The Sponge is today a beloved independent bottler of a wide range of spirits, having started from whiskies before progressing on to rums, Cognacs and armagnacs, and belongs to this new wave of indie's who are subtly yet massively changing the face of drinks culture.

No longer should it be the case that bottles of spirits should come off daunting, overly prim and proper to the point of being stuffy, and dare I say it, dated. That doesn't appeal to a new generation of younger drinkers who are looking for something they can resonate and engage with, where they can feel like they too are part of this two-way selection process of themselves stepping through almost a sort of portal and being a part of a new universe where they live alongside the various drinks they enjoy - that these spirits should almost take on a personality of its own. And with the help of the likes of the Sponge, drinkers can step into its world through ever dram glass - it's experiential to a whole other level, and who would have thought that it would all come from simply rethinking how bottle labels ought to be and what they ought to convey!

The Sponge.

The Sponge comes primarily from Angus MacRaild, a man whose forays in the drinks scene is about as diverse as it comes. Angus is a tried and true Scot who can count in his CV everything from having been the tour guide for Islay whisky stalwart Ardbeg, to having worked the vines of a winery, before eventually running the gamut of wine and spirits retailer, whisky bar, and whisky auction company. He eventually settled on running stands at whisky festivals serving up vintage whiskies - and along the way became co-writer of one of the world's most popular and esteemed drinks review sites, WhiskyFun, all whilst steadily creating his own site and character, Whisky Sponge.

And so what was there left in the drinks space for the proverbial Whisky Sponge to do besides finally getting into bottling its own spirits (maybe one day there'll be a Sponge Distillery, who knows!). Thus when the opportunity came up from a friend, Iain McCline from Whisky Auctioneer, to collaborate on bottling some spirits, this would give life to Whisky Sponge (and eventually Rum Sponge, Cognac Sponge, and so on, even a Wine Sponge). Established in 2018 under the company name Decadent Drinks, the concept would get off to great momentum - even at the start there was palpable excitement over every independent bottling donning the Sponge name. The bottlings often came well aged, delivered unique flavour profiles, and coupled with its playful and colourful comic-style labels that brought fans into the varied adventures in the Spongiverse with its Sponge character, the brand thus became a hit with the community.

And whilst every independent bottler will be quick to tout their impeccable selection quality, the Sponge seemed to really deliver. Angus' personal taste came through with each expression, both what was inside the bottle and outside on the bottle label, and it found such resonance that any indie bottler could only dream of. Within just 5 years, the Sponge would celebrate its 100th bottling, and at such heights, it would decide to retire the Sponge name, and instead bottle under four series' instead - Whiskyland, Decadent Drams (for other non-whisky spirits), Equinox & Solstice (which has been ongoing for some time) and Old Orkney. And just as it has before, these labels will run for the next 5 years or up until they hit their 100th bottling before they face reinvention.

| Read: The Auld Alliance Singapore: The Charming Classic Bar That Constantly Draws Whisky & Rum Lovers

And so with that, today we're going to taste something very special! But this isn't whisky of course, it's Rum Sponge! We've got a special edition that's bottled for Singapore's iconic spirits bar The Auld Alliance! It's known by every local drinks fan, and is a must for anyone making a stop in the little sunny island of Singapore. Here on the label we've got the Sponge having a chat with Auld Alliance's founder Emmanuel Dron, savouring a couple of noteworthy expressions bottled for the bar at of course the bar itself! I hope the Sponge got to try some of the local food - I'd say it's amongst the best in the world.

And so today we've got some Caroni courtesy of the Rum Sponge that's bottled for The Auld Alliance bar - now who doesn't know of Caroni, the now defunct and demolished legendary Trinidadian rum distillery, and so we'll skip the introduction this time round. It comes from a single refill barrel of 1998 Caroni, matured 11 years tropically before being brought over to the UK for the remaining 15 years. It's bottled at cask strength, which comes out to 58.6% ABV. 

Let's give this a go! 

Rum Review: Caroni 1998, 26 Years Old, Rum Sponge (Decadent Drinks), Bottled For The Auld Alliance (Singapore), 58.6% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Amber

Aroma: It opens mellow and relaxed, fragrant yet with this unhurried quality. It's giving brown sugar, with a side of herbal tortoiseshell jelly (guilingao) and Pei Pa Koa cough syrup, with even a grassiness that would've pointed towards well-aged rhum agricoles. Streaks of more drying traditional medicinal herbal roots of angelica. And at the same time, there's a tropical quality to it that is reminiscent of Bajan rums - cola syrup, sarsaparilla, licorice, coconut flakes, still lifted and aromatic. It's gently syrupy. With time some of that more dirty tyre rubber makes an appearance. Peeling back those layers, there's touches of fruitiness at the back, with darker, almost jammy tones of blueberry jams, stewed prunes and plums too. 

Taste: More of those herbal tones come through with that Pei Pa Koa cough syrup, there's of course that hit of brown sugar. It's more punchy and intense here, turning the cadence up nicely. In that initial hit, there's more of those dirty notes of tyre grease, and then also some leather and spices of cardamom and cloves. Medium-bodied here, alittle oily and tarry, but not much. It lets up to give way to more savouriness of grilled meats, with also this really deep core of black grape fruity sweetness. Plums too at the back. 

Finish: Those herbal tones don't let up! More of that Pei Pa Koa herbal cough syrup, cola syrup too, sarsaparilla, dried angelica herbal roots. Trailing closely by is a spread of plum preserves. It brings up a deep and chesty warmth. It gets more tarry, alittle more savoury and dry too, on a long finish. 

My Thoughts

A really interesting and versatile expression of Caroni - here we find a more laid back and unhurried side of the legendary producer, one where it's almost chimeric, cusping the flavour profiles of several highly beloved yet distinctive rum styles. At times it's giving rhum agricole, whilst other instances show something like that of everyone's favourite Bajan rum, yet before we start to get ahead of ourselves, it reveals some of those dirty and darker fruity tones that we know to be Caroni. Time has definitely rounded this off really nicely into something that's almost syrupy and incredibly mellow and relaxed. It's got concentration though, so be sure to give it adequate time to reveal its layers.

The dominant flavour that I find here is that of herbal cough syrup, which is personally a big favourite of mine, and here I find that it's expressed really nicely, backed up by the richness of sweet and earthy brown sugars, laced with traditional herbal roots and an array of spices - it drys off nicely into the finish without overdoing it, neither bitter nor tannic, almost coming across more as a sweet herbal cordial. This isn't one of those flaming Caroni's, it's much more friendly and approachable, easy going almost, certainly lending itself incredibly likeable to most palates.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot