rum: Rum Fire

region: Trelawny, Jamaica

distillery: Hampden Estate

fermentation: 3 days of wild fermentation (medium amounts of molasses and water), 4 days of secondary fermentation (introduces low amounts of cane juice vinegar, dunder, and muck to the initial mash)

distillation: copper double retort pot still

abv: 63% (126 proof)

aging: unaged

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nose - overripe mangoes, overripe banana, black olives, coconut husk, acetone, some vanilla, something musky

palate - (let me preface this by saying that i needed a second sip before i could concentrate on individual flavors) overripe mangoes, overripe banana, starfruit, cotton candy, black olives, overripe pineapple, tire burnout, gouda cheese, actual fire, and again, something musky

finish - long finish, black olives, mangoes, rubbery funk.

thoughts - i thought i knew what to expect. i knew it was overripe tropics, industrial overload, funk galore, but fuck. my palate was not prepared, and honestly, it still isn’t. there are countless notes that i simply could not grasp individually. so much is happening at once, which is almost frustrating as a reviewer, but absolutely fascinating as a rum enthusiast. the juiciness of the starfruits and overripe yellow fruits blend seamlessly with the funky gouda cheese and tire burnout. this rum also marks my first rum with notes of cotton candy. the fact that these flavors somehow work in tandem with each other is remarkable. rum fire honestly doesn’t entirely suit my current palate, but i can easily appreciate it as an objectively wonderful spirit. this rum is no joke.

rating - 91+/100

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rating system:

1-19 - undrinkable | 20-39 - terrible | 40-49 - bad | 50-59 - subpar | 60-69 - decent | 70-79 - good | 80-85 - great | 85-89 - amazing | 90-95 - fantastic | 96-100 - outstanding