Admiral Rodney 40% Royal Oak Golden Rum, 70 cl

Product Information

There is no Pot Still rum to be found in any of these rums. I can hear groans of discontent amongst some enthusiasts already. A “Cask Collection” series is also planned and I will report on that when I get some more information. Alright then! Aphrodisiac rum. Beyond that, “added to the rum are local spices and fruits such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, allspice lemon and orange peels.” The rums in this blend are aged between 9 and 12 years. Maturation has occurred exclusively in Saint Lucia. So it’s a fully tropically aged rum. It has been produced on a Coffey Column Still. There are no Pot Still distillates in any of the Admiral Rodney rums to date. This is quite a good introduction to “pure rums”– it shouldn’t offend palates more used to sweetened nonsense too much. The alcohol burn is there but overall this is a rather mellow sipping experience. So this expression is younger than the previous Admiral Rodney (which is now the HMS Royal Oak) so it will be interesting to see how it compares. Other than the fact the rum has also been aged in ex-bourbon casks, I cannot think of any other information you may need at this stage. So without further ado I may as well let you all know how I found this rum.

Presentation of these new Admiral Rodney rums is great with a distinctive stubby bottle and I’m pleased to see the huge wooden topped cork stopper remains. I like the new design though I don’t think there was anything wrong with the previous design either. On the nose you are met with the familiar herbal and pine cone notes of St Lucian Rum. Not quite grassy or salty but kind of in-between.Admiral Rodney Saint Lucia Rum HMS Princessa. Regular readers should by now be familiar with Saint Lucia Distillers. We have featured all their Chairman’s Reserve range as well as all 6 of their annual 1931 series. We’ve also covered their Bounty Rum and one or two independent offerings. Admiral Rodney Saint Lucia Rum was actually one of the first “Premium” rums I ever tried.

In the glass Admiral Rodney Saint Lucia Rum HMS Princessa is a vivid orange/brown almost Mahogany colour. The nose is immediately recognisable as a Saint Lucia Distillers rum. Which for me, is definitely a good thing. I was able to taste four rums from SDL: Two from the Admiral Rodney line, and two from the Chairman’s Reserve line. With that said, let’s get to tasting. The nose is quite minty – spearmint and a touch of menthol. Further nosing reveals some toffee and milk chocolate. Following on from this is a good weight of spicy and quite fresh oak. This is a quite vibrant and punchy rum. A touch medicinal. Sipped it is quite sweet with a good hit of demerara sugar, raisins and toffee. It’s quite light but very well-balanced. The mid palate reveals a smokiness, alongside some nice spicy bourbon-esque notes – zesty lemon and a good balance provided by some slightly sweet tobacco/leather notes.Admiral Rodney Saint Lucia Rum HMS Formidable. As you may have guessed from the title this new edition to the Admiral Rodney line up is the “top of the range bottling”. There are now three regular editions of Admiral Rodney available – HMS Princessa, HMS Royal Oak (this being the original Admiral Rodney blend) and HMS Formidable. First up there are going to be 3 permanent releases in the Admiral Rodney rum range. This HMS Princessa is the least expensive of the line up. Admiral Rodney HMS Princessa is a blend of rums aged between 5 and 9 years. The rums in the blend come from Saint Lucia Distillers Coffey Column still. More specifically from the bottom plates of their 45 plate Coffey Still. Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum can certainly boast an interesting description, though, and an approachable price tag. According to the distillery, it begins with the base rum of the Chairman’s Reserve line—a mix of pot and column distillate, unlike Admiral Rodney—and is then “steeped with ‘Bois Bande,’ a local Caribbean bark culturally known for its aphrodisiac qualities.” I’m not sure why exactly this is referred to as a limited edition, because it seems to have been a made into a permanent, premium part of the Chairman’s Reserve lineup for the last few years, but it’s not really important. What is important is the liquid in this bottle: The crown jewel of the St. Lucia Distillers collection, as far as I’m concerned. This is some absolutely lovely rum.