Summer is not so far away, a season conducive to changes where we try new things with the secret hope of discovery. And good news, below we will talk about discoveries; not necessarily the best, but just as it is interesting to talk about good things, it is just as interesting to talk about the less good, and even the bad. That is the whole point of giving your opinion; and if everything is good, what is the point? Today it will mainly demonstrate that clothes do not make the man, nor good rum for that matter.

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Bumbu Rum / 35°

Offered and sold as "all-natural artisanal rum" , distilled (at WIRD - The West Indies Rum Company) and bottled in Barbados "with the purest water in the world" , it is a blend that draws "its origins from 8 countries in the heart of which the sugar cane was meticulously chosen: Barbados, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Salvador, Guyana and Honduras" , taking up a so-called "historical recipe for the first spiced rums, dear to the Caribbean" (an original recipe from the 16th and 17th centuries all the same). WIRD would therefore have independently distilled 8 molasses from different sources, seriously? Add that the blend is aged up to 15 years (it remains a NAS rum, No Age Statement in the 'absence' of information on the bottle), for a "derisory" price of €40. It is actually a spiced rum, but neither the website nor the bottle (except the back label) indicate this very clearly.

There is a problem, however, bottled at 35° it cannot be rum (legally, because below 37.5°) . However, Bumbu is sold in Europe (and therefore in France) at your favorite wine merchants and online stores as rum with complete impunity and against the regulations. Measured at 26.3° this rum contains more than 27 grams of sugar per liter.

So this is a brand of spicy with a beautiful story invented out of whole cloth, and the height of stupidity is this page: http://www.bumbu.com/countries.php , which gives you aromas according to the origin of the sugar cane (yes yes): we learn for example that the cane of Republican Dominica reveals notes of vanilla, those of Belize coffee, or even notes of orange and cinnamon for that of Honduras. In short, a beautiful collection of nonsense that will not fail to amuse (or make you cry). Let's move on to the tasting, who knows.

The color is amber chocolate tending towards caramel, fat and with quite enormous legs.
On the nose, it smells of banana ice cream with a thick caramel coulis, crushed banana, vanilla and cinnamon; only sweet and pleasant things, with a very (very) artificial nose. If we refer to their page on cane aromas, it must surely come from the cane that grows in Barbados (sic). No wood, no pep, and really lots and lots of banana, and a smell of cake batter that takes over everything else (banana cake batter of course, we could almost smell the baking powder that goes with it).

In the mouth, it is very sweet, very (too) sweet, dry with a big sugar syrup, vanilla galore (in chemical mode), orange and really too much sugar to the point of nausea, cinnamon. We look for rum or even alcohol, but we stop quite quickly because the nausea gains too much ground. The finish is non-existent, sweet and dry.

A rum arranged with raw cake dough. A liqueur rather than a rum, very artificial and sweet, without much interest, nor dry and even less mixed. The bottle remains. But it looks like anything but an aged rum, so 15 years in there? seriously? Rating: 20

For 40€ you'd be better off buying yourself a nice carafe in Casa and making a homemade arrangement. And whether you want to or not, a quick Google search for the meaning of the name Bumbu shows that it means "seasoning" (re sic) in Indonesian.

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Naga Rum / 38°

Produced in the north of the island of Java "according to an ancestral Asian distillation process: the fermentation of molasses is boosted by the addition of malted Javanese red rice yeast. ". We learn that it is a blend of rums aged "up to 7 years: 52% in "Old Indonesian Pot Stills" at 65% and 48% in columns at 92%". The aging takes place in barrels of local exotic wood: the jati, then in Bourbon barrels. Rather very tempting on paper.

Coppery, deep amber color, very fatty and like a liqueur in appearance (an omen?).
On the nose, it is very soft and very round, on brown sugar, caramel and spices (cinnamon, ginger) and cocoa bean. Honey arrives for an ultra easy and very simple ensemble, very sweet on the nose and not complex for a penny; a little coffee with the rest, but so soft that it suggests the worst for the future unfortunately, in liqueur mode.

In the mouth, it is indeed excessively sweet, syrupy, on a brown sugar, unrefined, and a mixture more reminiscent of melted zan candy (literally) and spices. Quite strange with hints of spicy more than rum (spicy au zan), and especially not much to do (at all) with an aged alcohol. The finish is ultra short, sweet and dry, broken, letting out notes of brown sugar and spices (and again).

A black bottle is not enough, nor even beautiful promises on paper: how can you release something so flat and sweet with such interesting specifications? It really makes you lose hope in these "new world products" that do not assume themselves, because it is indeed a spicy, no more no less: measured at 31.7° there are also more than 22 grams of sugar per liter, and still no indication as to the possibility that it would be a rum-based drink... Rating: 35

Who might like these two rums? Surely the jaded vodka lover looking for exotic 'flavors', vanilla and let's admit it, not very particular about quality. And no, this is probably not the kind of product that will lead a neophyte to take a more serious interest in rum, despite what some people may say.

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Pacto Navio / 40°

We have already talked about it at length here , it is a Cuban rum (from Havana Club) partly 'finished' in Sauternes barrels, with Sauternes in it, and the brand even displays 20g/L of sugar in its advertising (comparing this rate to those of competitors, sic).

The funniest (surprising?) thing is that measured at 36.5 instead of 40° I found 'only' 15g/L.

The color is amber, bronze, and the rum very fatty in appearance.
On the nose, it is very soft and sweet, and the refinement leaves no room for doubt: vanilla, dried fruits (grapes and bananas) and soft caramel, honey. Even though it is very soft, you can still smell the alcohol and it is clearly a Cuban rum, ultra light to which the Sauternes brings a significant delicacy, an adequate makeup in a way. Lemon and a marmalade nose.

On the palate, it is very soft and sweet, honeyed with the Sauternes touch even more present: grapes and candied fruits in cake mode, always accompanied by its custard (vanilla) and caramel. Said like that it may seem sickening, but not so much (compared to the same rums of the genre), and the Sauternes effect brings a little vinous touch that allows you to escape the worst, and rather pleasant grilled spices. Warm and honeyed. The finish will not really mark, mainly focused on vanilla and caramel, warmed by grilled spices.

We expect nothing from this rum, so it seems quite correct and it is perhaps its greatest success. If you are a fan of very sweet rum it will certainly do the job better than the others, sweet but less sickening than many and very easy to drink; and clearly better than the two things above! For those who are neither ron nor sweetening, run and do not look back. Note: 73

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The Hechicera / 40°

This is a rum made in Colombia, aged using the solera method with a hypothetical age of “between 12 and 21 years” . La Hechicera is also the only family-owned company that deals with rum in Colombia with the small Bodega Casa Santana located in the heart of Barranquilla, which has been aging and blending “the best rums” in Colombia for over 20 years.

And something rather rare to point out, there is no magic powder in the bottle, which the brand rightly points out on their website:

“LA HECHICERA is a naturally 'unpolished' rum, which means it has not been rounded up with additives or sugar , its smoothness and flavor are the result of the noble wood it is aged in. This is the traditional way of making rum that does not require any polishing or 'finishing', any additive would only opaque its innate brilliance. »

The color is amber, with copper highlights and thick, slow tears.
On the nose, the rum is rather acrid and gourmand, chocolatey and creamy, with coffee and vanilla/caramel, plum and very ripe fruits (banana, apricots). There is also a vegetal side (mint leaf, eucalyptus) and orange zest. a rather pleasant and light nose, gourmand (apricot tart) and oh miracle which is not too sweet. A must have for Ron lovers.

The attack is soft, very light, on dried fruits (plum), orange marmalade and bitter chocolate, all vanilla (wood/barrel) and spicy (cinnamon, pepper). A little bitterness (tea leaf, grass) for a pleasant and not very sweet mouth, which is a pleasant surprise, especially since the result is there. The finish is medium long, on spices and a peppery side that settles in gradually, and remains. A little dry at the end but a beautiful experience from start to finish.

It is not the rum of the century, but it is a very beautiful rum and it is worth noting, without artifice and which could even please those who usually avoid them. Note: 82

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

From the folks behind DuRhum, Velier, and more, comes a premium online marketplace for rum enthusiasts by rum enthusiasts! Do check out www.rowspirits.fr for more great content and iconic rums!