What remains becomes myth & legend

Continuation and end of the Skeldon adventure, for posterity and so that there remains a trace, even a tiny one, that of yet another rum to leave our glasses to fill the pockets of speculators and dream merchants. Future generations will surely have difficulty believing that such a rum existed, and yet…

"Time breaks and disperses reality, what remains becomes myth and legend." ( Nuto Revelli )

Price : from a hundred euros at its beginnings to the unreasonable of today and tomorrow. 70cl of concentrate and 60.4° under the hood.

Age : 27 years spent in the tropics. Distilled in 1978 and bottled in 2005 at a natural strength of 60.4°. 688 bottles from 3 barrels (mark: SWR).

And to think that one day a man, surely mad for his time, distilled and then left a few barrels to rest in a corner of a huge warehouse, until he forgot their very existence; before a man - just as mad if not madder - resurrected them more than 25 years later... Some will believe in chance, others in miracles, but think for a moment that in these barrels, there was very little rum left, a unique concentrate of flavors surely intended to sublimate some random blend. History will remember the names of Yesu Persaud and Luca Gargano, the bruised palates that of Skeldon as a trigger of passion, an intense organoleptic revelation.

The myths we weave, even if they contain our honesty and our errors, inevitably reflect a fragment of history, of an eternal truth beyond us.

When opening the bottle, a powerful smell is immediately released, and I can't resist the idea of ​​(re)smelling more... but how can I not want to go too fast with this bottle... you will agree, history deserves patience and respect, but curiosity often wins out, and in my defense there are still 27 years to catch up on. Let's start by contemplating the ruins of this vestige with sufficient distance to avoid new temptations.

The color is concentrated and oily, and even viscous so much it seems to stick to the walls of the glass . The color is dark mahogany, tending towards an intense and dark red, very impressive at first glance. An intensity that certainly comes from the 27 years spent in barrels (and in the tropics), but also and above all from the absence of topping up: this method which consists of the cellar master refilling the barrels each year following evaporation - the angels' share - by topping them up with rum from the same year of aging. No topping up here.

Once the glass is in motion, the rum reveals huge vessels, from the top of which large drops form and seem to fall in slow motion, leaving behind a thick film that will disappear after a long time.

On the nose, it is first a smell of brown sugar that emerges (molasses), spicy (gingerbread), and even burnt, as if mixed with a bowl of very black and freshly roasted coffee beans. Followed by a heady rubbery smell, of burnt tire, old leather, liquorice, tobacco leaf for a clearly assumed bitterness . The rum is powerful on the spices which are melted into the whole, very concentrated, thick as desired like a kind of glue, resin.

When aerated, we can distinguish more suave notes of white chocolate and exotic fruits that would have burst under a sun that had become too powerful (like an air of global warming ahead of its time). The fruity aromas become floating, they wander above the precious liquid forming a sort of cloud , giving charm and a certain ease to this solid guy. And the more we wait, the more we are patient, the more this monster transforms into a docile creature... time suits him, softens him and offers him a rounder body as if the beast gave way to the beauty, shedding its leaves in a seductive ballet, changing towards an assertive but always soggy sensuality. The fruitiness then becomes red and tangy, redcurrant, black cherry.

The initial smell, so persistent, fades into the background, but inevitably returns, occasionally revealing small doses of sensuality, floral flights. Yes, this rum, at this moment, becomes captivating and never, ever seems to stop… Generally, after a while, only a woody and spicy smell remains, but for nearly 2 hours it has held its own, a tireless ghost of the past. For fear of hanging over my glass for an even longer moment, I try the appetizer…

At this point, the fun is over... the Beauty and the Beast duo is over, it's the return of our solid guy who wakes us up and even knocks us out with his power . I had almost forgotten the 60°, fooled by an endless and bewitched nose... But this rum, once in contact with the skin, seems to cling to every millimeter of surface it treads: the palate, the tongue, the teeth and the gums, nothing resists it and it doesn't just line your interior, it strips it before that and doesn't let go of you!

We find this caramel, still burnt, this coffee in espresso mode and a cloud of vanilla, and this bitterness which seems to direct the whole: with these tobacco leaves or perhaps tea giving a slightly sour and also salty taste; The coffee is still there, as in the nose, and the fruitiness is necessarily less present given the influence of the barrel and all these years spent in contact with rum. We can recognize some exotic fruits all the same and citrus fruits, in the form of zest and even peel to still return to this sour/bitter side. The spices become peppery, the mouth is buttery.

The finale seems to literally stick to the palate , and the rum remains there for a while as if suspended, before slowly descending into the throat, leaving a trail of aromas as a mark of its passage. Then we think it's over, that it's finally time to take a step back to analyze the tasting more finely, but no, the bugger comes back, he goes back up your most hidden cavities to express himself again, as if hidden viciously before a final encore. Like an acclaimed artist on stage, he comes back for one last piece, for the consecration and pleasure of the already stunned spectator.

Tasting level, always these bitter flavors, and the progressive return of fruits at the same time as a buttery and mineral taste; liquorice, oak, salt. We feel and taste the age of this rum and its history from start to finish…

The impression remains, as if it were always sticking to the palate, pasty in the mouth and a glass of water would change nothing, or barely. As if it had deposited a waterproof layer, it seduces you and does not let go; beauty and the beast revisited in Demerara style in the Guyanese jungle.

Once empty, the glass still develops aromas, spices (cinnamon, cloves, white pepper) still very concentrated, and coffee! and it lasts a very long time, a few days, proof, if any more were needed, of the extreme concentration of the rum.

A raw tasting from start to finish with the influence of the barrel, the wood and the aging in the tropics felt, and without tasting a 'wood juice' as some will imagine, and that is the tour de force of this rum. We have this bitterness, this sour side but with a beautiful balance, mineral and fruity aromas, and above all a sensational concentration. The nose is splendid and very versatile.

Myths always arise because something doesn't work. Because a margin is too narrow, a river is too wide, a finger is too thin, a door is closed, a...

This kind of rum never comes into the world by chance, and has the immense merit, the privilege, of setting if not rules at least expectations for our future tastings. Proof, if any were needed, that a rum can age for more than twenty years in the tropics and remain exceptional… And to think that some bottlers persistto believeto make us believe that continental aging sublimates rum produced thousands of kilometers away… But art and absurdity are both born of chance. Then words get involved, and everything becomes legend, that is to say, a lie . This Skeldon 1978 is a legend, and there will come a day, in a few years or even a few centuries, when we will find reason to say that it was only a lie, and that it never existed… Note: 94.5

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!