sugar" here for the Port Morant Islay cask meant a very strong bitter, bad taste, which is truly - BURNED. Not sweet, not nice, not particularly pleasant. I make occasionally Trini chicken coconut stew, and part of the process calls for caramelising sugar. I have sometimes managed to muck it up and literally burn the sugar to the pot so badly that the sugary syrup has turned to black, burned mass - nothing to do with caramel or sugar really any more. In the Opus 5 I noted same taste, but it was much, much less strong and nowhere so dominating as in this Port Morant.

"Roasted sugar" or "roasted molasses" I feel is much more pleasant; containing original dark sugar flavours still, but tasting heavier and, hmm, roasted?

"Caramel" (where have I used this - ??) I would say is still sweeter in flavour, not containing those roasted or slightly burned notes. ??

Black pepper vs. white pepper (I've used these terms for a rum??). Hmm, black pepper is more pleasant in my opinion, having typically a rich but not too burning pepper taste. BTW fresh green peppercorns are great, aren't they?!! Such flavours!!! FYI, I don't like white pepper, it is stronger and more one-note, causes me to sneeze.

Clove - well, we can also discuss ginger, nutmeg, bigarade or seville orange peel, all-spice, thyme, coriander seeds, saffram, heather, masala mix? There's a multitude of Caribbean and European spices...not to mention how different styles of honey taste, depending on what flowers the bees have been pollinating. I like acacia honey personally, but that's a matter of taste.

[JaRiMi]

I find burnt sugar to be harsher in flavour with some smokiness in it compared to regular sugar and roasted sugar is somewhere in between. Caramel on the other hand is this soft and slightly creamy and sweet flavour. Thats at least how I see it.

White pepper like its color suggest is not as strong as black pepper and cloves have a significantly different taste to pepper in my opinion but I'm not sure how to describe the taste. I assume by cloves you meant mausteneilikka JaRiMi?

I haven't to my knowledge used clove as a term here to describe any rum, nor any kind of pepper? Actually simple search of the forums shows this to be true.

I have said on occasion Talisker and Port Ellen can be peppery in their finish, but these are whiskies and I have not discussed them here - so I don't know where Cap'n got this inspiration from?

[Capn Jimbo]

Wonderful responses, thanks. No matter what, tasters will have different life experiences (like burning sugar) which become individually memorable. In reviewing we face the dilemma of reporting the experience in personal terms or in terms more clearly accessible by others. Often this is difficult, at times these two categories overlap for certain descriptors. A further dilemma is deciding whether it's more descriptive to break down a rum into the finest slices and components - or - to describe the broader effect.

Example: roasted sugar is carmelized sugar, is in fact, caramel! Yet there is also the candy we call "caramels" that are composed of, yup, caramel AND sugar, AND perhaps some vanilla, AND a bit creamy. We all know the taste and aroma. So when is caramel "caramel" or not caramel? And when one reports "caramel" are we referring to (carmelized sugar) caramel or (candy) caramel (in which caramel is only a component).

The peppers are another category, and pretty darn common in rum. Sue Sea is absolutely superb and see it this way: white pepper (as J agrees) is the hot, sneezing kind, with nothing else. Pinpricking and even hot. Black pepper, as most would agree, has more going on, less intense, fuller, rounder, deeper. At the other end of the continuum is clove, a descriptor that is much ignored or misunderstood. Clove is a kind of sweeter, mellower black pepper. Moving toward the category J calls "spices". Not as hot, but definitely peppery. And a worthy descriptor often reported by professionals.

Although there are other spices that have a somewhat peppery like effect (eg ginger), their primary effect is otherwise and not really in the pepper category as we see it. Yet another problem for reviewers. As for the component vs effect approach consider these rums:

Sweet caramel, vanilla, coconut cream pie and mild phenolic aromas. A soft round entry leads to an off-dry medium-bodied palate with caramel, dark roasted nuts, peppery spice, and smoky flavors. Finishes with a long, sweet , toffee, nut, and brown spice fade with a deft touch of smoky woodiness.

Or...

Powerfully seductive aromas of vanilla and sweet molasses embrace the nose. The even deeper taste features creamy vanilla, caramel, brown maple sugar, virtually no smoke or spice, all wrapped up inside a full, round cozy body. Finish is like pure caramel sauce drooling down the throat.

Or...

The rich bouquet is the highlight: toasted caramel, sweet molasses, ripe banana and vanilla. Round, creamy, and warm, the tastes are classic and fairly uncomplicated: lightly burnt caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and vanilla with some smoky alcohol.

Which rum appeals to you more? Got one? Good.... They're all the same rum! Now how bout this exerpt:

"Bananas Foster ala mode on real vanilla ice cream."

Any problems imagining that? Sound like a rum you might want to try? Here's the rest of the review:

"My defining aroma was of banana, brown sugar - pan browned in butter, also a nice light vanilla, like a vanilla/brown sugar cookie. The taste is entirely consistent with this wonderful and lingering aroma, and light bodied. The finish is very smooth and peppery warm."

This review is accessible, memorable, accurate and useful for the rest of us. It's Angostura 1919, an amazing value at just $19 and which earned all of the above reviews, including the last. My point: as reviewers I believe we must always try to strike an effective balance between personal experience and general accessibility. We must work hard to understand the descriptors we use and select those that are most widely understood and appreciated. We must avoid slicing the rum too thin.

Let me close with this: I had some people over - new to rum - and decided the Angostura (and a few others) would be a great introduction. They loved it. Later I received a call from one of them who wanted to buy a bottle and couldn't remember the name. Did he ask "Say Jimbo, what was the name of that rum with the lightly burnt caramel, cozy body and the smokey alcohol finish?". Nope.

He asked for "...that Banana's Foster rum". And I knew exactly which one he meant....

[Count Silvio]

Thanks JaRiMi for the samples. I promised to write a mini review for you this week so I decided to pour a glass of this rum tonight. I have to say I was quite surprised as this seems more like a whisky rather than a rum! This rum failed to disappoint me however, as I had read your comments about it but had I not known I would have been disappointted as this is not what I've come to expect from Demerara rums. Or rums...


Berry Bros & Rudd Port Morant Islay Cask (Laphroaig) 1992 (Guyana)

Appearance

Bright straw colour or pale gold, like a white wine (Vinho Verde?). A swirl creates a very sharp rim around the glass that develop into several small beads that very slowly, as they move, create short legs or scattered beading.

Nose

Smooth with a little alcoholic tingle and sweet smokiness. There are almonds and delicate tropical fruit aromas, perhaps pineapple and banana. There also seems to be a bit of saltiness similar to salty ocean air.

Having kept my hand on the glass mouth to seal the glass and allow the aromas to intensify inside the glass, a strong, familiar yet elusive aromatic fruity aroma momentarily stuck on my hand. This method of aroma trapping also revealed some moist date aromas that I found very pleasing.


Taste

Dry and woody entrance leads to a somewhat malty and bitter smokiness and delivers quite the tear inducing burn if you try to keep it in your mouth for more than a couple of seconds though if you add a couple of drops of water the burn is significantly reduced.

Aftertaste

After swallowing this rum there is a big malty explosion that simultaneously delivers bitterness in the back of the palate and long lasting smokiness. The rum also gives out quite a bit of heat in the chest and throat.

The rum leaves a somewhat dusty taste in the mouth after the smoke is gone as well as some kind of weird tobacco marzipan combination that appears when I breathe out through the nose.

Final thoughts

Judging by the taste I might be fooled into thinking that this is Scotch whisky, if I didn't know better. The taste is actually quite similar to the Bruichladdich 16, perhaps more complex and stronger but nothing like a Demerara rum.

Perhaps in this case the Laphroaig cask evolution is too much and this rum would be better off being matured in some other casks - the Islay definitely comes through.

If you must drink this I recommended using a couple of drops of water to mellow it down.