I remember awhile ago when @caierspirits recommended this obscure little bottle at @originbarsg - the Trinidad 1991 bottled by Silver Seal, and I just had to go down and have a dram to see what it was all about. Some background on this rum, it was distilled on a multi-column still by Trinidad Distillers Limited in 1991, and bottled in 2011 after the Silver Seal brand was sold to @whiskyantiquesrl in 2010. At 50% abv, I’d suppose some level of dilution would have been done, but aside from that, there wasn’t much more I could find about it.

On the nose, the TDL 1991 was rather unique. Tea tree oil immediately comes to my mind, paired with a very nicely balanced cream soda-esque note. An uplifting rum that carried some sweetness, citrus, vanilla and a pleasant combination of herbs, rosemary and basil.

The palate was perhaps more linear when compared to the nose, to the point that it would almost seem as if it had only one singular note of vanilla, and I mean lots of it. It wasn’t a bad thing actually, and I thought I rather enjoyed it. Lots of sweetness, soft, very creamy with slight spice and citrus. The herbs did come out slightly in the finish, with additional notes of fresh cream, menthol, and a hint of amaro bitters.

I think the 1991 TDL was a rather unique rum, and an excellent example of how texture and balance can be a defining feature, setting a rum apart from its competition despite its simplicity. It has this overall creaminess in the mouthfeel, and a touch of fizz, that makes it so very pleasant to taste. It did remind me tremendously of Haitian Barbancourt rhums from the 70s, where the palate was simple, but made for one very fine rum indeed.

Image Courtesy of @weixiang_liu