Strangely Jamaican…

The Fiji archipelago is not exactly known for its rum. A succession of volcanic islands where sugar cane has found a preferred terroir for over 6,000 years is nevertheless a good place for those who want to embark on the adventure. There is still a widely distributed brand: Seven Tiki, and a few more confidential bottlings (the one we are talking about today, but also an 8-year-old from Berry Bros, ..). Travel to the Fiji Islands for a great discovery…

Price : expect to pay around 100 euros for a 70cl bottle at 45°. Samaroli has recently released some of their 50cl bottles on the Italian market.

Age : 10 years. The rum was distilled in 2001 and bottled in 2011 in 350 copies. Much of the aging took place in Scotland.

Samaroli is an Italian bottler who has been working since 1968 to offer exclusive bottlings to the greatest number of people. As is often the case, Silvano Samaroli, its founder, started by distributing whisky (with some success) and later rum. Today, there are many references and a few rare single casks in their catalog. And good news, some of their rums have finally been distributed here for a few weeks. Direction the Fiji Islands for this tasting…

The rum has a very bright gold color ; a crown of droplets forms on the walls of the glass, which fall slowly, erasing beautiful oily legs in the process.

On the nose it is sweet and sour, slightly spicy, and strangely reminiscent of a Jamaican rum . It is fruity (mainly exotic fruits: citrus fruits, banana) and very nut-oriented (hazelnuts and sunflower seeds in abundance). The nose is very rich and complex, vegetal and earthy at the same time.

The spices appear (cloves, cinnamon) but without ever taking over, slowly but surely, without exaggeration. The aeration brings us a gourmet smell of almond (in the form of marzipan), vanilla and a hint of anise.

The attack on the palate is creamy and very rich . The similarities with Jamaican rums are still very noticeable, it's enough to make me fall in love with it! Except for the fruitiness, we note the presence of chocolate (bitter), then the spices develop a little more and the nuts come back in force.

The finish of this rum is long and always very loaded (aromatic). A rum made from a repasse still I imagine, because the quantity of esters is impressive. We find spices, citrus fruits, and always a selection of nuts, before finishing in a rather exquisite way on exotic fruits (banana, coconut).

A complex and well-balanced rum with a sumptuous finish. The nose is typical of Jamaican rums, very rich, and the rest is just as good and even exotic in the finale ... It fills your nose and mouth, what more could you ask for?

The German bottler The Rum Cask offers the equivalent of this 10-year-old rum in a cask strength version, at 62.9°. A great opportunity to prolong the pleasure, this latest version literally making the aromas explode in the mouth. Score: 80

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.

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