Short session under the sign of Ron with always the secret hope of finding a pearl. Direction Colombia with the Medellin brand, then Paraguay with the Fortin ron, and finally as a bonus the 'latest' rum from Négrita (for its similarities with the style, and also because I didn't know where to put it). My apologies for the image on the home page, which sticks to the slightly squashy atmosphere of the last few days (but you will have still escaped worse ).

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Ron Medellin 8 / 37.5°

A Colombian rum, 'Extra Anejo', from the Antioquia "distillery". According to the brand, their rum is one of "the very rare rums to have aged naturally, guaranteeing purity and quality" ; understand who can, but let's hope that by purity, they don't mean "over-distilled cane alcohol".

The color of this rum is amber, with an attractive caramel color, and a very fatty appearance. The caramel side does not stop at the color since the nose lets out quite a bit, in a gourmet and pastry profile. It is very vanilla, rather dry and quite sweet; by searching on the net, we learn that vanilla is used during production, but we do not know in what form, and if it is vanillin (and in the end, it is more of an arranged/flavored rum). The nose is quite spicy and lively, incisive, which is rather surprising given the low degree of bottling. It smells a lot of alcohol and the rum evolves on dry notes: dried fruits (banana, nuts).

On the palate, the attack is very soft and light, on a vanilla and spicy oak (cinnamon), caramelized, and orange. A rather astringent mouth in the end, dry, very short and without echo, mainly on notes of alcohol. It is quite surprising to smell so much alcohol on a product offered at 37.5°, but this surely comes from the original distillate which must be very light.

A caramelized and vanilla nose but it is not enough to hide the smells of alcohol and the aromatic weakness of the distillate. It is the same in the mouth with a very dry and not always pleasant finish that remains long. Rating : 64

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Ron Medellin 12 / 37.5°

The same but this time with a 12 on the label, and still at a small 37.5 degrees.

The color is amber and tends towards bronze, oily and with legs that are still very thick. On the nose, it is just as light as the 8, dry and once again very marked by the alcohol that dries. We are still more on dried fruits, grilled hazelnut and spices. Still not very complex on the nose, and with the classic caramel and vanilla.

The palate is slightly oily, even mellow; sweet on the caramelized and vanilla fruits, and dry on the alcohol and wood. We are in a more concentrated register than the 8, but which also seems more manipulated: mellow but still dry and incisive despite the low alcohol content. The alcohol clearly stands out at the end of the palate, and the rum disappears quickly, as if it were evaporating.

More gourmand than its little brother the Medellin 8, with a very mellow mouth, but just as simple, sweet, vanilla and caramelized. A rum that goes everywhere but without real tasting potential, with an alcohol present from start to finish. Rating: 61

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Fort 3 / 40°

Now we are in Paraguay with the Fortin rum . The brand's website tells us a little more than Medellin, and we even see their installation pointing towards the sky, but we still don't know how the rum is distilled.

The rum is amber, golden, shiny and reveals huge legs. On the nose, it is fresh and fruity, on broken exoticism, on past citrus fruits, pear and tart apple (granny smith). There are also herbs and a little earthy side that gives this Ron interest. A Ron that stands out from the too usual markers of the genre (caramel, vanilla).

On the palate, it is soft, sweet and very honeyed: we are on caramelized fruits (banana), vanilla, but always with this freshness that breaks the codes. Rather well balanced (in any case much more than the previous rums), the rum continues in this sweet and gourmet atmosphere, but very sticky. A dessert rum, very sweet and easy. The finish is dry, on notes of alcohol and dried fruits (banana) and always this vanilla which appears at this moment quite chemical (vanillin?).

Finding so much of this sticky and sweet honeyed side on a rum that displays a small 3 years does not inspire confidence; worse, it questions and leaves little room for doubts and its tampered side. And since it does not appear sweet via the Anton Paar test, it is a safe bet that there are many other things behind it, otherwise how can such a result be achieved after 3 years? ... Rating: 65

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Fort 8 / 40°

The same but with another number on the label. And still this "anejo en cubas de roble", but without really knowing if cubas means that the aging takes place in a vat or in a barrel. But judging by their site, it would probably be vat .

Amber color and fat dress, legs always very plump. On the nose, it is very light and sweet, on notes of caramel and vanilla, banana. A shy rum without complexity but which already suggests a honeyed and sweet mouth.

Bingo, the mouth is honeyed, caramelized, but also with liquorice, dried fruits and spices. We find a menthol side (liqueur) which gives a little pep and avoids falling into the symptomatic nausea. The finish is dry, short, once again on caramel and…alcoholic.

A rum that is once again very (very) honeyed, even sticky in the mouth, and therefore quite quickly sickening. The alcohol cuts a little, but considerably dries out the mouth, to the point of literally making the 'rum' disappear. Rating: 66

Fortin offers rums that are much more honeyed than Medellin and therefore more quickly boring (not to say sickening), but which appear quite (too) weak to be really appreciated in pure tasting. It revolves a lot around aromas of caramel and vanilla that appear more or less natural, with this common point of offering an over-present and very drying alcohol. Notice to fans of the genre.

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Negrita Top Series 2000-2006 / 38 °

Here is a "blend of the 50 best barrels selected during the period 2000/2006 by the cellar masters, limited to 24,200 bottles" . Very nice promises on paper, but some questions all the same: why lower the blend to such a low degree if these are the best barrels? And why add sugar (measured between 4 and 7gr/L)?

Playing on a selection of the best of 'Negrita' would surely deserve an alcohol of at least 40°, and especially without addition in order to respect these 50 exceptional barrels , and their identity. And can we really call a production of 24,200 bottles 'limited'? The consumer will appreciate the communication once again. You don't want to know the age too? For 20€, we'll do without that too.

The color of this rum is orange amber, and offers an oily dress with oversized, very thick and sticky legs.

On the nose, it is very light and excessively caramelized, vanilla too, with the impression of being above a Ron (hence its place in the line-up). The atmosphere is slightly spicy, astringent and very buttery: despite the small 38° the alcohol is present and therefore not very well integrated into the whole. We are on the dried apricot, it is simple and quite sweet, and everything is hidden behind a caramel on the present.

The palate is very light, oily, on caramel and vanilla, candy sugar, dried fruits and a spicy woodiness, on bitterness. A palate that once again recalls a Ron, on liquorice and caramel, vanilla. Are we seriously in front of an agricultural rum? In my opinion, not at all. The spices and liquorice give a little tone and break the sugar, but the bitterness remains until the end of the palate, which is short and quite expeditious, dry (alcohol), on spices mainly.

A rum with the appearance of Ron and without much complexity, rather very flat and without relief. The finish is expeditious. Négrita will have accustomed us to better, and it is probably not with this kind of product that they will gain popularity. Note: 58

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!