Today’s rum is quite possibly one of the oldest rums bottled from the isle of Fiji - @dead_reckoning_rum’s Mutiny South Pacific, one of the few single cask Fijian rums from the year 2000 that Dead Reckoning has in its lineup, and in this particular case, bottled in 2022, after an impressive 21 years of tropical aging in the warehouses of South Pacific Distillery.

There is very little said about the South Pacific Distillery, except that it was established in 1980 and remains the only rum distillery in Fiji (as of now). According to Rum Co. of Fiji, a subsidiary of the distillery’s owners Paradise Beverages Fiji Limited, the distillery houses both pot and column stills, and produces molasses-based rums derived from the local sugarcane grown on Fiji’s unique volcanic terroir, and primarily aged in ex-bourbon casks. I can’t be sure that these were exact practices from before when this particular single cask was distilled and aged, but we can be certain that this too was wholly pot still distillate, aged in an ex-bourbon cask and bottled at 65% abv with an outturn of 285 bottles.

The nose resembled that of a medium ester long pond, perhaps one that was close to an STCE, paired with deep caramel tones which I thought gave this rum a good amount of depth. Those estery notes lent itself a bright and tropical, mangoes, bananas, even a slight minty. What made me really lean towards a Long Pond were those fusel notes that I have come to associate it with. The was just a light smattering of brine, and a hint of bitterness that reminded me of angelica roots.

The palate brought initial notes of caramel, and some brighter notes that were attempting to come through. But in a complete role reversal from the nose, those deep, richer tones seemed to be in full control, with caramelised oranges, and a touch of baking spices. The long tropical aging was evident too, developing a slight tannic texture on the sides. The finish was extremely complex with that of herbal grass jelly, paired with honey, raisins, umeshu plums, and a light touch of those fusel oils. And right at the end, the finish surprisingly resembled that of a scotch whisky too.

This then was a rather interesting rum, one that goes against the grain of what we know of Fijian rums which has a tendency to be a tad funky. Instead, the Mutiny South Pacific oscillates between the tropical, bright nose, and a heavier, fruitier palate that makes it a real pleasure to taste.

Image Courtesy of @weixiang_liu