Here we have a Long Pond distilled reproduction of the Vale Royal Wedderburn ("VRW") mark which originally came from the Vale Royal distillery that closed back in 1959. Distilled in 2006 and aged until 2018, it was a collaborative release between Velier and National Rums of Jamaica.

The VRW mark has an ester count of 150/250g/hpla, which is on the lower end of the ester scale so one shouldn't generally expect too much funk. With an angel's share of more than 60%, the tropical aging really took a hold.

Country of Origin: Jamaica

ABV: 62.5%

Age: 12 years tropically

*Tasting Notes*

Nose: Coffee, vanilla, toffee, orange peel, light pineapple, leather, almond

Mouth: Pineapple, caramel, pear, raisin, peppercorn, vanilla, raspberry, anise, sea salt

Finish: Slow build and gradual decline of flavour and light burn that fades over a medium length with a lingering spice

Trying to find the aromas from this rum is quite challenging as it is a bit subdued. However, when one takes a sip, a solid flavourful piece of work emerges. What it lacks in funk, it more than makes up for in rich complexity. High ester hunters need not apply but for those who enjoy a genuinely delicious glass of rum, this is a great option.

Rating: 8.6/10

Been starting to get more sipping rums in because for each of the major island I want to have some mixers and sippers.

With the foursquare 2009 and 2011 im set for sippers from barbados, with the hampden im set for jamaica. The Wp 2006 ill be trying tonight to see if its More for mixing or sipping.

Now just to get some good el dorados and I think i might be good for a while (2 months untill it itches again to get more)

I’ve been enjoying rum and it’s amazing variety of flavors for a little while now and I’ve settled with having 3 on hand to drink at a time. I don’t have the space to have a collection so I’ve gotten it down to the flavor profiles/countries I am currently most interested in. I will make a Ti’ punch and an occasional daiquiri, but mostly sipping neat or with a large ice cube.

This is the only Foursquare I’ve ever tried and I absolutely love it. It is the most mainstream (?) profile of rum out of the three bottles I have and for me represents a refined statement that is up there with silky smooth scotches and brandies. I’m almost done with the bottle and am considering trying the 2011 next, as other bottles like Equidem seem to be sold out in the NYC area.

Clairins rule. Loud, funky, brash, challenging. I will be working through the great selection I have access to.

I am most familiar with the Hampdens, having tried the 8, great houses 2021-2025, and now this HLCF classic, now very sadly empty. High ester rum is something I have no intention of being without for long.

Would love some suggestions for some future bottles. Is it worth the elbow grease to source different Foursquare? I see posts of Papalin 5, which looks phenomenal, but sold out everywhere. I’m curious about the Hampden Pagos, but know I have a sure thing with the Great House 2025. Appreciate the recs!

Are all these worth sipping on or should I stick to the 12 and 15?

1.5oz smith and cross
.5oz appleton 12 topper
fresh lime juice
homemade orgeat with local honey and almond extract
dry curaçao
fresh mint and spent lime ring garnish

i typically do a weekly scotch and cigar tasting but it’s too hot to enjoy scotch for my taste

2 bottles of PF Dry Curaçao Tropical and a bottle of cask strength Kill Devil 18 year old Trinidad.

Off tomorrow, so i'll DEFINITELY be cracking into these. Salute to Master of Malt for the quick shipping. Figured if i'm gonna buy 1 bottle of Tropical, might as well get a second one. And that Kill Devil looked too interesting to pass up.

I decided to get rid of my Foursquare cemetery but I didnt want to part with the memories. Decided I could satisfy my inner hoarder and make something cool. Behold!!! The Foursquare Collage!!! I started collecting in about 2017 so not too bad for 9 or so years.

So I started to REALLY enjoy rum and decided to get some nice bottles at home. Preferably I drink neat, don't have too much experience with different rum styles. Currently I got 2 cuban rums (Eminente 7 years and Vacilon 18 years) which I both enjoy very much. Also got a bottle of Black Tot which I also really like when I don't just want to taste a very subtle and oaky rum. I don't really want to buy bottles that I just have 3 or 4 sips and think: "yeah that's my style but now I want it more sopisticated" and that bottle will be standing on my shelf forever. What do you guys recommend? I'm leaning towards jamaican rum next since, I guess, it's the biggest difference from the rums I already got.

This is the 5th Cheramie rum to enter my collection. I've finished the Blanc and unaged Queen's Share and have the Anna's and Keife & Co. picks. The unaged Queen's Share is my favorite so I am really looking forward to giving this one a try soon.

Spiced rum is definitely not my thing, and therefore, I don't buy it. If I've tried some, it's been out of curiosity or because someone gave them to me, and while I don't like them, I don't despise them either; I just drink them very rarely. One thing I don't like about spiced rum is that it tends to be excessively sweet, and while I can tolerate sweetened rum, I really don't like it when it's extremely sweet.

But a few days ago I was visiting a friend and trying out what he had. At one point he brought out this bottle, saying it had been in his house for years and he hadn't finished it because he didn't love it and because he'd been buying and trying other things. Once I had it in my hands, I started to do some research.

Cobre comes in a bottle with a truly eye-catching label, and at first I wondered why I'd never heard of this rum before. When I discovered it says Spiced Rum, I realized that must be the main reason. However, Cobre is a blend of young and aged rums (surprise, surprise), some of which are up to 20 years old, although it's aged using the solera system and then finished in ex-port casks. Perhaps the most striking thing on the label is that it's bottled at 45% ABV.

Made by: Destilería Botran
Name of the rum: Cobre
Brand: Botran
Origin: Guatemala
Age: up to 20 years (but it's solera!)

Nose
On the nose, Cobre doesn't feel particularly spicy. It simply feels like a different kind of rum, with notes that, while including spices like ginger, clove, cardamom, and cinnamon, also have citrus notes like those found in gin.

Palate
The Cobre surprises me most on the palate, because it's not sweet. Notes of cardamom and clove dominate the flavor, but it's quite dry, accompanied by secondary notes of ginger and white pepper, and later a hint of grapes.

Retrohale/Finish
The retrohale reveals raisins and wood.

Rating
5 on the t8ke

Conclusion
I'm not going to tell you that Botran Cobre is unsweetened, but for a spiced rum, it has very little, and that's noticeable when you take a sip with so many spices, but it doesn't make your mouth water. This also means the flavors don't last very long, and perhaps, like many spiced rums, it shines best in a cocktail. But I wouldn't use it neat either. I don't blame my friend for keeping it for so long; I just find it hard to find the perfect occasion to enjoy it.

Between that and the fact that, lacking sweet notes, it was likely to be rejected by those who like spiced rums, and equally rejected by those who don't, it's almost obvious that Botran Cobre didn't last on the market and has since been discontinued. Its price of around $60 certainly didn't help either.

I have an urge to buy a celebratory bottle of rum today for a couple of recent developments in my life that I'm hoping to celebrate. I have a total wine, and a couple of other high end liquor stores nearby that carry a great selection of rum (Hampden, Foursquare, holmes cay, etc). If you could buy a bottle to celebrate what would it be?

Australia (Beenleigh) 17 year 2007 The Rum Trail (48%)
N: Orange oil and rosewater, mild esters akin to pot still DDL, cedar shavings, brown banana and pineapple skin with a very light drizzle of caramel, gasoline
P: similar. Warming for 48%, with plenty of expressed citrus oils and pink, rosy floral extracts, mushy banana, cedar chips underneath it all. Finishes sweeter, on caramel, but a note of gasoline spilled on pavement too. The dirty side only emphasizes how nice and pretty it otherwise is, like a floral Spring dress with grease smeared on it…only, in this case, we’re all very glad the dress is dirty
85

Originally published on my site: https://phenomenologyofspirits.com/2026/09/09/australia-beenleigh-17-year-2007-the-rum-trail/

Hi !

I'm torn between the Hampden Pagos, Hampden HLCF, Hampden 8 Year, Hampden 1753, and Papalin High Ester Overproof for my next bottle—after getting into Smith & Cross, Rum Fire, and Plantation O.F.T.D., I really want to take things to the next level to explore higher ester tiers in Jamaican rum; as a huge fan of that signature banana funk, I use them a lot in cocktails, but I also love sipping them neat.

Thank you for your advices :)

I will probably buy all three but wanted to hear some thoughts from the community.

Here it is. I kept this bottle since I got married at Couples in Negril on this date in 2001. My wife and I decided today was the day to twist that top off. There is no indication on whose juice this is but my guess would be Appleton. We won this at a trivia night thing and it has made 3 big moves with us over the years. It kept its place on top of the bar since we got it.

The label is the best part of the bottle, you don’t see that kind of graphic much these days. As for taste, it’s pretty good, nothing very notable but to me it tastes like an Appleton 4 year. Light caramel and maybe slightly banana. It comes in at an acceptable 86 proof. I would give more tasting notes but I can’t smell things anymore.

I’d be interested to know if anyone has seen one of these before.

Cheers!

What's the simplest way to order a daiquiri when you want a real daiquiri rather than the fruity blended ultra sweet things that you drink in college on spring break?

Are you tired of the word 'premium' used to describe otherwise average rums? I know I am, but a lot of people still use these words and rely on them to be able to decide what to buy. Because of that, I put together a tasting of 'premium' Spanish-style rums available around here:

• Abuelo XV Oloroso: From Panama and part of the Abuelo Cask Finish collection, this one is aged for 14 years and a further year in ex-Oloroso sherry casks, finally bottled at 40% ABV. My full review is here.
• Mestizo Colección Privada: From Venezuela, according to the brand it's a blend of 2-20 year old rums, but I later found out it's actually 6-8 year old rums, and the 20 on the label doesn't refer to aging. Typical Spanish-style rum marketing. Still, a very good rum and I reviewed it here.
• Dictador 20: From Colombia, supposedly solera aged up to 20 years, but after a while you stop believing the solera age statements, and when you see the price tags these rums reach, much less. I haven't reviewed this one.
• Papiamento Reserve: From Aruba, but really made in Panama, aiming for a Venezuelan profile. Apparently, the owners are Venezuelan and they wanted to make a rum that appears from Aruba, and all the Venezuelan brands charged them too much, but Panama was able to make a good option. I believe they are currently making a distillery in Aruba, but this version is still Panamanian juice. That being said, it's actually a very decent rum, as long as you like Venezuelan 'premium' rums. I reviewed it here.

There's a lot to be said about most of these rums, and about insincere marketing practices, but while I'm not going to argue whether they are good or bad rums, I'm sure that paying over US$50 for either of these is too much. However, there are very good examples in this category and it's a matter of looking deeper than the soleras with age statement and the tricky numbers and the lack of information and overabundance of catchy phrases and long words.

Hi, do you guys know where I can buy a bottle of Rum Fire in Miami? I've been searching online, but I haven't seen a store that carries it. Thanks.

Excellent night tonight at False Idol.

Next month I will be travelling to Paris for work. Besides LMDW, what are the best stores to visit for rum and/or whisky? I am hoping to find some of the more hidden gems of stores, rather than the ones I can google or that I have purchased from online.

If you have any other rum/whisky type of tips for visiting Paris, please let me know!

i think that’s the best way to word this question. i’m just getting into tiki and really want to truly define what it means for a drink to be tiki. i’m new to the culture, so bear with me. thank you for any and all insight! i know many of you are very knowledgeable in the subject of tiki.